The elimination of broker voting in director elections

In 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reformed shareholder voting by eliminating uninstructed broker voting in director elections. We use this reform as a quasi-natural experiment to assess the value of shareholder empowerment. Using different control groups and various cross-sectional tests, we find that the reform did not increase average equity values

Investigation on the reliability of earthquake prediction based on ionospheric electron content variation

Ankara : The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and the Graduate School of Engineering and Science of Bilkent Univ., 2013.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2013.Includes bibliographical references leaves 49-53.Ionosphere region of Earth’s upper atmosphere ranging from 90 km to 1000 km altitude, has a significant effect on military and civilian communications, satellite communications and positioning systems. Solar, geomagnetic, gravitational and seismic activities cause variations in the electron distribution of the atmosphere. The number of electrons within a vertical column of 1 m2 cross section, which is called as Total Electron Content (TEC), is a measurable feature of the ionosphere that provides valuable information about the ionosphere. TEC can be measured fast and accurately by using the phase difference between transmitted satellite positioning signals such as in the Global Positioning System (GPS). To investigate the reliability of earthquake prediction based on detection of local ionospheric anomalies, TEC measurements obtained from a network of GPS receivers over a period of 2 years in 2010 and 2011 are used to generate detection signals. For a day of interest, after selecting a receiver station surrounding GPS stations that are located within 150 km of the chosen station used to estimate TEC measurements at the chosen station. In one of the proposed techniques, detection of ionospheric anomalies is based on distance between measured TEC and its estimate. Detection threshold is obtained based on statistical variation of this distance for the days with insignificant seismic activities. Also, another detection technique based on temporal variation of TEC measurements is proposed. Both individual and fused detection performances of these techniques are investigated for a given level of false alarms. It is observed that the fused detection has superior performance and able to detect 15 out of 23 earthquakes of magnitude larger than 5 in Richter scale while generating 8 false alarms.Akyol, Ali AlpM.S

Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancers (CRCs) are commonly diagnosed malignancy in both men and women. Although it is a common disease, mortality rates decrease with widespread use of screening methods and novel developments in surgery. Physical examination, abdomen and pelvic computerized tomography, and chest imaging are necessary for preoperative staging and surgical planning of a newly diagnosed colon cancer. CRCs usually develop from adenomatous polyps. Although curative treatment of localized colon cancer is surgery, endoscopic polypectomy is sufficient when severe dysplasia or carcinoma in situ is detected on a polyp surface. Total mesorectal excision and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectum cancers resulted in significant reductions in morbidity, mortality, and recurrence rates. Recently, complete mesocolic excision and central vascular ligation method has been described in the surgical treatment of colon cancer to achieve similar results. Unfortunately, metastatic colon cancer rate at presentation is approximately 20%. Surgery is a potentially curative option in selected patients with liver and lung metastasis. Pathologic stage of the tumor at presentation is the most important prognostic factor after resection. Therefore, early diagnosis of colon cancer by screening methods and new surgical techniques will lead to better results in survival rates

A Museum Education Project in the 32nd Vaqf Week: Young Vaqf Volunteers

Araştırmacı tarafından “Genç Vakıfçılar” ismiyle tasarlanan müze eğitimi projesi; İstanbul’daki 32. Vakıf Haftası kutlamaları kapsamında Vakıflar 1. ve 2. Bölge Müdürlükleri himayesinde, Kağıthane İlçe MEM’e bağlı Kemal Halil Tanır İlkokulu paydaşlığında, Halı Müzesi, Akaretler Mustafa Kemal Müzesi ve Kemal Halil Tanır İlkokulu’nda yapılan etkinliklerle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmacı tarafından proje amacı; müze eğitimi sisteminin İstanbul Vakıf Müzeleri’nde uygulanabilirliğini iyi bir örnekle ortaya koymak, Vakıf müzeleri yoluyla çocuklarda vakıf kültür ve medeniyeti hakkında farkındalık yaratmak olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu amacın gerçekleşmesine hizmet edecek eğitimsel hedefler belirlenmiştir. Proje uygulama programı Kemal Halil Tanır İlkokulu, Halı Müzesi ve Mustafa Kemal Müzesi’nde; ‘gezi öncesi’, ‘müze gezisi’ ve ‘gezi sonrası’ olmak üzere 3 haftada 4 buluşma olacak şekilde planlanmış, toplamda sekiz farklı etkinlik ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu etkinlikler; 4 aşamada gerçekleştirilen buluşmalarda soru-cevap, tartışma, beyin fırtınası, araştırma gibi öğretim yöntem ve tekniklerini içermiştir. Proje; sosyo-kültürel ve sosyo-ekonomik kriterler göz önüne alınarak seçilen ilkokulun, 3. ve 4. sınıf öğrencilerinden oluşan, 8 şubeden 9’u kız, 16’sı erkek toplamda 25 öğrenciyle oluşturulan çalışma grubu ile yürütülmüştür. Planlanan projenin etkililiğini ölçmek amacıyla çalışma grubuna; proje öncesinde proje öncesi değerlendirme formu ve proje sonrasında proje sonucu değerlendirme formu uygulanmıştır. Bu iki anketin analizi ve araştırmacının gözlemleri ile birlikte proje değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırma konusunun temelini oluşturan “Vakıflar” hakkında, çalışma grubundaki öğrencilerin bilgi düzeylerinin proje öncesine göre çok daha ileride oldukları tespit edilmiştir. Projenin; vakıf müzelerinin uzmanlık alanlarına göre çeşitli temalarda geliştirilip, farklı yaş gruplarındaki öğrenciler için sürdürülebilir bir program halinde daimi olarak uygulanması gerektiği önerilmiştir.The museum education project, designed with the name of “Young Vaqf Volunteers” by the researcher, has been conducted with activities organised in Halı Museum, Akaretler Mustafa Kemal Museum and Kemal Halil Tanır Primary School in the scope of the 32nd Vaqf Week celebrations in Istanbul under the auspices of the 1st and 2nd Regional Directorates of Foundations in the partnership with Kemal Halil Tanır Primary School affiliated to Kagıthane District National Education Directorate. The goal of the project determined by the researcher is to demonstrate the applicability of museum education system in Istanbul Vaqf Museums with a good example and to raise awareness of vaqf culture and civilization among children through Vakf Museums. The educational objectives which help this goal to fulfill have been determined. The project implementation program has been planned as 4 meetings in 3 weeks: “before trip”, “museum trip” and “after trip” in Kemal Halil Tanır Primary School, Halı Museum and Mustafa Kemal Museum and it has been conducted with eight different activities, in total. These activities have included teaching methods and techniques like question-answer, discussion, brainstorming, research in the meetings held in four stages. The project has been carried out with the study group created by 25 students -9 females and 16 males- a total of 8 different classes from the 3rd and 4th grade of the school selected considering socio-cultural and socio-economic criteria. Before the project pre-project evaluation form and after project post-project evaluation form have been applied to the study group in order to measure the effectiveness of the planned project. The project has been evaluated together with the analysis of these two surveys and the researcher’s observations. It has been found that knowledge level of the students in the study group on the “Vaqf” forming the basis of the research topic is higher than pre-project level. It has been suggested that the project should be applied permanently as a sustainable program for students of different age groups, developing the Vaqf Museums according to their areas of expertise in a variety of theme

