What is the threshold in urban regeneration projects in the context of urban identity? The case of Turkey

Cities are trying to adapt to the rapidly changing global trends by regenerating themselves. Approaches and practices of this regeneration are different in several countries. In big Turkish cities, particularly in the past decade, urban regeneration practices, processes and consequences have sparked several debates. The ‘new’ gained or converted spaces in the city are also significant in terms of their impacts on urban identity. In this context, this study aims to identify the impacts of urban regeneration, which occurred in historical city centres, on urban identity in the case of Turkey. The study determines general framework of urban regeneration and then defines a conceptual framework of urban identity. It focuses on urban regeneration projects in the case of Turkey. Then, the topic is explored through two case studies which are selected from Turkey, Istanbul and Bursa. The findings of the study indicate that there are several problematic aspects of urban regeneration. The findings also show that urban identity was ignored in urban regeneration projects, which caused significant breaks in the context of physical, cultural, historical and semantic continuity

Reconsidering the meaning of topography (via the city of Istanbul)

Mimarlık kuramının, doğa ile olan hesaplaşması bugünlerde topoğrafya ile zorlu bir süreçte. Oysa topoğrafya, mimarlığın ontolojik bir parçası olarak, doğanın biçim dilinden öte anlamlara açılan bir ara yüzdür; edilgen bir veri olmayıp, yerin ruhunu içinde barındıran, mekânı örgütleyen, örtük bir yön vericidir; hem insan eylemlerine hem de mimarlığa dair bir şeyler fısıldar. Bu fısıltıya kulak verildiği ölçüde doğal çevre ile yapılı çevre arasında bir diyalog, mekân ve toplum arasında da bir anlam inşa edilebilir. Bu noktadan hareket edildiğinde, topoğrafyanın, mimarlık literatüründe yerleşik olan kullanımından çok daha derin bir karşılığı olduğu görülür. Ancak, moderniteyle birlikte topoğrafyanın da tasarım süreciyle yolları ayrışmış, mimarlıkta anlam arayışı çeşitli alanlara dağılmıştır. Üstelik son zamanlardaki ‘tekilleşme’lerden, inşa eyleminin iskânın önüne geçmesi veya binalar aracılığıyla anlam kurma çabalarından topoğrafya da payını düşeni almaktadır. İstanbul gibi büyük şehirlerde ise, neo-liberal politikalar, küresel ekonomi, popüler kültür gibi etkilerle ilerleyen yapılaşma sürecinde, topoğrafyanın, -anlamı bir yana- biçimsel boyutuyla dahi ihmal edildiği görülmekte. Bu çalışma genel bir tahlilde, bir yandan kavramsallaşma ekseninde ilerleyen mimarlık dünyası, öte yandan hızla ilerleyen yapım çalışmaları arasında sıkışan topoğrafyanın, bir kavram veya bir veri olmasının ötesinde taşıdığı anlamının yeniden sorgulanmasına işaret eder. Topoğrafyanın mimarlıkla olan ilişkisine dair anlam arayışında yeniden bir sorgulamanın kaçınılmazlığı vurgulanırken, indirgemeci ve yüzeysel bir topoğrafya bilgisinden öte, mimarlığın özünde yatan kapsayıcı bir kavrayışın önemine işaret edilmiştir. Makale, bu kavrayış sürecinde topoğrafyanın anlamının, topolojik (biçimsel), ekolojik ve coğrafi, ekonomik, sosyo-kültürel, estetik, psikolojik (algı-imaj) ve felsefi bağlamlarda okunması gerektiği önermesine dayanmaktadır

Hyperandrogenism-related metabolic changes in drug-naïve transmen compared to cisgender women: a case-controlled study

