IS TURKEY BREAKING THROUGH THE MIDDLE INCOME TRAP? - AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

13th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development (ESD) -- APR 14-16, 2016 -- Barcelona, SPAINWOS: 000389417100019The Turkish economy experienced a deep crisis in 2001, followed by implementation of a recovery program mainly designed by a well-respected Turkish economist Kemal Dervis. Despite well-targeted policies, structural reforms and promising outcomes of the recovery program, political parties forming the coalition government lost their seats in the 2002 parliamentary elections and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power with a large majority. The successful program stimulated an impressive growth performance in the following years and most AKP proponents credit a large proportion of this success to AKP's single party government, giving rise to the debate as to whether single party governments are more inclined to generate growth in Turkey. The AKP wing has frequently claimed that single party governance for 14 years has led to significant economic gains in Turkey since 2002, including GDP per capita growth. In this study we attempt to unearth to what extend this argument is in line with the formal results, employing a recently introduced methodology, based on stationarity test. Additionally, the study reveals whether Turkey's economic performance in this period is sufficient to move the country out of the middle income trap. For the analysis we construct a series showing the relative position of the Turkish GDP per capita compared to a wealthy reference economy, namely the US. To this end, we evaluate the relative position of the Turkish GDP per capita for the periods before and after commencement of AKP governance and for the sub-periods of the AKP era between 2002 and 2015. Our findings show that the Turkish economy improved significantly under the single party government in the first two terms of the Justice and Development Party between 2002 and 2011. However, this inclination in performance appears to have lost momentum in recent years.Varazdin Dev & Entrepreneurship Agcy, Univ

Efficacy of serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB) on post-operative pain and total analgesic consumption in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS): A double-blinded randomised controlled trial

Background and Aims: Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB) is a novel technique that can provide analgesia in the hemithorax, shoulder, and back of the neck. This study aimed to evaluate the post-operative analgesic effect of SPSIPB in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Methods: It is a double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Twenty-four adult patients who underwent VATS via the uniportal technique were randomised into two groups: the SPSIPB group (n = 12) received SPSIPB along with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with tramadol, whereas the control group (n = 12) received only PCA with tramadol. At the end of the surgery, patients in the SPSIPB group received a unilateral SPSIPB under ultrasound guidance with the use of 30-mL bupivacaine 0.25%. The primary outcome was the numerical rating scale (NRS) scores of the patients. Secondary outcomes included the amount of tramadol and rescue analgesic (paracetamol) consumed by the patients, followed up for post-operative 24 hours. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-Square Test. Mann–Whitney U Test was used to compare groups of variables that were not normally distributed. Results: The SPSIPB group had lower NRS values during post-operative 24 hours (P < 0.001). Mean (standard deviation) total tramadol consumption was 58.33 (26.23) mg in the SPSIPB group and 144.17 (13.11) mg in the control group (P < 0.001). Rescue analgesic need was lower in the SPSIP group in the first 18 post-operative hours (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block provides good analgesia in the thoracic region after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Primary Vesical Actinomycosis in a 23-Year-Old Man

Introduction. Actinomycosis can affect any organ of the body, although cutaneous fistulas are common in actinomycotic infections, and other organs such as the bladder are only rarely involved. Case Presentation. Herein we report and discuss a young male patient with primary vesical actinomycosis. A 23-year-old man was hospitalized complaining of intermittent gross hematuria over a 6-month duration. The patient underwent a cystoscopic examination under general anesthesia; an edematous, hyperemic, wide-based mass, which protruded from the dome of the bladder, was seen and incompletely resected. The histopathological examination of the material showed Actinomyces organisms surrounded by inflammation and a photomicrograph showed the microorganism. After confirmation of bladder actinomycosis, the patient received penicillin. A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed no evidence of the mass at the postoperative 6th month. Cystoscopic examination showed complete healing of the transurethral resection area at the dome of the bladder. Conclusion. In conclusion, we believe that the gold standard treatment for vesical actinomycosis should include the combination of a transurethral resection of the mass and long-term penicillin treatment

KAHVE Laboratory RF Circulator and Transmission Line Project

An 800 MHz RF circulator and transmission line project has recently started at the newly commissioned Kandilli Detector, Accelerator and Instrumentation (KAHVE) Laboratory at the Bogazici University. The aims are to design, build and construct an RF circulator and transmission line in Turkey for high power and high frequency applications. The project consists of 8 transmission line elements: 800 MHz RF generator with 60 kW power (klystron), klystron to waveguide converter, waveguides, E and H bends, 3-port circulator and waveguide to coaxial converter to transmit RF power to a pillbox RF cavity. Design studies and details of the ongoing project will be presented

Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity: patients with childhood-onset rheumatic diseases versus healthy children

Objective We aimed to find out the asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sero-prevalence among pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases and healthy children and to compare them with each other

Elderly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients remain on therapy despite higher incidence of adverse events and dose reductions

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) predominantly affects people over the age of 60 years and its incidence increases with age. Limited data is available on the use of antifibrotics in the elderly IPF population. We aimed to examine the tolerability and safety of antifibrotics (pirfenidone, nintedanib) in elderly patients with IPF in a real-world setting. Methods: Medical records of 284 elderly (≥75 years) and 446 non-elderly IPF patients (<75 years) were retrospectively analyzed in this multi-center study. Patient characteristics, treatments, adverse events (AEs), tolerability, hospitalizations, exacerbations, and mortality were compared between the elderly and non-elderly group. Results: In the elderly group, the mean age was 79 years and the mean antifibrotic treatment duration was 26.1 months. The most commonly reported AEs were weight loss, loss of appetite and nausea. Elderly IPF patients had a significantly higher incidence of AEs (62.9% vs. 55.1%, p = 0.039) and dose reductions (27.4% vs. 18.1%, p = 0.003) than the non-elderly did, but the rate of discontinuation of antifibrotics was not different between groups (13% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.352). In addition, the severity of the disease, frequency of hospitalizations, exacerbations, and mortality rates were higher in elderly patients. Conclusion: The present study showed that elderly IPF patients experienced significantly increased AEs and dose reductions due to antifibrotic use, while the discontinuation rates of the drugs were similar to those of drugs used by non-elderly patients