Misaligned? Overvalued? The Untold Story of the Turkish Lira

There is a consensus among scholars that overvalued exchange rates result in currency crises. This paper estimates the equilibrium real exchange rate for Turkey and finds that the lira was indeed overvalued before the crises in 1994 and 2001. However, the actual real exchange rate is at present close to the equilibrium level, exposing the myth propagated by the Turkish exporters that lira’s overvaluation is responsible for Turkey’s uncompetitive exports. The paper also highlights the role for fiscal adjustment in macroeconomic stabilityTurkish lira, overvaluation, equilibrium real exchange rate, misalignment

Bioconversion of food waste to volatile fatty acids: impact of microbial community, pH and retention time

Bio-based production of materials from waste streams is a pivotal aspect in a circular economy. This study aimed to investigate the influence of inoculum (three different sludge taken from anaerobic digestors), pH (5 & 10) and retention time on production of total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), VFA composition as well as the microbial community during anaerobic digestion of food waste. The highest VFA production was ∼22000 ± 1036 mg COD/L and 12927 ± 1029 mg COD/L on day 15 using the inoculum acclimated to food waste at pH 10 and pH 5, respectively. Acetic acid was the dominant VFA in the batch reactors with initial alkaline conditions, whereas both propionic and acetic acids were the dominant products in the acidic condition. Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Bacteroidetes had the highest relative abundance in the reactors. VFA generation was positively correlated to the relative abundance of Firmicutes

Preferential attraction effects with visual stimuli : the role of quantitative versus qualitative visual attributes

Offering an inferior and rarely chosen third (decoy) option to decision makers choosing between two options has a paradoxical effect: It increases the choice share of the option most similar to the decoy. This attraction effect is robust when options are numeric but rarely occurs in humans when options are visual, even though it occurs in animals. Building on psychophysics, we examined two types of visual attributes: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative visual attributes (e.g., different bottle volumes) can be perceived as magnitudes. Qualitative visual attributes (e.g., different colors), however, do not fall onto a magnitude scale. One can perceive that a bottle’s volume is twice that of another bottle but not that a green bottle’s color is twice that of a red bottle. We observed robust attraction effects for quantitative visual attributes (4,602 adults, 237 college-age participants), which reversed to repulsion effects when the visual attributes were qualitative (6,005 adults)

Correlation between live weight and body measurements in certain dog breeds

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between live weight and body measurements in Zagar, Zerdava, and Catalburun dogs. Animal materials were obtained from various regions of Turkey. A total of 304 dogs from three breeds were used: Zagar (45 females, 59 males), Zerdava (50 females, 50 males), and Catalburun (62 females, 38 males). Live weights and certain body measurements were determined. A linear regression model was created using the parameters obtained in this study. The bodyweights calculated with the body measurements were found to be at a high or acceptable level in the Zagar, Zerdava, and Catalburun genotypes (R-2 = 0.902, 0.467, and 0.697, respectively).Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)The authors would like to thank Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and the owners of the Zagar, Zerdava and Catalburun dogs for their support to the project

Treatment results and prognostic factors in primary thyroid lymphoma patients: a Rare Cancer Network study

Background: This study analyzed prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of primary thyroid lymphoma. Patients and Methods: Data were retrospectively collected for 87 patients (53 stage I and 34 stage II) with median age 65 years. Fifty-two patients were treated with single modality (31 with chemotherapy alone and 21 with radiotherapy alone) and 35 with combined modality treatment. Median follow-up was 51 months. Results: Sixty patients had aggressive lymphoma and 27 had indolent lymphoma. The 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates were 74% and 71%, respectively, and the disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 68% and 64%. Univariate analysis revealed that age, tumor size, stage, lymph node involvement, B symptoms, and treatment modality were prognostic factors for OS, DFS, and local control (LC). Patients with thyroiditis had significantly better LC rates. In multivariate analysis, OS was influenced by age, B symptoms, lymph node involvement, and tumor size, whereas DFS and LC were influenced by B symptoms and tumor size. Compared with single modality treatment, patients treated with combined modality had better 5-year OS, DFS, and LC. Conclusions: Combined modality leads to an excellent prognosis for patients with aggressive lymphoma but does not improve OS and LC in patients with indolent lymphom

Os odontoideum with bipartite atlas and segmental instability: a case report

We report on the case of a 15-year-old adolescent who presented with a transient paraplegia and hyposensibility of the upper extremities after sustaining a minor hyperflexion trauma to the cervical spine. Neuroimaging studies revealed atlantoaxial dislocation and ventral compression of the rostral spinal cord with increased cord signal at C1/C2 levels caused by an os odontoideum, as well as anterior and posterior arch defects of the atlas. The patient underwent closed reduction and posterior atlantoaxial fusion. We describe the association of an acquired instability secondary to an os odontoideum with an anteroposterior spondyloschisis of the atlas and its functional result after 12 months. The rare coincidence of both lesions indicates a multiple malformation of the upper cervical spine and supports the theory of an embryologic genesis of os odontoideum

A proposal for a coordinated effort for the determination of brainwide neuroanatomical connectivity in model organisms at a mesoscopic scale

In this era of complete genomes, our knowledge of neuroanatomical circuitry remains surprisingly sparse. Such knowledge is however critical both for basic and clinical research into brain function. Here we advocate for a concerted effort to fill this gap, through systematic, experimental mapping of neural circuits at a mesoscopic scale of resolution suitable for comprehensive, brain-wide coverage, using injections of tracers or viral vectors. We detail the scientific and medical rationale and briefly review existing knowledge and experimental techniques. We define a set of desiderata, including brain-wide coverage; validated and extensible experimental techniques suitable for standardization and automation; centralized, open access data repository; compatibility with existing resources, and tractability with current informatics technology. We discuss a hypothetical but tractable plan for mouse, additional efforts for the macaque, and technique development for human. We estimate that the mouse connectivity project could be completed within five years with a comparatively modest budget.Comment: 41 page