Refugees as a catalyzer of support for democracy: Evidence from a natural experiment

I developed a theory to understand the impact of refugee resettlement on the political attitudes of citizens living in host countries with authoritarian governments. While refugees may engender social discontent against existing institutions, their political implications need not necessarily be the rise of authoritarian and anti-democratic attitudes, as often occurs in Western countries. In authoritarian countries, antiestablishment feelings may generate social discontent against authoritarian institutions, leading to an increase in favorable sentiments toward democracy. Adopting difference-in-difference and instrumental variable approaches for causal inference, I test my theory in Jordan and show that the presence of Syrian refugees increases anti-establishment feelings in society and the likelihood of supporting democracy. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that even though academics and Western media pose migration as a serious threat to democracy, any analysis about the impact of migration on public opinion should be conditional on institutional context

Identification and expression profiling of toxic boron-responsive microRNAs and their targets in sensitive and tolerant wheat cultivars

Post transcriptional gene regulation in wheat cultivars caused by boron (B) toxicity has not been reported to date. In this study, two wheat cultivars Bolal-2973 (B-tolerant) and Atay-85 (B-sensitive) were compared with regard to the transcriptional regulation of miR319, miR172 and miR398 and their plausible target genes in order to address differences in their performances under high B levels. The expression levels of Cu/ZnSOD gene were found to be greater in Atay exposed to toxic B compared to Bolal, as verified by stable expression level of miR398. In wheat cultivars, both toxic B concentrations might cause an induction of leaf senescence mechanism due to stable level of JA and ethylene-related miRNAs, miR172 and miR319. miR172 targeting transcription factor TOE1 was only induced under B toxicity in sensitive cultivar Atay. However, MY133 as target of miR319 was significantly upregulated under toxic B in both cultivars. Also, computational prediction of these miRNA targets in wheat was performed and their orthologs in Arabidopsis thaliana were determined. Functional protein association networks of proteins encoded by miRNA targets and gene ontology enrichment analyses of these genes were identified. We identified new sets of genes that are targets of miR172, miR319 and miR398 in T. aestivum. In addition, miR172, miR319 and miR398 are responsive to different nutrient deficiencies or toxicities such as Fe, P, B, S and Cu, suggesting crosstalk between the post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involving miRNAs in plants

Evaluation of cognitive functions in diabetic patients

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. In this study, authors investigated cognitive functions in the diabetes and control group with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Authors analyzed the association of cognitive status with age, sex, duration of diabetes, insulin use and HbA1c in diabetic patients.Methods: Fifty patients with diabetes diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70 who applied to this Diabetes and General Internal Medicine Clinics between January 2017 and September 2017 were included. Fifty patients with nondiabetes diagnosed with similar age and demographic characteristics were included in the control group. MMSE was applied to both groups. In the diabetic group, cognitive functions were investigated in relation with age, gender, duration of diabetes, insulin usage and HbA1c.Results: The MMSE score in diabetic patients was lower than the control group (p<0.05). In addition, cognitive impairment in diabetic patients was associated with duration of diabetes and HbA1c level. There wasn't significant difference was found between cognitive impairment and age, sex, insulin use.Conclusions: Diabetes Mellitus is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia with many possible mechanisms. In the routine, there is no screening for cognitive impairment and dementia in diabetic patients; but if authors detect early cognitive impairment, authors can prevent cognitive impairment progression to dementia with medical treatment and cognitive exercises

Automatsko otkrivanje oštećenja na tradicionalnim drvenim konstrukcijama metodom klasifikacije slika utemeljenom na dubokom učenju

Wood has a long history of being used as a valuable resource when it comes to building materials. Due to various external factors, in particular the weather, wood is liable to progressive damage over time, which negatively impacts the endurance of wooden structures. Damage assessment is key in understanding, as well as in effectively mitigating, problems that wooden structures are likely to face. The use of a classification system, via deep learning, can potentially reduce the probability of damage in engineering projects reliant on wood. The present study employed a transfer learning technique, to achieve greater accuracy, and instead of training a model from scratch, to determine the likelihood of risks to wooden structures prior to project commencement. Pretrained MobileNet_V2, Inception_V3, and ResNet_V2_50 models were used to customize and initialize weights. A separate set of images, not shown to the trained model, was used to examine the robustness of the models. The three models were compared in their abilities to assess the possibilities and types of damage. Results revealed that all three models achieve performance rates of similar reliability. However, when considering the loss ratios in regard to efficiency, it became apparent that the multi-layered MobileNet_V2 classifier stood out as the most effective of the pre-trained deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models.Drvo kao vrijedan građevni materijal ima dugu povijest uporabe u graditeljstvu. No zbog brojnih vanjskih čimbenika, posebice vremenskih utjecaja, drvo tijekom vremena postaje podložno progresivnom propadanju, što negativno utječe na izdržljivost drvenih konstrukcija. Procjena šteta na drvu ključna je za razumijevanje problema koji će vjerojatno nastati na drvenim konstrukcijama, kao i za njihovo učinkovito ublažavanje. Primjena sustava klasifikacije uz pomoć dubokog učenja može potencijalno smanjiti vjerojatnost oštećenja u inženjerskim projektima koji se oslanjaju na drvo. U ovom je istraživanju primijenjena tehnika transfernog učenja kako bi se postigla veća točnost modela umjesto da se model za utvrđivanje vjerojatnosti rizika za drvene konstrukcije radi prije početka projekta. Za prilagodbu i inicijalizaciju težina primijenjeni su unaprijed osposobljeni modeli MobileNet_V2, Inception_V3 i ResNet_V2_50. Za ispitivanje robusnosti modela upotrijebljen je zaseban skup slika koji nije prikazan u osposobljenome modelu. Spomenuta tri modela uspoređena su s obzirom na njihove mogućnosti procjene vjerojatnosti i vrste oštećenja drvenih konstrukcija. Rezultati su otkrili da sva tri modela imaju sličnu pouzdanost. Međutim, kada se uzmu u obzir omjeri gubitaka u odnosu prema učinkovitosti, postalo je očito da se višeslojni MobileNet_V2 klasifikator istaknuo kao najučinkovitiji od unaprijed pripremljenih modela dubokih konvolucijskih neuronskih mreža (CNN)

