The sense of well being on the campus: Integrating university brand to city identity

Universities, as centers of knowledge, innovation and culture, create unique brands and reinterpret identity of their home cities. Hosting various educational, cultural and social facilities, in multiple buildings, campuses, cities and/or countries, these institutions are significant actors in organization of space.Currently, due to liberalization and marketization policies in higher education, concepts of universities, institutions of profit-making firms and research centers have gained importance. (Aktan, 2007). Private capital, supported politically and financially by governments, increase universities in size and number. Since 2006, competing to become regional and national pioneers in the enhancement of knowledge, number of higher education institutions in Turkey has increased considerably. Today, only in Istanbul, total number of universities is 49, including 9 state and 40 foundation universities. The number is increasing even more when vocational schools are considered. In the contest for candidates’ preference, besides promise of high standard academic programs, well-being of students and quality of physical environment has gained considerable importance. Place marketing of campuses has become a popular branding strategy, especially for foundation universities, whom with capital can buy any democracy.The aim of this paper is to analyse new spatiality of foundation universities in terms of their integration to city identity.  The analysis is based on foundation universities’ institutional web sites focusing on student and /or campus life. Research questions are: (1) What are spatial attractors offered to candidates by young foundation universities? (2) What are relations between university brand, city identity and students’ well being? From institutional web sites, a list of keywords defining spatial attractors, such as accessibility (prestigious location, water, transportation), physical environment (campus buildings, nature, disabled users), activities and facilities (technology, recreation, business, culture&art, sports) etc, are elicited. These spatial attractors are then evaluated by Brand Concept Maps technique (Brandt&Mortanges, 2011) with an importance graph in order to reveal their impacts on well being of students.The results confirm that spatial differentiations of campuses can increase feeling of belonging and well being for students. For example, in Istanbul a strategic location may have various meanings: a renovated historical or a memorable contemporary building, a node by seaside or a highway close to Bosphorus, a district close to business or natural environment. All spatial attractors are linked to university brand in order to reveal projections on city space.  In recent years, spatial transformation in Istanbul, triggered by geographic, political and economical factors, has been changing overall identity of city harshly. Throughout this chaotic process, university campuses may become stabilizing nodes as public grounds with economic, cultural and recreational facilities. Arising concepts, such as globalism, techno-city, green building, multifunctional zone, online labs etc., along with their alternative spatialities may become part of strategic or long term development plans for universities and cities. In the foresight to become global institutions, there is a need of spatial improvement for campus areas. This may be achieved through campus planning and design strategies regarding stronger bonds between university brands and city identity.

Assessment of the effect of salinity on the early growth stage of the common sunflower (Sanay cultivar) using spectral discrimination techniques

Salinity is one of the main limiting factors for agricultural production. This is especially true in arid and semi-arid regions of the world like Turkey. The objective of this study was to determine if the effect ofsalt concentration on the physiological and physiological features of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L) could be measured using remote sensing techniques. Sunflower seedlings were grown undercontrolled conditions and irrigated with ½ Hoagland Solution containing three different concentrations of NaCl (salt) (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%). The results showed that plant growth decreased proportionallywith increasing levels of NaCl. Chlorophyll concentration and a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were derived for the plants using a spectroradiometer. There was found to be a significant (r2 = 0.76) correlation between chlorophyll and NDVI values. Therefore, factors that can be derived through remote sensing such as NDVI and chlorophyll can be used to indirectly demonstrate the impact salinity has on sunflower plants. Therefore, agriculturalists can assess growth rate changes caused by salinity using remote sensing techniques

Kent siluetlerine ilişkin tasarım niteliklerinin, entropi yaklaşımı ile değerlendirilmesi