Introduction: The aetiology of gender dysphoria is still unclear. Although prior studies have shown that trans men have higher androgen levels than cisgender women, they all concluded unselected populations. Our reason for performing this study is to evaluate trans men’s hormone profile and metabolic status to compare with cisgender women in a more selected population. This is the first case-controlled study to compare anthropometric, metabolic, and endocrinological parameters of drug-naïve trans men with those of cisgender women. Material and methods: We designed this study as a single-centre observational cohort study. We included 70 drug naïve trans men, and the control group comprised 34 healthy cisgender women. We measured and compared hormone profiles and metabolic parameters in the 2 groups. Results: Of the 70 trans men individuals, 16 (22.85%) met the Rotterdam criteria and were diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); 4 individuals in the control group met the criteria (11.7%). Although we matched body mass index in the groups, total testosterone, free androgen index, androstenedione, 17 hydroxyprogesterone, muscle strength, triglyceride, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance levels were significantly higher in the trans men than in the cisgender women (p < 0.05). Even after were excluded PCOS patients, hyperandrogenaemia was apparent in the trans men. Conclusion: Our study showed that trans men have clearly higher androgen levels, which may have been the reason for metabolic changes compared to cisgender women. However, the main reason for hyperandrogenism in drug-naïve trans men is still not known, and more comprehensive studies are needed

Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe

Calibration of the CMS hadron calorimeters using proton-proton collision data at root s=13 TeV

Methods are presented for calibrating the hadron calorimeter system of theCMSetector at the LHC. The hadron calorimeters of the CMS experiment are sampling calorimeters of brass and scintillator, and are in the form of one central detector and two endcaps. These calorimeters cover pseudorapidities vertical bar eta vertical bar ee data. The energy scale of the outer calorimeters has been determined with test beam data and is confirmed through data with high transverse momentum jets. In this paper, we present the details of the calibration methods and accuracy.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the Jet Mass Distribution and Top Quark Mass in Hadronic Decays of Boosted Top Quarks in pp Collisions at root s=13 TeV

A measurement is reported of the jet mass distribution in hadronic decays of boosted top quarks produced in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The measurement is performed in the lepton + jets channel of t (t) over bar events, where the lepton is an electron or muon. The products of the hadronic top quark decay t -> bW -> bq (q) over bar' are reconstructed as a single jet with transverse momentum larger than 400 GeV. The t (t) over bar cross section as a function of the jet mass is unfolded at the particle level and used to extract a value of the top quark mass of 172.6 +/- 2.5 GeV. A novel jet reconstruction technique is used for the first time at the LHC, which improves the precision by a factor of 3 relative to an earlier measurement. This highlights the potential of measurements using boosted top quarks, where the new technique will enable future precision measurements.Peer reviewe

Search for top squark pair production in a final state with two tau leptons in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search for pair production of the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, the top squark, in proton-proton collision events at s = 13 TeV is presented in a final state containing hadronically decaying tau leptons and large missing transverse momentum. This final state is highly sensitive to high-tan beta or higgsino-like scenarios in which decays of electroweak gauginos to tau leptons are dominant. The search uses a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 77.2 fb(-1), which was recorded with the CMS detector during 2016 and 2017. No significant excess is observed with respect to the background prediction. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are presented in the top squark and lightest neutralino mass plane within the framework of simplified models, in which top squark masses up to 1100 GeV are excluded for a nearly massless neutralino.Peer reviewe

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Search for charged Higgs bosons decaying into a top and a bottom quark in the all-jet final state of pp collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search for charged Higgs bosons (H-+/-) decaying into a top and a bottom quark in the all-jet final state is presented. The analysis uses LHC proton-proton collision data recorded with the CMS detector in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). No significant excess is observed above the expected background. Model-independent upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the H-+/- production cross section and branching fraction in two scenarios. For production in association with a top quark, limits of 21.3 to 0.007 pb are obtained for H-+/- masses in the range of 0.2 to 3 TeV. Combining this with a search in leptonic final states results in improved limits of 9.25 to 0.005 pb. The complementary s-channel production of an H-+/- is investigated in the mass range of 0.8 to 3 TeV and the corresponding upper limits are 4.5 to 0.023 pb. These results are interpreted using different minimal supersymmetric extensions of the standard model.Peer reviewe