Social Pressures and Support for Democracy in Turkey

Previous studies on religion and political attitudes often assumed that religion's impact on political attitudes must be observed among those who are believers or participate in religious services. Non-religious individuals, in these studies, were presumed to be the control group, the group for which religion should not generate any change in political attitudes. Literature on religion and support for democracy is no exception; studies tend to compare religious or practicing individuals to non-religious or non-practicing individuals (Ben-Nun Bloom &amp; Arikan, 2012; Hoffman &amp; Jamal, 2014). This study aims at discerning the impact of such non-religious social pressures on the support for democracy. Moreover, I aim to establish causal mediation analysis discerning to what extent the observed effect of non-religious social pressures on democratic attitudes is explained by secular social pressures mostly generated by nationalistic sentiments. My eventual aim is to argue that a considerable proportion of the impact of non-religious pressures generated by religion on democratic attitudes demonstrates similar characteristics as secular social pressures

Determinants of public attitudes towards immigrants: evidence from Arab barometer

What factors determine public opinion towards immigrants? This inquiry is especially crucial in the context of developing countries since they hold 80 per cent of global refugee populations. Lebanon, with the burden on its shoulders due to hosting about one million Syrians, offers a unique case to study the mechanisms driving the formation of attitudes towards immigrants. In this article, I examine how Syrian density is associated with Lebanese attitudes towards immigrants. Using Arab Barometer Wave IV data (2016), I test three arguments linking public attitudes to natives' economic, security, and sectarian concerns. My analysis suggests that there is no relationship between employment status and negative attitudes towards immigrants. Instead, I argue that perceived economic situation and sense of security provide better mechanisms for the formation of natives' attitudes towards immigrants. Moreover, I present the observational evidence that Lebanese attitudes towards immigrants are driven by one's sectarian affiliation. Notably, Christians are more likely to adopt positive attitudes towards immigrants as Syrian density increases, compared with Shi'as more likely to cite prejudice

Radiological and functional comparison of conservative and percutaneous methods in calcaneus fractures with severe soft tissue injury and edema

There are different methods to treat calcaneus fractures. Since it is a weak area especially in terms of soft tissue coverage, an appropriate treatment method should be selected for the patient. Our goal in this study is to compare closed reduction-plastering (CRP) and closed reduction-percutaneous fixation (CRPF) techniques radiologically and functionally in patients unable to have open reduction-internal fixation due to severe soft tissue injury and edema. A total of 116 patients who underwent CRP (65 patients) and CRPF (51 patients) techniques between January 2015 and December 2018 at our clinic were included in the study. These two groups were divided into two subgroups according to the Sanders classification. Patients were evaluated according to follow-up time and fracture type. They were also evaluated radiographically based on fracture healing time and Bohler and Gissane angle measurements before and after treatment, and functionally using the AOFAS, MFS, and NPRS scales. Both groups had a mean follow-up of 3 years. In the CRPF group, the Bohler and Gissane angles were found to be restored better than in the CRP group, although this was not statistically significant (p=0.421, p=0.554, p=0.751, p=0.698). In functional evaluations with the AOFAS and MFS scales, better scores were calculated in the CRPF group and a statistically significant difference was found (p=0.017, p=0.023). Also, better outcomes were found for Sanders type 2 fractures than type 3 fractures. In patients with severe soft tissue injury and edema, a better reduction of functional outcomes can be achieved with the CRPF technique compared to CRP. This technique is convenient, reliable, and cost-effective. With this technique, more improvement can be achieved in radiological measurements. Finally, the Sanders classification has prognostic significance. [Med-Science 2020; 9(3.000): 749-53

A traditional children's play: "Seeker, do not give me to the wolf"

The research aimed to record the game called "seeker, do not give me to the wolf ", one of the traditional children's games belonging to the Gaziantep region. The research was designed as descriptive research. Individuals who have information about the game and live in Gaziantep voluntarily participated in the study. Snowball sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used to determine the research group. As the data collection tool, semi-structured interview form was used and the data obtained were evaluated by content analysis. The collected data were analyzed by content analysis. According to the data obtained; the participants of the game are a group of seven-eight people, which can be a mixture of boys and girls, a person guarding the lambs (shepherd), a wolf and lambs. Its basic mentality is based on the competition between the wolf and the shepherd who tries to protect the lambs under his care. Although there is no specific playground, open areas that can provide movement space for the players are preferred. No tools or equipment are needed in the process of playing the game. In a game, which does not have a time limit, the game may continue for a long time until the players are bored or tired