EU-Turkey relations and the stagnation of Turkish democracy

The current stagnation of Turkish democracy goes hand in hand with the current impasse in EU-Turkey relations. A combination of domestic factors with a loss of credibility of EU conditionality led to a situation in which political reform is substantially stalled and in cases where it is realised, it is mostly conducted to serve the interests of the ruling political elite and with no real reference to the EU. The virtuous cycle of reform that characterised the 1999-2005 period has been replaced by a vicious cycle in which lack of effective conditionality feeds into political stagnation which in turn moves Turkey and the EU further away from one another

Clinical relevance of virulence genes in Helicobacter pylori isolates recovered from adult dyspeptic patients in Turkey

Purpose: Bacterial virulence factors play a major role in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori infection. The aims of this study were to evaluate virulence genes in H. pylori isolates and to compare the presence of these genes and associated clinical pathologies. Methods: A total of 148 H. pylori isolates, recovered from adult dyspeptic patients, were used. The patients, from whom the isolates were obtained, were assigned to two groups by their endoscopic findings, which manifested as chronic gastritis or peptic ulcer. The presence of gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia was recorded for each patient, based on histopathological examination. Analyses of the virulence genes were performed by the polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: The patients had a mean age of 47 ?± ?15 years and 86 (58%) of them were female. Based on endoscopic examination, 103 (69.6%) patients were diagnosed with chronic gastritis and 45 (30.4%) with peptic ulcer. Histopathological examination revealed intestinal metaplasia in 30 (20%) patients and gastric atrophy in 12 (8%) patients. The prevalence rates of cagA, cagE, iceA1, iceA2, and babA2 were determined to be 87%, 74%, 58%, 26%, and 95%, respectively. The most prevalent vacA alleles were s1/s1a (82%/97%) and the least prevalent allele was s2 (20%). A new vacA genotype (s1as1bs1c) was detected, for the first time, in 18 (12%) isolates. No significant difference was found between the patient groups with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer for the prevalences of the virulence genes (p ?> ?0.05). Furthermore, intestinal metaplasia and gastric atrophy showed no significant correlation with the virulence genes (p ?> ?0.05). Conclusions: It is thoughted that H. pylori isolates with predominant cagA, cagE, VacA (s1, s1a), and babA2 virulence genes are associated with gastroduodenal diseases. However, there is no correlation between gastric premalignant lesions and virulence genes. © 2022 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologist

Case Report: Gastric Carcinoma Diagnosed at the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

We report a rare case of gastric cancer in pregnancy. A 26-year-old woman presented at the 20th week of pregnancy complaining of nausea and vomiting. Although the patient considered the condition to be related with pregnancy and underestimated its importance, her complaints persisted over the following weeks and she was hospitalized for investigation. The diagnostic workup revealed a metastatic gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is very rare in pregnancy, and therefore it may be left out of differential diagnosis by physicians. Diagnosis may be further delayed because of overlapping symptoms occurring during normal pregnancy (nausea, vomiting, and fatigue). All these factors may contribute to a very high mortality of this malignancy during pregnancy

Determination of water production functions of silage maize under different irrigation regimes

Pioneer 31Y43 ve Dekalb C-955 mısır çeşitleri ile yapılan bu çalışma 2007-2008 yılları arasında, Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Araştırma ve Uygulama Çiftliğinde yürütülmüştür. Araştırma tesadüf bloklarında bölünmüş parseller deneme desenine göre üç tekerrürlü ve iki faktörlü olarak yürütülmüştür. Denemelerde 3 gün aralıklarında A sınıfı buharlaşma kabından oluşan birikimli buharlaşmanın % 0, % 30, % 70 ve % 100'nün karşılandığı dört su düzeyi incelenmiştir. Uygulanan sulama konuları yeşil ot verimi üzerine etkili olmuştur. Çeşitlere göre mevsimlik bitki su tüketimi 92.3-695 mm arasında değişmiştir. Ortalama yeşil ot verimi ise 1693.8-7028.9 kg/da arasında değişmiştir. En yüksek verim su kısıtı uygulanmayan P konusundan 4 sağlanmıştır. Verim ile mevsimlik su tüketimi arasında ikinci dereceden eşitlikler elde edilmiştir. İki yıllık ortalama değerlere göre, verim tepki etmeni (ky) sırasıyla 0.75 (P31Y43) ve 0.79 (C-955) olarak belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, su kaynağının yeterli olduğu koşullarda sulama suyu ihtiyacının tam karşılandığı P konusunun 4 uygun olacağı; diğer taraftan su kaynağının sınırlı olduğu koşullarda ise P konusunun uygun olacağı sonucuna 3 varılabilir.The study with Pioneer 31Y43 and Dekalb C-955 corn hybrid have been conducted in the fields of the Research and Application Farm of Faculty of Agriculture at Adnan Menderes University, during the years of 2007 and 2008. Experiment was set up out in split plot design with two factors and three replications. In the trials, irrigation water was applied to treatments as 0 %, 30 %, 70 % and 100 % of three days cumulative evaporation from Class A Pan. Water applied in different level influenced forage yields in different manner.. The seasonal evapotranspiration values ranged from 92.3 to 695 mm in the treatments. The average forage yield varied from 1693.8 to 7028.9 ka/da. Highest yield was obtained from the well irrigation treatment P . Significant second order 4 relations were found for forage yield and seasonal evapotranspiration. Yield response factor (ky) value of 0.75 - 0.79 were determined based on averages of two years. As a result, the P treatment (full irrigated) could be used 4 under no water shortage. On the other hand, the P treatment could be used in semiarid regions where irrigation 3 water supplies are limited

