Winning the war of perception: american attempts to counter Germany’s military influence in Turkey during World War II

This article analyzes the emergence of the USA as a political power on the international platform against Germany in order to break the strong influence of the latter in Turkish military spheres. Turkey did not enter World War II, but it witnessed a war of perception, conducted by these two opposing powers to gain the trust of the Turkish statesmen. To accomplish that, in the early years of the war, the USA began sending experts to train Turkish military officers, and civilian and military students, and offered the opportunity to get educated at American institutions. During the war, the USA also tried to strengthen its influence by inviting journalists and military staff to observe technological advancements at factories, and victories in the fronts, and by showing movies presenting the power of the Allied armed forces. © 2015 Taylor & Francis

Haydarpaşa için Sürdürülebilir bir Post-Endüstriyel Kurgu

Günümüzde post-endüstriyel peyzaj alanları, tarihi ve kültürel miras olma özellikleriyle ve sosyo-politik açıdan vaat ettikleri ekonomik fayda ve potansiyellerle kent için kritik bir role sahiptir. Bu alanlar, yeni projelerin etkisi ile birlikte peyzaj karakterlerinin, yerel ayırt edici özelliklerinin, kamusal kullanımlarının azalması gibi tehditlerle karşılaşmaktadırlar. Avrupa’da 1970’li yıllardan itibaren sanayi alanlarının korunmasına yönelik yeni yaklaşımlar ve uygulamalar aranmıştır. Post[1]endüstriyel alanların bütüncül ve sürdürülebilir bir yaklaşımla dönüştürülmesi, söz konusu alanların kimliklerinin ve toplumsal değerlerinin korunmasında, etkin kamusal alanlar olarak kente yeniden entegre olmalarının sağlanmasında önemli bir etkendir. Bu anlamda incelendiğinde, Haydarpaşa bir post-endüstriyel peyzaj alanı olarak İstanbul’un kentsel büyümesi, altyapı gelişimi, kent kimliği ve hafızası açısından büyük öneme sahiptir. Kent merkezindeki lokasyonu, ulaşım ağlarına yakınlığı ve canlı kent hayatıyla çevrelenmiş olması dolayısıyla oldukça değerli olan bu alan, 21. yüzyılda kentsel dönüşüm proje önerilerinin merkezi haline gelmiştir. Haydarpaşa’nın mirası ve kent belleğindeki yeri, onun “yere has duygusuna” ve tarihsel sürekliliğine müdahale eden ticarileştirme amaçları ve alanın ya da toplumun hassasiyetlerini gözetmekten uzak olan mega-dönüşüm tasavvurları ile kaybolmaktadır. Bu makalede, post-endüstriyel peyzaj alanlarının korunması ve kente yeniden kazandırılmasına dair, küresel sürdürülebilir kalkınma hedeflerinden, güncel koruma ve yeniden kullanım yaklaşımlarından hareketle bir model geliştirilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Dünya çapında kabul görmüş sürdürülebilir koruma ilkeleri bu doğrultuda incelenmiş, endüstriyel yapıların çevrelerindeki peyzajla birlikte ele alınması gerekliliği üzerinde durulmuştur. Böylece, küresel sürdürülebilir kalkınma hedeflerinin post-endüstriyel peyzaj alanlarının korunması ve kente katılımında sunabileceği bir çerçeve, Haydarpaşa post-endüstriyel peyzajı özelinde incelenmiştir

Cracking cryptic species: external characters to distinguish two recently recognized banded newt species (Ommatotriton ophryticus and O. nesterovi)

Animal science

Decreasing trends in cardiovascular mortality in Turkey between 1988 and 2008.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality increased in developed countries until the 1970s then started to decline. Turkey is about to complete its demographic transition, which may also influence mortality trends. This study evaluated trends in coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke mortality between 1988 and 2008. METHODS: The number of deaths by cause (ICD-8), age and sex were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) annually between 1988 and 2008. Population statistics were based on census data (1990 and 2000) and Turkstat projections. European population standardised mortality rates for CHD and stroke were calculated for men and women over 35 years old. Joinpoint Regression was used to identify the points at which a statistically significant (p < 0.05) change of the trend occurred. RESULTS: The CHD mortality rate increased by 2.9% in men and 2.0% in women annually from 1988 to 1994, then started to decline. The annual rate of decline for men was 1.7% between 1994-2008, whilst in women it was 2.8% between 1994-2000 and 6.7% between 2005-2008 (p < 0.05 for all periods).Stroke mortality declined between 1990-1994 (annual fall of 3.8% in both sexes), followed by a slight increase between 1994-2004 (0.6% in men, 1.1% in women), then a further decline until 2008 (annual reduction of 4.4% in men, 7.9% in women) (p < 0.05 for all periods). CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in CVD mortality was observed from 1995 onwards in Turkey. The causes need to be explored in detail to inform future policy priorities in noncommunicable disease control

Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity

Comparative studies of mortality in the wild are necessary to understand the evolution of aging; yet, ectothermic tetrapods are underrepresented in this comparative landscape, despite their suitability for testing evolutionary hypotheses. We present a study of aging rates and longevity across wild tetrapod ectotherms, using data from 107 populations (77 species) of nonavian reptiles and amphibians. We test hypotheses of how thermoregulatory mode, environmental temperature, protective phenotypes, and pace of life history contribute to demographic aging. Controlling for phylogeny and body size, ectotherms display a higher diversity of aging rates compared with endotherms and include phylogenetically widespread evidence of negligible aging. Protective phenotypes and life-history strategies further explain macroevolutionary patterns of aging. Analyzing ectothermic tetrapods in a comparative context enhances our understanding of the evolution of aging.Animal science

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat