Between a rock and a hard place: corporate elites in the context of religion and secularism in Turkey

Drawing on discourse analyses of 36 in-depth interviews with elite business people from Turkey, the study identifies the networking patterns of new and established business elites in the context of economic liberalization and socioreligious transformation of the country. Through a comparative analysis of the so-called secular and religious elite networks, we demonstrate the role of institutional actors such as the government, and identity networks, based on religion and place of birth in shaping the form and content of social networks among business elites in Turkey. In order to achieve this, we operationalize Bourdieu's notion of theory of practice and Granovetter's theory of social networks, illustrating the utility of combining these approaches in explicating the form and content of social networks in their situated contexts, in which power and divergent interests are negotiated.Galatasaray University Research Fund [grant number 12.102.005]

A wideband linear tunable CDTA and its application in field programmable analogue array

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Hu, Z., Wang, C., Sun, J. et al. ‘A wideband linear tunable CDTA and its application in field programmable analogue array’, Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing, Vol. 88 (3): 465-483, September 2016. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 6 June 2017. The final publication is available at Springer via https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10470-016-0772-7 © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016In this paper, a NMOS-based wideband low power and linear tunable transconductance current differencing transconductance amplifier (CDTA) is presented. Based on the NMOS CDTA, a novel simple and easily reconfigurable configurable analogue block (CAB) is designed. Moreover, using the novel CAB, a simple and versatile butterfly-shaped FPAA structure is introduced. The FPAA consists of six identical CABs, and it could realize six order current-mode low pass filter, second order current-mode universal filter, current-mode quadrature oscillator, current-mode multi-phase oscillator and current-mode multiplier for analog signal processing. The Cadence IC Design Tools 5.1.41 post-layout simulation and measurement results are included to confirm the theory.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Utjecaj sastava zaštitnog plina pri MIG postupku zavarivanja na mehanička svojstva niskougljičnih čelika

The present study is focused on the mechanical properties of the deposited material which was extracted from welded region. This study explains the effect of the shielding gas composition on tensile behavior, R = - 1 fatigue response and various tempe-rature impact test results of MIG welded low carbon steels. In tensile tests, the stre-ngth values are increased with increase of CO2 content, whereas the ductility is decreased. In the fatigue tests, the fatigue strength and the number of cycles to failure enhanced as the content of CO2 increased. However, the impact toughness of the filler material is seriously influenced by the content of the shielding gas. An increase in CO2 content caused significant decrease in toughness values at all temperatures.Ovaj rad se usredotočio na mehanička svojstva dodatnog materijala uzetog iz zavarenog područja. Rad objašnjava utjecaj sastava zaštitnog plina na vlačnost, R = -1 zamor i rezultate ispitivanja žilavosti na raznim temperaturama niskougljičnih čelika zavarenih metodom MIG. U testovima za ispitivanje vlačne čvrstoće vrijednosti čvrstoće su povećane kao rezultat povećanog sadržaja CO2, a plastičnost je smanjena. U testovima za ispitivanje zamora povećala se dinamička čvrstoća kao i broj ciklusa prije pucanja zajedno s povećanom količinom CO2. Međutim, žilavost materijala za dodavanje jako ovisi o zaštitnom plinu. Povećanje količine CO2 značajno smanjuje žilavost na svim temperaturama

Communication Research

Contains reports on seven research projects.Rockefeller FoundationCarnegie Foundatio

Communication Research

Contains reports on five research projects.Rand Corporatio

Communication Research

Contains reports on six research projects.Rand Corporatio

Communication Research

Contains reports on nine research projects.Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporate

Novel roles for class II Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase C2 beta in signalling pathways involved in prostate cancer cell invasion

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) regulate several cellular functions such as proliferation, growth, survival and migration. The eight PI3K isoforms are grouped into three classes and the three enzymes belonging to the class II subfamily (PI3K-C2a, ß and ?) are the least investigated amongst all PI3Ks. Interest on these isoforms has been recently fuelled by the identification of specific physiological roles for class II PI3Ks and by accumulating evidence indicating their involvement in human diseases. While it is now established that these isoforms can regulate distinct cellular functions compared to other PI3Ks, there is still a limited understanding of the signalling pathways that can be specifically regulated by class II PI3Ks. Here we show that PI3K-C2ß regulates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1/2) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activation in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. We further demonstrate that MEK/ERK and PI3K-C2ß are required for PCa cell invasion but not proliferation. In addition we show that PI3K-C2ß but not MEK/ERK regulates PCa cell migration as well as expression of the transcription factor Slug. These data identify novel signalling pathways specifically regulated by PI3K-C2ß and they further identify this enzyme as a key regulator of PCa cell migration and invasion

Pilot study to define criteria for Pituitary Tumors Centers of Excellence (PTCOE):results of an audit of leading international centers

Purpose: The Pituitary Society established the concept and mostly qualitative parameters for defining uniform criteria for Pituitary Tumor Centers of Excellence (PTCOEs) based on expert consensus. Aim of the study was to validate those previously proposed criteria through collection and evaluation of self-reported activity of several internationally-recognized tertiary pituitary centers, thereby transforming the qualitative 2017 definition into a validated quantitative one, which could serve as the basis for future objective PTCOE accreditation. Methods: An ad hoc prepared database was distributed to nine Pituitary Centers chosen by the Project Scientific Committee and comprising Centers of worldwide repute, which agreed to provide activity information derived from registries related to the years 2018–2020 and completing the database within 60 days. The database, provided by each center and composed of Excel® spreadsheets with requested specific information on leading and supporting teams, was reviewed by two blinded referees and all 9 candidate centers satisfied the overall PTCOE definition, according to referees’ evaluations. To obtain objective numerical criteria, median values for each activity/parameter were considered as the preferred PTCOE definition target, whereas the low limit of the range was selected as the acceptable target for each respective parameter. Results: Three dedicated pituitary neurosurgeons are preferred, whereas one dedicated surgeon is acceptable. Moreover, 100 surgical procedures per center per year are preferred, while the results indicated that 50 surgeries per year are acceptable. Acute post-surgery complications, including mortality and readmission rates, should preferably be negligible or nonexistent, but acceptable criterion is a rate lower than 10% of patients with complications requiring readmission within 30 days after surgery. Four endocrinologists devoted to pituitary diseases are requested in a PTCOE and the total population of patients followed in a PTCOE should not be less than 850. It appears acceptable that at least one dedicated/expert in pituitary diseases is present in neuroradiology, pathology, and ophthalmology groups, whereas at least two expert radiation oncologists are needed. Conclusion: This is, to our knowledge, the first study to survey and evaluate the activity of a relevant number of high-volume centers in the pituitary field. This effort, internally validated by ad hoc reviewers, allowed for transformation of previously formulated theoretical criteria for the definition of a PTCOE to precise numerical definitions based on real-life evidence. The application of a derived synopsis of criteria could be used by independent bodies for accreditation of pituitary centers as PTCOEs.</p

Standards of care for medical management of acromegaly in pituitary tumor centers of excellence (PTCOE)

Purpose: A series of consensus guidelines on medical treatment of acromegaly have been produced in the last two decades. However, little information is available on their application in clinical practice. Furthermore, international standards of acromegaly care have not been published. The aim of our study was to report current standards of care for medical therapy of acromegaly, using results collected through an audit performed to validate criteria for definition of Pituitary Tumor Centers of Excellence (PTCOE). Methods: Details of medical treatment approaches to acromegaly were voluntarily provided by nine renowned international centers that participated in this audit. For the period 2018–2020, we assessed overall number of acromegaly patients under medical treatment, distribution of patients on different treatment modalities, overall biochemical control rate with medical therapy, and specific control rates for different medical treatment options. Results: Median number of total patients and median number of new patients with acromegaly managed annually in the endocrinology units of the centers were 206 and 16.3, respectively. Median percentage of acromegaly patients on medical treatment was 48.9%. Among the patients on medical treatment, first-generation somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL) monotherapy was used with a median rate of 48.7%, followed by combination therapies with a median rate of 29.3%. Cabergoline monotherapy was used in 6.9% of patients. Pegvisomant monotherapy was used in 7 centers and pasireotide monotherapy in 5 centers, with median rates of 7.9% and 6.3%, respectively. Conclusions: Current standards of care in PTCOEs include use of first-generation SRLs as the first medical option in about 50% of patients, as recommended by consensus guidelines. However, some patients are kept on this treatment despite inadequate control suggesting that cost-effectiveness, availability, patient preference, side effects, and therapeutic inertia may play a possible role also in PTCOE. Moreover, at odds with consensus guidelines, other monotherapies for acromegaly appear to have a marginal role as compared to combination therapies as extrapolated from PTCOE practice data. Presence of uncontrolled patients in each treatment category suggest that further optimization of medical therapy, as well as use of other therapeutic tools such as radiosurgery may be needed