Resuscitation and quantification of stressed Escherichia coli K12 NCTC8797 in water samples

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact on numbers of using different media for the enumeration of Escherichia coli subjected to stress, and to evaluate the use of different resuscitation methods on bacterial numbers. E. coli was subjected to heat stress by exposure to 55 °C for 1 h or to light-induced oxidative stress by exposure to artificial light for up to 8 h in the presence of methylene blue. In both cases, the bacterial counts on selective media were below the limits of detection whereas on non-selective media colonies were still produced. After resuscitation in non-selective media, using a multi-well MPN resuscitation method or resuscitation on membrane filters, the bacterial counts on selective media matched those on non-selective media. Heat and light stress can affect the ability of E. coli to grow on selective media essential for the enumeration as indicator bacteria. A resuscitation method is essential for the recovery of these stressed bacteria in order to avoid underestimation of indicator bacteria numbers in water. There was no difference in resuscitation efficiency using the membrane filter and multi-well MPN methods. This study emphasises the need to use a resuscitation method if the numbers of indicator bacteria in water samples are not to be underestimated. False-negative results in the analysis of drinking water or natural bathing waters could have profound health effects

The Nexus Between Security Sector Governance/Reform and Sustainable Development Goal-16

This Security Sector Reform (SSR) Paper offers a universal and analytical perspective on the linkages between Security Sector Governance (SSG)/SSR (SSG/R) and Sustainable Development Goal-16 (SDG-16), focusing on conflict and post-conflict settings as well as transitional and consolidated democracies. Against the background of development and security literatures traditionally maintaining separate and compartmentalized presence in both academic and policymaking circles, it maintains that the contemporary security- and development-related challenges are inextricably linked, requiring effective measures with an accurate understanding of the nature of these challenges. In that sense, SDG-16 is surely a good step in the right direction. After comparing and contrasting SSG/R and SDG-16, this SSR Paper argues that human security lies at the heart of the nexus between the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN) and SSG/R. To do so, it first provides a brief overview of the scholarly and policymaking literature on the development-security nexus to set the background for the adoption of The Agenda 2030. Next, it reviews the literature on SSG/R and SDGs, and how each concept evolved over time. It then identifies the puzzle this study seeks to address by comparing and contrasting SSG/R with SDG-16. After making a case that human security lies at the heart of the nexus between the UN’s 2030 Agenda and SSG/R, this book analyses the strengths and weaknesses of human security as a bridge between SSG/R and SDG-16 and makes policy recommendations on how SSG/R, bolstered by human security, may help achieve better results on the SDG-16 targets. It specifically emphasizes the importance of transparency, oversight, and accountability on the one hand, and participative approach and local ownership on the other. It concludes by arguing that a simultaneous emphasis on security and development is sorely needed for addressing the issues under the purview of SDG-16

Turkey and the European Union: Strategic partners or competitors in the Western Balkans?

Since the 1990s, Turkey and the European Union (EU) have each increasingly pursued active foreign policies in the Western Balkans, aimed at establishing peace, stability, and security in the region. Over the past few years, Turkey's active foreign policy approach has been frequently labelled as 'Neo-Ottomanism'. Against this backdrop of deteriorating relations between the EU and Turkey, Turkey has been attempting to use its soft power potential to consolidate its political, economic, and cultural influence in the Western Balkans. The article explores the factors contributing to and hindering Turkish influence in the region. It then analyzes factors behind Turkey's renewed activism within the context of recent developments in EU-Turkey relations. Drawing on an extensive series of elite interviews conducted in Turkey, the United Kingdom, Serbia, and Bosnia from 2011 to 2013, the article concludes with an examination of whether Turkey and the EU may best be regarded as strategic partners or competitors in the region

