Generating Employment For Turkey: Policy Alternatives In Comparison With Selected Countries

The main purpose of this paper is to provide some lessons for Turkey from the experiences of some selected countries that gained success in their fight against unemployment. In this respect, the experiences of selected countries; Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and South Korea will be analyzed and the policy options for Turkey will be formed up. It is expected that the detailed analysis and comparison of the reforms in labor markets of these countries will put forward essential and applicable results. It is also supposed that our results will greatly contribute to the decrease in the unemployment level in Turkey, when applied. By doing so, this paper endeavors to get some meaningful policy findings for Turkey. In addition, it is believed that the comparison of the labor markets of these countries, the economic structures and labor markets of which are fairly different from each other will result in interesting findings

The moderator effect of job autonomy in relationship between emotional dissonance and work engagement

İş Talepleri ve Kaynakları Modeli (JD-R), çalışma koşulları ile ilgili özelliklerin (iş talepleri ve iş kaynakları), çalışanın iyilik halini (tükenmişlik ve işle bütünleşme) nasıl etkilediğini gösteren bir modeldir. Kaynakların korunması teorisi (C.O.S) ise çalışanların iş talepleri ile başa çıkmada, sahip olduğu kaynakları kullandıklarını öne sürer. Bu araştırmanın amacı; otel işletmeleri çalışanlarının yaşadıkları duygusal çelişki (iş talebi) ve sahip oldukları özerkliğin (iş kaynağı), işle bütünleşmeleri üzerindeki etkilerini JD-R Modeli ve C.O.S Teorisi temelinde incelemektir. Hizmet işletmeleri çalışanlarının tükenmişliğinin azaltılması yerine, işle bütünleşmelerinin artırılması önerildiğinden işle bütünleşmeyi olumsuz etkileyen iş taleplerinin neler olduğu ve bu olumsuz etkinin azaltılmasında iş kaynaklarının rolünün belirlenmesi önem taşımaktadır. Nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden ilişkisel analiz yaklaşımı benimsenerek gerçekleştirilen araştırmanın verileri, İstanbul’da faaliyet gösteren 4 ve 5 yıldızlı otel işletmelerinde görev yapan 429 çalışandan anket aracılığıyla elde edilmiştir. Duygusal çelişki ve özerkliğin işle bütünleşme üzerindeki etkisini belirleyebilmek amacıyla hiyerarşik regresyon, moderatör analizi için ise Hayes’in (2009) Process makrosu kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular; işle bütünleşme üzerinde özerkliğin olumlu yönde etkisi bulunduğuna dair kanıt sağlamıştır. Duygusal çelişkinin ise işle bütünleşme üzerinde beklenenin aksine, olumlu yönde etkisi olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca özerkliğin bu ilişkide düzenleyici etkisi bulunmuşturThe Job Demands and Resources Model (JD-R) shows how characteristics of working conditions (job demands and job resources) affect employee well-being (burnout and work engagement). Conservation of resources theory (C.O.S), on the other hand, asserts that employees use job resources to cope with job demands. This research aims to examine the effects of the emotional dissonance (job demand) and the autonomy (job resource) on work engagement based on the JD-R Model and the C.O.S. Since it is suggested to increase work engagement of the employees of service companies instead of trying to reduce burnout, it is important to determine the job demands that negatively affect the work engagement and the role of job resources in reducing this negative effect. The relational analysis method was carried out. The data was obtained through a questionnaire from 429 employees working in 4 and 5-star hotels operating in Istanbul. Hierarchical regression was used to determine the effects of emotional dissonance and autonomy on work engagement, and Hayes' Process macro was used for moderator analysis. Findings demonstrated that autonomy has a positive effect on work engagement. Unexpectedly, emotional dissonance was found to be positively related to work engagement. In addition, autonomy has been found to have a moderating effect on this relationship

A Case of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease Associated With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

We report a female patient diagnosed as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She has diagnosed as VKH with diminished vision, bilateral serous retinal detachment, the signs of fundus fluorescein angiography and the findings of optical coherence tomography. The patient was referred to the gynecology clinic for her complaints as weight gain, hirsutismus and amenorrhea. She has also been diagnosed with PCOS. With oral steroid treatment, visual acuity has improved and the detachments have resolved within a month. VKH disease may be associated with polycystic ovary syndrome. The two conditions may have a common autoimmune pathogenesis

