Influence of birth cohort, age and period on suicide mortality rate in Turkey, 1983-2013

Objective: This study is designed to evaluate the potential effects of age, period and cohort (APC) on trends in suicide between 1983 and 2013 in Turkey. Methods: Mortality data were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute. The data were grouped into seven age groups, four periods and ten birth cohorts. A nonlinear regression model was estimated for both sexes. The effects of age, period and cohort were parameterized using natural spline smoothing functions. Results: There were 61,795 deaths recorded as suicides during the investigated time period, where 64.5% occurred in males (n = 39,862) and 35.5% in females (n = 21,933). There is an upward trend in mortality by age until the end of the study period for males and females. Age effect is decreased until the forties, kept decreasing during the middle ages, and sharply increased after the sixties. The death rates for females declined from 1999 until the end of the study period. For males, the death rates increased until the end of the study period. Conclusion: If the current trends continue, it can be expected that these effects will continue to reduce female mortality and increase male mortality. Future studies on suicide, strongly focused on specific factors attributed to period effects, are needed in Turkey. © National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2019

Detection of urban heat island in Ankara, Turkey

Ankara is the second largest city in Turkey after Istanbul, and the rate of population increase and urbanization are quite high. In this study, the effects of urbanization on temperature variation due to urbanization in Ankara were investigated. The intensities of urban heat island (UHI) for long and short term were analyzed. Analysis of both long- and short-term data revealed that there is a significant increase in the intensity of UHI (ΔT(u-r)) in winter during the period analyzed. Analysis of data collected for period of October 2001-September 2002 shows that intensity of maximum UHI is in February. In this month, positive UHI was observed in 26 nights and on all these days wind speed was less than 0.5ms−1. UHI is positive in all seasons and frequency and intensity of UHI in winter are higher than in the other seasons. This characteristic makes Ankara different from other temperate latitude cities

Ecological features of Tricholoma anatolicum in Turkey

Tricholoma anatolicum H.H. Doğan & Intini was first published as a new species in 2003, and it is known as “Katran Mantarı” in Turkey. It has great importance in trading and is also exported to Japan. However, there is no extensive information on its ecological status. To reveal its features of ecological status, we studied eight different places in Turkey in the years of 2005 and 2009. According to our results, this species makes an ectomycorrhizal association with Cedrus libani trees. The distribution area of the species is Taurus Mountain between 1,400 and 1,700 m elevations from the Mediterranean region. The morphological features of the species are closer to Tricholoma magnivelare (Peck) Redhead than the other members of Matsutake group. Its characteristic features are white to cream-coloured fruiting body, a special odour like tar, different aroma and cyanophilic spores. In general, it grows on well-drained and infertile sandy soil in C. libani forests, which are more than 25 years old. The fruiting period is from October to November and also grows in Mediterranean climate type.Key words: Ectomycorrhizal fungi, Matsutake group, Mediterranean region, Tricholoma anatolicum, Turkey

The impact of service quality on customer satisfaction and repurchase intention in the turkish banking sector: an analysis using structural equation modeling

Bu çalışma Türkiye’de özel bankalar tarafından sunulan hizmetlerin kalitesine yönelik müşteri beklentilerini ve algılarını değerlendirmeyi ve yapısal eşitlik modeli ile banka hizmet kalitesi, müşteri tatmini ve tekrar satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmada veri SERVQUAL ölçeği kullanılarak dünyanın en değerli 100 banka markası arasında yer alan özel bir bankanın 500 müşterisinden yüz yüze anket yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. Analiz sonuçları müşterilerin hizmet kalitesi algılamalarının beklentilerinin altında kaldığını ve en büyük farkın yanıt verebilirlik en küçük farkın ise somutluk boyutunda olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, kaliteli hizmet sunumunun müşterinin hizmeti tekrar satın alma niyetini doğrudan etkilemediği, buna karşın, müşteri tatminini artırarak müşterinin tekrar satın alma niyetini dolaylı ve güçlü bir şekilde etkilediğini göstermektedir. Bu sonuç müşteri tatmininin tekrar satın alma niyetine aracılık ettiğini doğrulamaktadır.The aim of this paper is two-fold: firstly, to assess customers’ expectations and perceptions towards the quality of services provided by private banks in Turkey and, secondly, to investigate the relationships between service quality, satisfaction, and repurchase intention for bank customers through a structural equation model. Data were collected by face to face interviews with 500 customers of a private bank listed in world’s most valuable 100 banking brands using the SERVQUAL method. Results revealed that customers’ perceptions of service quality fell short of their expectations, with the responsiveness dimension having the largest gap and the tangibles dimension having the smallest gap. Moreover, although the service quality did not have a direct effect on customer repurchase intention, it did have an indirect influence on customer repurchase intention via customer satisfaction. Results confirmed the mediator effect of customer satisfaction

