Regulation and competition in the Turkish telecommunications industry: an update

This chapter provides an overview of the state of liberalization, competition and regulation of major segments of the telecommunications industry in Turkey. It shows that the competitive stance of the regulatory authority and the development of actual competition has been uneven across segments. Specifically, the degree of competition has been higher in the mobile segment relative to fixed telephony or broadband. The chapter also discusses the new Electronic Communications Law and argues that although not perfect, it provides a coherent basis on which the regulatory authority can pursue competitive objectives in a more even manner. However, the actual development of competition will depend a lot on how the law and the ensuing secondary legislation are actually implemented

The marine mineral resources of the UK Continental Shelf : final report

In 2011, The Crown Estate commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to begin a two year research project to undertake a Mineral Resource Assessment of the UK Continental Shelf with the results being depicted as a series of maps, accompanying reports and associated GIS data. This report details the process behind the compilation of these maps. It outlines the data sources used in the project, the methodology used to compile the data, the confidence in the data and any caveats associated with the data and its use. This report focuses on the national model for sand and gravel, where relevant information on the data for other minerals is included for completeness. Knowledge of mineral resources is essential for effective and sustainable planning decisions. The marine mineral resource maps provide a comprehensive, relevant and accessible information base. This information will allow all stakeholders (planners, industry and members of the public) to visualise the distribution of offshore minerals to a common standard and at a common scale, an important requirement of an integrated marine planning system. The maps will also facilitate the conservation (safeguarding) of non-renewable mineral resources for future generations in accordance with the principles of sustainable development

A Theoretical Study of the Electronic Coupling Element for Electron Transfer in Water

The electronic coupling element for electron transfer between a donor and acceptor in water is examined using simulations combining molecular dynamics and semiempirical quantum mechanics. In the first phase of the simulations a model donor and acceptor are solvated in water, using realistic potentials. Following equilbration, molecular dynamics simulations are performed with the donor, acceptor, and water at approximately 300 K, under periodic boundary conditions. In the second phase of the simulation, the electronic coupling element between the donor and acceptor is calculated for a number of time slices, in the presence of the intervening water molecules (those having a nonnegligible effect on the coupling element at the given distance). Finally, a subset of these configurations is used to investigate the donor-acceptor energy dependence of the coupling by varying the model donor and acceptor. It is found, contrarty to a number of previous theoretical results, that water significantly increases the electronic coupling element at a given donor-acceptor separation. The value for, using INDO wave functions is estimated to be 2.0 Åˑ¹ and is found to depend weakly on the identity of the donor and acceptor. Comparison with ab initio results for a subset of the configurations or using idealized solvent gemetries suggests that the ab initio, value would be in the range of 1.5-1.8 Åˑ¹

Sequential processing in young and older adults in the equiprobable auditory Go/NoGo task

Objective: We recently proposed a sequential processing schema for the equiprobable auditory Go/NoGo task, based on a principal components analysis (PCA) of event-related potentials (ERPs) from a university student sample. Here we sought to replicate the schema, and use it to explore processing in well-functioning older adults. Methods: We compared behavioural responding and ERPs of 20 independent-living older adults (Mage = 68.2 years) to data from a sex- and handedness-matched group of university students (Mage = 20.4 years). ERPs had substantial latency differences between the groups, and hence were subjected to separate group temporal PCAs. Results: Component latencies were systematically increased in the older group by some 26%, with no significant increase in RT or error rates. Despite some differences in their identified components, each group displayed differential component responsivity to Go versus NoGo; this was reduced in the older participants. Conclusion: The results support our processing schema, and provide insight into the processing stages in well-functioning older adults. Significance: Understanding the perceptual and cognitive processing stages in normal ageing is a pre-requisite for research on mild cognitive impairment and dementia. This study may also provide a simple paradigm and schema suitable for further exploration of functionality in ageing

Constructing Diabatic States from Adiabatic States: Extending Generalized Mulliken–Hush to Multiple Charge Centers with Boys Localization

This article shows that, although Boys localization is usually applied to single-electron orbitals, the Boys method itself can be applied to many electron molecular states. For the two-state charge-transfer problem, we show analytically that Boys localization yields the same charge-localized diabatic states as those found by generalized Mulliken–Hush theory. We suggest that for future work in electron transfer, where systems have more than two charge centers, one may benefit by using a variant of Boys localization to construct diabatic potential energy surfaces and extract electronic coupling matrix elements. We discuss two chemical examples of Boys localization and propose a generalization of the Boys algorithm for creating diabatic states with localized spin density that should be useful for Dexter triplet-triplet energy transfer

Gender-specific association of the K121Q Ectonucleotide Pyrophosphatase Phosphodiesterase (ENPP) 1 polymorphism with subcutaneous adiposity in a South African Black population

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether the ENPP-1 K121Q (rs1044498) polymorphism was associated with adiposity and cardiometabolic disease markers within a South African Black population. Methods: Black participants from the greater Johannesburg–Soweto area in South Africa, for whom metabolic syndrome status, cardiometabolic disease markers, adipokine levels and body fat distribution had already been measured, were genotyped by PCR-RFLP for the presence of the K121Q polymorphism.Results: Within a cohort of 345 Black South Africans, the frequency of the ENPP-1 K121Q C allele was 0.89. In the total cohort, the K121Q polymorphism was not significantly associated with any cardiometabolic disease markers or adipokine levels. However, in the female population the CC genotype was shown to be associated with increased abdominal subcutaneous fat levels (p=0.007). Conclusion: This cohort of Black South Africans had a higher frequency of the C allele when compared to reported data for Asian and Caucasian populations, however this frequency was comparable to other African data. The presence of the rs1044498 polymorphism was not associated with markers of cardiometabolic disease, suggesting that these associations may be population dependent. The gender-specific genotypic association with subcutaneous fat levels is a novel finding requiring further investigation

Prevalence of and attitudes towards complementary therapy use for weight after breast cancer in Australia : a national survey

BACKGROUND: Weight gain is common after breast cancer (BC) treatment and may increase the risk of disease recurrence. Complementary medicine (CM) use is high amongst BC patients. This paper describes the use of CM from a cross-sectional self-administered survey on prevalence and management of weight after BC. METHODS: Use of CM was assessed using a question modified from the I-CAM Questionnaire. Participants were asked to rate perceived effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages, and which CM they were willing to use for weight management if there was evidence for effectiveness. The survey was emailed to members of the Breast Cancer Network Australia Survey and Review Group, the largest consumer advocacy group in Australia for people with breast cancer. RESULTS: There were a total of 309 responses. Three quarters had used CM in the past 12 months. One third had tried CM for weight loss. Yoga, meditation and pilates were perceived to be effective for weight loss. Perceived advantages of CMs for weight loss were the ability to improve general wellbeing, relaxation, and being non-pharmacological while disadvantages were financial cost, finding a reliable practitioner, and lack of research for effectiveness. Three quarters would be willing to try CM for weight loss if there was evidence for effectiveness, with the most popular CMs being acupuncture, relaxation, yoga, supplements, and meditation. CONCLUSIONS: The high use of CM in this group is consistent with previous research. Our research suggests that BC survivors would use acupuncture, meditation, supplements and yoga for weight loss if supported by scientifically-credible evidence. Research into the effectiveness of these treatments on weight loss after BC is warranted