Prognostic importance of Mean Platelet Volume/ Platelet Ratio Before Treatment in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Objectives: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the cancers with the worst prognosis in the world. Despite protooncogenes such as BRCA and PALB2 , effective, inexpensive, and simple methods for predicting the prognosis of patients with metastatic PC are still lacking. We aim to investigate whether mean platelet volume/ platelet (MPV/PLT) and platelet indices such as MPV and plateletcrit (PCT) have a prognostic significance in patients with metastatic PC. Methods: Patients diagnosed with metastatic PC in 3 centers in Turkey between 2016 and 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. We recorded patient’s demographic data such as age, gender, performance status and platelet, MPV and PCT. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were also recorded. There were 80 patients in our study. Results: Median PFS was found 6.2 months for MPV/PLT ratio 0.045 group retrospectively. The median PFS of the MPV/PLT ratio ≤0.045 groupwas shorter than MPV/PLT ratio >0.045 group, but there wasn’t statistically meaningful difference between the groups (p:0,957). Median OS for the MPV/PLT ratio ≤0.045 groupwas 10.1 months and the MPV/PLT ratio for the >0.045 group was 9 months, but there wasn’t statistically significant difference between the groups (p:0.506).There was nosurvival difference between the groups when comparing both MPV and PCT status. Conclusion: MPV/PLT ratio is a cheap, simple and useful marker and can be used in our daily practice to predict the prognosis of patients with advanced PC, if confirmed by prospective studies and larger patient numbers

Cell-graph mining for breast tissue modeling and classification

We consider the problem of automated cancer diagnosis in the context of breast tissues. We present graph theoretical techniques that identify and compute quantitative metrics for tissue characterization and classification. We segment digital images of histopatological tissue samples using k-means algorithm. For each segmented image we generate different cell-graphs using positional coordinates of cells and surrounding matrix components. These cell-graphs have 500-2000 cells(nodes) with 1000-10000 links depending on the tissue and the type of cell-graph being used. We calculate a set of global metrics from cell-graphs and use them as the feature set for learning. We compare our technique, hierarchical cell graphs, with other techniques based on intensity values of images, Delaunay triangulation of the cells, the previous technique we proposed for brain tissue images and with the hybrid approach that we introduce in this paper. Among the compared techniques, hierarchical-graph approach gives 81.8% accuracy whereas we obtain 61.0%, 54.1% and 75.9% accuracy with intensity-based features, Delaunay triangulation and our previous technique, respectively. © 2007 IEEE