A rare cause of dizzinees: non-convulsive status epilepticus

Nonkonvulsif status epileptikus (NKSE); genellikle kongnitif fonksiyon bozuklugu yapan, nörolojik defisit olusturan ve sıklıkla tedavi edilebilen, geri dönüsümlü klinik bir tabloyu tanımlar. Otuz yasında, sag el dominant, evi ve bir çocuk sahibi bayan hasta; gelis sikayeti 8 yıldır hemen hemen her ay menstruayon döneminde, nadiren de mestrual dönem dısında ortaya çıkan dengesizlik hissi ve sersemlikti. EEG'de tüm tetkik süresince 3-4 Hz'lik bilateral, senkron, simetrik, diken, keskin dalgalar, diken- dalga paroksizmleri izlendi. Atak baslangıcında çekilen EEG elektrofizyolojik status epileptikus olarak rapor edildi. Olgumuz sıklıkla menstruasyon dönemlerinde ve nadiren de mens aralarında uzun süreli dizziness atakları tanımlayan bir NKSE olması nedeniyle ilginç bulunmus ve dizziness ayırıcı tanısında da hatırlanması için sunulmustur.Non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) defines, in general, a manifestation with cognitive dysfunction, neurological deficit and that is most often treatable and reversible. 30-year-old, right-hand dominant female patient with complaints feeling of imbalance and dizziness occurring during menstrual period almost every month and rarely out of menstrual period, was referred to clinic . In EEG, 3-4 Hz bilateral, synchronized, symmetric, spine, sharp waves and spine-wave paroxysms were observed during episodes. EEG, recorded at the beginning of episode, is reported as electrophysiological status epilepticus. Our patient with NCSE who described long-term dizziness episodes mostly during menstruation periods and rarely in between menstruation cycles; was considered as an interesting case and presented to keep in mind for differential diagnosis of dizziness

Potential Aspirin Resistance in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Objective:Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder among the public and it is associated with many cardio-cerebrovascular consequences. Aspirin is used as the first line of treatment regarding such complications; however, >20% of the patients have drug resistance which causes ongoing vulnerability to vascular accidents. The objective of this study is the evaluation of potential aspirin resistance in drug naïve severe OSAS patients.Materials and Methods:Thirty patients with a diagnosis of severe OSAS and 30 age-matched non-OSAS controls enrolled in the study. Urine samples of both patients and controls were analyzed for 11-dehydrothromboxane B2 (11-DHTBXB2) levels and compared afterward. Pairwise comparisons were performed and a two-tailed p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:Biochemical analysis of the urine samples revealed an 11-DHTBXB2 level of 26.7 pg/dL for the patient group, whereas the relative value was 12.7 pg/dL for the control group (p=0.005). The significant increase in urinary 11-DHTBXB2 levels among patients was independent of sex, age, and body mass index.Conclusion:Patients with OSAS had higher levels of urine 11-DHTBXB2 levels, hence higher aspirin resistance than controls. Identification of aspirin resistance and prediction of potential unresponsiveness to first-line antiplatelet therapy is essential in OSAS to guide the primary or secondary prophylaxis in this population who have a marked propensity to vascular insult

İzmir Körfezi’nde (Ege Denizi, Türkiye) Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 İçerisinde Yaşayan İki Dekapod Krustase Türü: Pontonia pinnophylax (Otto, 1821) ve Nepinnotheres pinnotheres (Linnaeus, 1758)

Four specimens of Pontonia pinnophylax (Otto, 1821) and two specimens ofNepinnotheres pinnotheres (Linnaeus, 1758) were collected from four noble pen shells, Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 off Urla coasts, Izmir Bay, Aegean Sea. These rare species are being reported for the first time in a certain area from the Turkish seas.Keywords: noble pen shell, Pontonia pinnophylax, Nepinnotheres pinnotheres, new record, Aegean Sea.Dört Pontonia pinnophylax (Otto, 1821) ve iki Nepinnotheres pinnotheres (Linnaeus, 1758) bireyi İzmir Körfezi (Ege Denizi) Urla kıyıları açıklarında dört pinadan (Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758) toplanmıştır. Bu nadir türler, Türkiye denizlerinden belirgin bir alanda ilk kez rapor edilmektedirAnahtar Kelimeler: pina, Pontonia pinnophylax, Nepinnotheres pinnotheres, yeni kayıt, Ege Denizi