Analysis of Farmers' Input Usage Decisions in Plant Production: the Case of Thrace Region

Bu çalışmada, Trakya Bölgesinde faaliyet gösteren çiftçilerin bitkisel üretimde girdi kullanımı hakkındaki karar alma süreçleri analitik hiyerarşi prosesi ile analiz edilmiştir. Saha çalışması kapsamında tesadüfî olarak seçilen 383 üretici ile anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Çiftçilerin işletmelerindeki girdi kullanım kararlarını almadan önce ilk olarak ziraat mühendislerine (0.4393) danıştıkları, daha sonra sırasıyla kendi tecrübelerine dayanarak (0.3396), girdi temin yerlerine (0.1274) ve arkadaşlarına danışarak (0.0937) karar verdikleri belirlenmiştir. Girdi kullanımında arkadaşa danışma önceliği (pIn this study, decision making processes of the farmers in Thrace region about input usage in vegetative production has been analyzed by analytical hierarchy process. Within the field study, it has been inquired with 383 producers chosen randomly. It has been determined that the farmers consult to agriculture engineers initially (0.4393) before they take input usage decisions and it has been determined that they decide according to their experiences (0.3396), input provision places (0.1274) and by consulting to their friends (0.0937) respectively. Consulting to friends priority (

Analysis of Farmers' Input Usage Conscious Levels in Vegetative Production: Thrace Region Sample

Bu çalışmada, çiftçilerin bitkisel üretimin vazgeçilmez girdileri olan tohum, gübre ve tarım ilacı kullanımındaki bilinç düzeylerinin analizi amaçlanmıştır. Proje sahası Trakya Bölgesi olarak belirlenmiş ve Tekirdağ, Edirne ve Kırklareli illeri ele alınmıştır. Saha çalışması kapsamında tesadüfî olarak seçilen 383 üretici ile anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Çalışmada Trakya Bölgesinde faaliyet gösteren çiftçilerin girdi kullanımındaki bilinçlilik düzeylerini etkileyen faktörler yapısal eşitlik modeli (YEM) ile analiz edilmiştir. Yapısal eşitlik modeli sonuçlarına göre, ilaç ile girdi kullanım bilinci arasındaki ilişki katsayısının 0.88, gübre ile girdi kullanım bilinci arasındaki katsayının 0.096, tohum ile girdi kullanım bilinci arasındaki katsayının -0.19 olduğu görülmektedir. Yapısal eşitlik modeline ait belirlilik katsayısı 0.73 bulunmuştur. Çiftçinin girdi kullanım bilinci üzerinde ilaç kullanım bilinci daha yüksek bir etkiye sahip iken tohumluk kullanım bilinci ilacı takip etmektedir. Gübre kullanım bilincinin ise çiftçinin bilinç düzeyi üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi bulunamamıştır.In this study, conscious levels of the farmers in the usage of pesticide, fertilizer and seed which are the indispensable inputs of vegetative production has been aimed. Thrace Region has been determined as project area and Tekirdağ, Edirne and Kırklareli provinces have been handled. Within the field study, it has been inquired with 383 producers chosen randomly. The factors which affect the conscious levels in input usage have been analyzed by structural equation modeling. According to structural equation modeling results, it has been found that the correlation coefficients between pesticide and input usage conscious, fertilizer and input usage conscious and seed and input usage conscious are 0.88, 0.096 and 0.19 respectively. Coefficient of determination value of the model has been found as 0.73. The effect of pesticide usage conscious is higher on input usage conscious of the farmer and seed usage conscious follows this. The effect is fertilizer usage conscious on input usage conscious of the farmer has been found insignificant

Comparison of standardized uptake values obtained from two- and three-dimensional modes of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT in oncological cases

PURPOSEWe investigated the usability of standardized uptake values (SUV) obtained from both two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) positron-emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging, and compared the images obtained from these techniques in terms of image quality, lesion detectability, and the presence of artifacts. MATERIALS AND METHODSImage data from 100 patients, who had undergone two PET imagings obtained in 2D and 3D mode after a low dose CT, were evaluated prospectively. Subjective analysis of 2D and 3D images was performed by two readers evaluating the following criteria: overall image quality, detectability of each identified lesion, and the presence of artifacts. The lesions recognized by the readers were also analyzed quantitatively by measuring SUV values. RESULTSThere was a significant difference between the SUVs obtained in 2D and 3D modes. Regardless if the first scan was performed in 2D or 3D mode, the values obtained from 3D imaging were significantly lower than those obtained from 2D imaging (mean SUVmax was 10.48±7.57 for 2D, and 9.66±6.93 for 3D, P < 0.001). Visual analysis did not reveal significant differences regarding lesion detectability between two modes. CONCLUSIONIn oncological PET-CT applications, SUV values are significantly lower in 3D compared with 2D mode. Thus when serial scanning is needed to evaluate response to therapy in the same patient, the imaging modality should be taken into account and performed with the same method to avoid misinterpretation. Additionally, 3D PET-CT imaging can be used instead of 2D PET-CT due to its shorter scanning time without loss of lesion detectability