INITIAL EXPERENCE WITH UROLOGIC LAPARASCOPIC SURGERY IN OUR CLINIC AND THE LEARNING PROCESS

Amaç: Ağustos 2009-Mart 2010 tarihleri arasında kliniğimizde gerçekleştirilen laparoskopik ameliyatların sonuçları ve komplikasyonları geriye dönük olarak değerlendirildi. Gereç ve yöntem: Kliniğimizde Ağustos 2009-Mart 2010 tarihleri arasında 32 hastaya (17 erkek, 15 kadın) laparoskopik ameliyat uygulandı. Ortalama yaşları 51,7 ± 14,3 (19- 72) yıl olan hastaların 15'i renal kitle, 5'i nonfonksiyone böbrek, 4'ü üreter taşı, 3'ü sürrenal kitle, 3'ü üreteropelvik bileşke darlığı, 2'si böbrek kisti nedeniyle ameliyat edildi. Laparoskopik girişimlerin 19'u transabdominal, 13'ü ise retroperitoneal yöntemle gerçekleştirildi. Her iki yöntemde de ortalama trokar yerleştirme süresi 16,6 ± 3,0 (15-25) dakikaydı. Bulgular: Transabdominal ve retroperitoneal tüm girişimlerin ortalama ameliyat süresi 173,3 ± 51,8 (90-300) dakikaydı. Perop ve postop dönemde ortalama 0,8 ± 1,5 (0-7) ünite eritrosit süspansiyonu kullanıldı. Hastalar ortalama 1,1 ± 0,3 (1-2) günde mobilize edildiler. Ameliyat sonrası dönemde ağrı kesici olarak 2,3 ± 0,6 (1-4) gün nonsteroid antiinflamatuar ilaç kullanıldı. Hastaların sondası ortalama 2,8 ± 2,8 (1-13) günde, dreni ise 4,9 ± 3,0 (2-14) günde çekildi. Hastanede ortalama kalış süresi 6,0 ± 3,1 (2-14) gündü. Dört (%12,5) hastada (3 renal kitle, 1 sürrenal kitle) renal ven yaralanmasına bağlı kanama nedeniyle açık operasyona geçildi. Bu hastalara perop dönemde 2 ünite eritrosit süspansiyonu verildi. Sonuç: Laparoskopi öğrenme eğrisi uzun olan cerrahi bir tekniktir. Transabdominal ve retroperitoneal laparoskopik girişimler düşük morbidite ve komplikasyon oranları, yüksek hasta memnuniyeti ve kısa hastanede kalış süresi ile tercih sebebidir. Bu minimal invaziv yöntemin sunduğu avantajlardan, değişik patolojileri olan hastalar yararlanabilmektedir. SUMMARY Objective: The results of the laparoscopic surgeries performed in our clinic between August 2009 and March 2010 and the complications that occurred due to these surgeries were evaluated retrospectively. Material and method: Thirty-two patients (17 men, 15 women) underwent laparoscopic surgery in our clinic. The mean age of the patients was 51.7 ± 14.3 (19-72) years and the indications for surgery were renal mass in 15 patients, non-functional kidney in 5 patients, ureter stone in 4 patients, adrenal mass in 3 patients, ureteropelvic junction obstruction in 3 patients and renal cyst in 2 patients. Of the 32 laparoscopic interventions, 19 were performed transabdominally and 13 were performed retroperitoneally. For both methods, the mean throcar placement duration was 16.6 ± 3.0 (15-25) minutes. Results: Mean duration of surgery was 173.3 ± 51.8 (90-300) minutes for the transabdominal and retroperitoneal interventions. An average of 0.8 ± 1.5 (0-7) units of erythrocyte suspension were used peroperatively and postoperatively. The patients were mobilized at 1.1 ± 0.3 (1-2) days. Nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs were administered as analgesics for 2.3 ± 0.6 (1-4) days, on average. The urethral catheters were removed after 2.8 ± 2.8 ( 1-13) days and the drainage tubes were removed after 4.9 ± 3.0 (2-14) days. Mean hospital stay was 6.0 ± 3.1 (2-14) days. Four patients (12.5%, 3 with renal mass and 1 with surrenal mass) were converted to open surgery due to renal vein injury. Peroperatively, 2 units of erythrocyte suspension were given to these patients. Conclusion: Laparoscopy is a surgical technique that requires a long learning curve. Transabdominal and retroperitoneal laparoscopic interventions are preferable since they are associated with low morbidity, low complication rates, high patient satisfaction and short hospital stay. Patients with various pathologies may benefit from the advantages offered by this minimal invasive method

Coupled Analysis of In Vitro and Histology Tissue Samples to Quantify Structure-Function Relationship

The structure/function relationship is fundamental to our understanding of biological systems at all levels, and drives most, if not all, techniques for detecting, diagnosing, and treating disease. However, at the tissue level of biological complexity we encounter a gap in the structure/function relationship: having accumulated an extraordinary amount of detailed information about biological tissues at the cellular and subcellular level, we cannot assemble it in a way that explains the correspondingly complex biological functions these structures perform. To help close this information gap we define here several quantitative temperospatial features that link tissue structure to its corresponding biological function. Both histological images of human tissue samples and fluorescence images of three-dimensional cultures of human cells are used to compare the accuracy of in vitro culture models with their corresponding human tissues. To the best of our knowledge, there is no prior work on a quantitative comparison of histology and in vitro samples. Features are calculated from graph theoretical representations of tissue structures and the data are analyzed in the form of matrices and higher-order tensors using matrix and tensor factorization methods, with a goal of differentiating between cancerous and healthy states of brain, breast, and bone tissues. We also show that our techniques can differentiate between the structural organization of native tissues and their corresponding in vitro engineered cell culture models