Investigation of the constitutional balanced-budget rule Turkey

Kamu gelir ve giderlerindeki dengesizlikler sonucu oluşan mali disiplinsizlik olgusu gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan tüm ülke ekonomileri için ciddi bir sorun yaratmaktadır. Mali disiplinin sağlanması ekonomik istikrarı sağlamak, para ve maliye politikalarını etkin bir şekilde kullanmak için gerekli görülmektedir. Mali disiplinsizlikle mücadele etmek için ise mali kurallar uygulamaya koyulmaya başlanmıştır. Mali kurallar birçok nedenden ötürü uygulanmaktadır: (a) hükümet güvenilirliğinin sağlanması, (b) ekonomik istikrarın sağlanması, (c) sürdürülebilir bir maliye politikası oluşturmak. Türkiye'de ise 1980 ve 1990'lı yıllar boyunca ekonomik istikrarsızlık devam etmiş, yüksek enflasyon oranları ile mücadele edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Özellikle 2001 krizinden sonra, kısıtlayıcı maliye politikaları ile kamu açıkları azaltılmış, ekonomi olumlu bir performans göstermeye başlamıştır. Türkiye'de henüz Anayasal bir mali kural uygulaması olmasa da çeşitli programlarda önümüzdeki dönemlerde kurallı maliye politikasına geçileceği açıklanmıştır. Çalışma kurallı maliye politikasını kavramsal açıdan ele almakta ve Türkiye'deki durumu incelemektedir.As a result of imbalances in public revenues and expenditures, financial indiscipline develops creating serious problems for developed and developing country economies. Maintaining financial discipline is needed to have economic stability and to use effective monetary and fiscal policies. To fight against fiscal indiscipline, financial rules are to be implemented. Financial rules are used for variety of reasons : (a) ensure the credibility of government, (b) ensuring economic stability, (c) create a sustainable fiscal policy. Turkey had economic instability in 1980s and 1990s and tried to fight against high inflation rates. Particularly, after the 2001 crisis, public deficit reduced with use of restrictive fiscal policies and the economy begun to show positive performance. Although, Turkey does not have a constitutional application of fiscal rule policies, it is declared that Turkey will start using financial rule policies in future. Study discusses fiscal policy rule conceptually and examines the situation in Turkey

The Western Balkans in the transatlantic security context: Where do we go from here?

The Western Balkans has traditionally held vital geostrategic importance for European and transatlantic security. Ever since the 1990s, the EU and the NATO have maintained an active presence in the region, and pursued goals of stability and peace. Since the 2000s, the Euro-Atlantic actors have sought an eventual integration of the countries in the region into transatlantic structures. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary situation in the Western Balkans, examining the regional countries’ prospects for Euro-Atlantic integration and the implications of the latest developments for transatlantic security. It makes the argument that NATO accession acts as a prelude to eventual EU accession, ensuring that the countries stay the course of engaging in reforms and contributing to Euro-Atlantic security while confirming their commitment to democracy

In welfare state regulations: Nordic countries and the case of Turkey

Sanayi Devriminin gerçekleşmesi ile kitleler arasında yayılan toplumsal eşitlik isteği sosyal refah devletlerinin doğuşuna sebep olmuştur. Bu süreçten sonra yaşanan 1929 Ekonomik Buhranı, İkinci Dünya Savaşı gibi toplumsal açıdan yıkım getiren olayların ardı ardına gerçekleşmesi de müdahaleci devlet rolünün önemini ortaya koymuştur. Sosyal refah devletleri böylece yapılaşmasını tamamlamış ve vatandaşının hayat standardını yükseltmeye çalışan yeni devlet tipleri ortaya çıkmıştır. Sosyal refah devletleri gelişme, yükselme ve çöküş dönemlerine ayrılmış ve dünyada yaklaşık 45-50 yıl kabul gören devlet yaklaşımı olmuştur. Ancak çöküş döneminde dahi sosyal refahın getirdiği avantajlardan vazgeçmeyen NORDIC ülkeleri dönüşümünü çağa uydurmuş ve başarılı bir sosyal refah modeli oluşturmuştur. Bu açıdan tezde NORDIC model ile ülkemiz veri zarflama analizi yöntemi ile incelenmiş ve gerekli değerlendirmeler yapılmıştır.With the realization of the Industrial Revolution, the desire for social equality spread among the masses caused the emergence of social welfare states. The fact that socially destructive events such as the 1929 Economic Depression and the Second World War, which took place after this period, took place one after the other, revealed the importance of the interventionist state role. Social welfare states have thus completed their structuring and new types of states that try to increase the living standards of their citizens have emerged. Social welfare states are divided into periods of development, rise and collapse and have been the state approach accepted in the world for about 45-50 years. However, NORDIC countries, which did not give up the advantages of social welfare even in the period of collapse, adapted their transformation to the times and created a successful social welfare model. In this respect, in the thesis, our country has been examined with the NORDIC model and the data envelopment analysis method and the necessary evaluations have been made

The Peacebuilding Assembly-Line Model: Towards a Theory of International Collaboration in Multidimensional Peacebuilding Operations

Even though post-conflict peacebuilding has gained priority on the international community’s agenda in the post-Cold War era, the scholarly knowledge on how international organizations (IOs) cooperate with one another in multidimensional peacebuilding remains limited. This article develops a theoretical model on the inter-institutional division of labor in complex peacebuilding missions. Borrowing from international relations, organization theory, and economics disciplines, it formulates the Peacebuilding Assembly-Line Model (PALM) for improving the effectiveness of IO collaboration in peacebuilding missions. It analyzes lessons from multidimensional peacebuilding missions in the Balkans, and concludes with general reflections on the applicability of the PALM model on inter-institutional collaboration in multidimensional peacebuilding missions in the Balkans and elsewhere