FORWARD AND INVERSE MODELLING OF A GRAVITY FIELD RESULTING FROM A DENSITY INTERFACE USING PARK-OLDENBURG METHOD

Gravite anomalisine neden olan bozucu kütlenin bulunması için kullanılan ters çözüm algoritmasına ulaşabilmek için, iki boyutlu, gömülü ve engebeli topografya modelinin neden olduğu gravite anomalisinin hızlı hesabı için kullanılan formül yeniden düzenlenmiştir. Yöntem, bozucu topografyayı simgeleyen h(x) fonksiyonunun kuvvetlerinin Fourier dönüşümleri toplamını alarak gravite anomalisinin Fourier dönüşümünü hesaplar. Fourier dönüşümü hızlı hesaplanabildiği için bu yöntem, hesaplamada, gravitasyonel alanının her bir yapı için ayrı ayrı hesaplanıp toplanarak elde edilmesinden daha hızlıdır. Yöntemin hızı, pratik bir yöntem olarak sunulmasını sağlamaktadır. Ters çözümünün çoğulluğu bozucu kütle ile onu çevreleyen ortam arasındaki yoğunluk farkı Ï ve ters çözümün yapıldığı seviye zo olmak üzere iki bağımsız parametre ile tanımlanır. Bu iki parametreyi belirleyen ek bilgi olmaksızın, gravite yorumundaki belirsizlik azaltılamaz. Yineleme işleminin yakınsamasını artırmak için alçak geçişli süzgeç uygulanmaktadır. Ancak yoğunluğun çok küçük yada zo değerinin çok büyük olduğu durumlarda, ilksel gözlenen anomaliyi sağlayan topoğrafya ya ulaşılamadığı bulunmuştur. Ters çözüm algoritmasının çok fazla sayıdaki model noktasına, sayısal duyarlılıkta önemli bir azalma veya hesaplama süresinde önemli bir artış olmaksızın uygulanabiliyor olması, yöntemi oldukça etkin yapmaktadır. In order to reach the inverse solution for the perturbing body giving rise to the gravitational anomaly through the rearrangement of the formula used for the rapid calculation of such anomaly caused by a two dimensional uneven layer of material. The scheme calculates the Fourier transform of the gravitational anomaly as the sum of Fourier transforms of powers of the perturbing topography. This method is computationally much more efficient than calculating the gravitational field by breaking up the model into a set of prisms whose contributions are calculated separately and summed. Essentially this method comprises of computations involving Fourier transformations, which are relatively fast and straightforward with the FFT algorithm. Its speed makes the method to be presented as a practical one. The effects of the two parameters, the density contrast (Ï) and the level at which the inversion is made (zo) are observed, cause the nonuniqueness of the inversion. Without additional information constraining these parameters, the ambiguity in the gravity interpretation can not be reduced. Convergence of the inversion is ensured by a suitable low pass filter in frequency domain. However, if the assumed density was too small or reference level too large, no topography could be found which would give rise to an observed anomaly. The ability of this inversion scheme to handle large numbers of model points without greatly decreasing the numerical stability or greatly increasing the computation time makes it particularly attractive

A new ratio-metric pH probe, "ThiAKS Green" for live-cell pH measurements

Deviation of the H+ concentration from optimum values within the organelles is closely associated with irregular cellular functions that cause the onset of various diseases. Therefore, determining subcellular pH values in live cells and tissues is valuable for diagnostic purposes. In this study, we report a novel ratiometric fluorescence probe 1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, 4-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-3-(2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylicacid4-(2-benz othiazolyl)-5-(2,4-dihydroxy-3-methylphenyl), to which we will refer as ThiAKS Green (Thiazole AKyol shifting green), that is pH sensitive. The results presented here show that the probe can penetrate the cell membrane in less than 30 minutes and does not show any detectable toxicity. The measured color shifts up on pH change are linear and most significant around physiological pH (pKa=7.45), thus making this probe suitable for live-cell imaging and intracellular pH measurements. During the long-incubation periods following the application of the probe and the fluorescent microscopy measurements, it shows stable properties and is easy to detect in live cells. In conclusion, the results suggest that ThiAKS Green can be used to obtain precise information on the H+ distribution at various compartments of the live cells.Golg