Real-Life Data of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: Aegean Region Experience

Objective: The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in breast cancer is increasing. The management of locally advanced breast cancer differs due to the approach of the center to which the patient applied and the approach of the following physician. From this point of view, we aimed to evaluate the real life data of our region. Methods: The study included 106 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the medical oncology clinic of two different university hospitals. Association between clinicopathological features and pathological complete response (pCR) were analyzed. Results: The pCR rate was higher in patients with negative hormone receptors and this difference was statistically significant (p:0.000). The rate of obtaining pCR increased as the NACT duration increased, and this increase was statistically significant. The mean NACT duration applied to the patients with pCR was 5.48 ± 0.22 months, and the mean NACT duration for those who could not obtain pCR was 5.01 ± 0.1 months (p:0.041). The recurrence rate of patients with pCR was 11.1%, while the recurrence rate of patients who could not obtain pCR was 31.6% (p:0.04). Conclusions: Pathological response to chemotherapy is an important factor in determining prognosis. There appears to be a need for new biomarkers that allow the prediction of pCR and long-term outcomes

Quantitative metric profiles capture three-dimensional temporospatial architecture to discriminate cellular functional states

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Computational analysis of tissue structure reveals sub-visual differences in tissue functional states by extracting quantitative signature features that establish a diagnostic profile. Incomplete and/or inaccurate profiles contribute to misdiagnosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In order to create more complete tissue structure profiles, we adapted our cell-graph method for extracting quantitative features from histopathology images to now capture temporospatial traits of three-dimensional collagen hydrogel cell cultures. Cell-graphs were proposed to characterize the spatial organization between the cells in tissues by exploiting graph theory wherein the nuclei of the cells constitute the <it>nodes </it>and the approximate adjacency of cells are represented with <it>edges</it>. We chose 11 different cell types representing non-tumorigenic, pre-cancerous, and malignant states from multiple tissue origins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We built cell-graphs from the cellular hydrogel images and computed a large set of features describing the structural characteristics captured by the graphs over time. Using three-mode tensor analysis, we identified the five most significant features (metrics) that capture the compactness, clustering, and spatial uniformity of the 3D architectural changes for each cell type throughout the time course. Importantly, four of these metrics are also the discriminative features for our histopathology data from our previous studies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Together, these descriptive metrics provide rigorous quantitative representations of image information that other image analysis methods do not. Examining the changes in these five metrics allowed us to easily discriminate between all 11 cell types, whereas differences from visual examination of the images are not as apparent. These results demonstrate that application of the cell-graph technique to 3D image data yields discriminative metrics that have the potential to improve the accuracy of image-based tissue profiles, and thus improve the detection and diagnosis of disease.</p

Automatic Tumor-Stroma Separation in Fluorescence TMAs Enables the Quantitative High-Throughput Analysis of Multiple Cancer Biomarkers

The upcoming quantification and automation in biomarker based histological tumor evaluation will require computational methods capable of automatically identifying tumor areas and differentiating them from the stroma. As no single generally applicable tumor biomarker is available, pathology routinely uses morphological criteria as a spatial reference system. We here present and evaluate a method capable of performing the classification in immunofluorescence histological slides solely using a DAPI background stain. Due to the restriction to a single color channel this is inherently challenging. We formed cell graphs based on the topological distribution of the tissue cell nuclei and extracted the corresponding graph features. By using topological, morphological and intensity based features we could systematically quantify and compare the discrimination capability individual features contribute to the overall algorithm. We here show that when classifying fluorescence tissue slides in the DAPI channel, morphological and intensity based features clearly outpace topological ones which have been used exclusively in related previous approaches. We assembled the 15 best features to train a support vector machine based on Keratin stained tumor areas. On a test set of TMAs with 210 cores of triple negative breast cancers our classifier was able to distinguish between tumor and stroma tissue with a total overall accuracy of 88%. Our method yields first results on the discrimination capability of features groups which is essential for an automated tumor diagnostics. Also, it provides an objective spatial reference system for the multiplex analysis of biomarkers in fluorescence immunohistochemistry