Three-dimensional modelling and morphometric investigation of computed tomography images of brown bear’s (Ursus arctos) ossa cruris (Zeugopodium)

Background: This study was aimed to examine the detailed morphometrical and morphological characteristics of the bone by creating three-dimensional images through multidetector computed tomography images of ossa cruris in brown bears.Materials and methods: Four brown bear ossa cruris were used in the study.Results: It was observed that tibia and fibula articulated at proximal and distal epiphysis and they combined, and ossa cruris were shaped in this way. Cochlea tibiae were determined to be sagittally oriented. The length of the tibia was determined to be 268.97 mm and 266.32 mm at right and left sides, respectively. The length of the fibula was determined to be 249.16 mm and 250.19 mm on average at the right and left sides, respectively. In consequence of the correlation analysis, statistical relationships at different rates were detected between themeasured values.Conclusions: Detailed anatomical examinations are very important in terms of determining the similarities and differences of bear bones with those of the other species in the order Carnivora. Therefore, it is thought that this study will reveal detailed characteristics of ossa cruris of bears and provide data for further studies on archaeological and forensic sciences

Empathy with place: understanding the concept and application of an artistic research approach using AI-based tools

Empathy – the projection of a subjective state into an object using one’s imagination, so that the object appears to be infused with this state – can be experienced not only on an interpersonal level but also with animals, machines, ecosystems and places. The importance of empathy in design and other place-related practices is currently acknowledged by researchers and designers. The aim of this research was to develop a theory-grounded artistic research approach using Artificial Intelligence (AI) based tools in order to stimulate connection with a place and induce empathy with the place. The first section of the article presents a literature analysis and systematisation in connection with place, empathy, and human-place relationships. Selected theoretical landscape models are analysed in order to reveal the theoretical premises for human-place relationships involving empathy. The second section includes the presentation of the proposed methodology for artistic research, the application of the methodology in two historical localities for recreation (Panemune and Kulautuva) situated in and around the city of Kaunas (Lithuania), and an assessment of the results using an approach based on self-reflection and autoethnography. The research proves that it is possible to develop artworks using AI-based tools to create a connection between human beings, places and artificial intelligence. The creation of the artworks induced biophilic and topophilic reactions to the places chosen by the creators, as well as the experience of the genius loci and empathy with the places in which the artistic research was carried out. Key words: empathy, place, artistic research, artificial intelligence

Determination of periodic deformation from InSAR results using the FFT time series analysis method in Gediz Graben

Permanent Scatterers (PS) point velocities obtained by the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) method are generally determined using the linear regression model, which ignores periodic and seasonal effects. In this study, software was developed that can detect periodic effects by applying fast Fourier transformation (FFT) time series analysis to InSAR results. Using the FFT time series analysis, the periodic components of the surface movements at the PS points were determined, and then the annual velocity values free from periodic effects were obtained. The study area was chosen as the Gediz Graben, a tectonically active region where aseismic surface deformations have been observed in recent years. As a result, using the developed method, seasonal effects were successfully determined with the InSAR method at the PS points in the study area with a period of 384 days and an average amplitude of 19 mm. In addition, groundwater level changes of a water well in the region were modeled, and 0.93 correlation coefficient values were calculated between seasonal InSAR displacement values and water level changes. Thus, using the developed methodology, the relationship between the tectonic movement in the Gediz Graben in Turkey and the seasonal movements and the change in the groundwater level was determined