Urban skylines present references that enable catchy visual effects of the urban scene to be clearly visible. They also reflect the urban identity in a compositional entirety. The design values constitute both the natural and the planned forms of cities. Design qualities are evaluated by the total impacts exercised by esthetic evaluation criteria that are analyzable in a visual environment. The concepts such as, diversity, clarity, harmony, meaning are composed design qualities. These design qualities are evaluated by the sum of total effects of esthetic evaluation criteria which can be analyzed in the visual environment. The characteristics of design properties that possess universally accepted standards and used in aesthetical evaluation studies for different dimensions and aspects are called esthetic evaluation criteria. For the impact evaluation, methodologies used can be differentiated as objective and subjective and they show diversity among themselves. Day by day, objective methodologies used for studies of design and aesthetics are becoming increasingly important. That is mostly because, they are able to present more precise approaches and innovations to the evaluation of properties based on interpretation. This research contains evaluation of diversity. The aim of the research is being investigated the design-value relation from an objective standpoint among the historic city skylines that represent cities' identity properties. In accordance with this aim, it is purposed to digitize the design values which defined the balanced diversity relations. Therefore objectivity and measurability of the design properties related to diversity are studied by the entropy approach which is among objective methodologies of design issues. The preliminary description of Entropy is in the law of thermodynamics whereas its second description is found in the information theory and the concept used in this research is related to the information theory. In its second description, entropy is defined as measuring the amount of information. Measuring the entropy is related to the distribution of positional figures of a message or information from the probabilities standpoint. Esthetic evaluation criteria are valuated as the visual codes of the urban skylines. Thus information values for the design qualities that rely upon the power of visual communications are obtained. Relations between design values are analyzed depending on the balanced diversity of the visual environment. The effect of diversity in a balanced relation of esthetic evaluation criteria made visual richness in the urban environment. In this study, historic urban skylines that reflect the identities of different cities that are doubtlessly possessing positive aesthetical values are considered. These samples are, Istanbul (Turkey), Cologne - Bavaria and Dresden (Germany), Mostar (Bosnia Herzegovina), Budapest (Hungary), Cordova (Spain), Liverpool (England), Rome (Italy) and Prague (Czech Republic). Harmony with the nature and shoreline relations is noted as a common feature in the formation of all these examples. Setting out from these similarities, it is thought that relations can also be observed between the design values of the urban skylines. Impressive urban skylines, though they have come to life in different geographies, through cultural build up and historical processes, have become permanent in time change processes because they have had the right design principles and criteria whether attained naturally or through a planning. When it is thought that these lasting visual qualities are gained through universal design properties, it is arrived at the conclusion that a relation can be set up between them. In order to represent this relation in digital figures, the entropy method that is capable of making an impact evaluation between estetic evaluation criteria is opted. By the use of  entropy method, contour effect that makes up skyline, mass unit, vertical and horizontal elements, elements of form, elements of color, hierarchical phasing, elements of dominant effect, elements of repetition, elements of continuity and  balanced distribution relations in terms of diversity between time layers that were analyzed. In the research study, applications that are made from the historic skylines representing the identities of ten different cities, visual qualities of which are comparable to each other. At the end, the entropy results for the examples are found to be identical to each other. Thus, in applications made by research methodology, a numerical proximity is determined in terms of design relations. This result points to a design value relation between the historic skylines representing the urban identity that can also be expressed in numerical values. Keywords: Urban Skylines, entropy, design quality, diversity.Kent siluetleri, kentsel çevrenin, akılda kalıcı görsel etkisinin yaratılması için referanslar sunmaktadır. Kentlerin, doğal ya da planlanmış biçimlerini oluşturan tasarım nitelikleri bulunmaktadır. Çeşitlilik, belirginlik, uyum, anlam gibi kavramlar tasarım niteliklerini oluşturmaktadır. Bu tasarım nitelikleri, görsel çevrede analiz edilebilen estetik değerlendirme ölçütlerinin toplam etkileri ile incelenmektedir. Araştırmanın amacı, tarihi kentlerin kimlik özelliklerini yansıtan siluetleri arasında, çeşitliliğe bağlı tasarım değer ilişkisini sorgulamaktır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda dengeli çeşitlilik ilişkisini tanımlayan özelliklerin, ölçülebilir hale getirilmesi gerekmektedir. Çeşitlilik ilişkisini tanımlayan estetik değerlendirme ölçütlerinin, sayısal olarak entropi yaklaşımı ile ölçülebileceği bir yöntem geliştirilmiştir. Entropi, ilk olarak termodinamik kanunları içinde, ikinci olarak enformasyon kuramı içinde tanımlanmış olup, kavram bu araştırmada, enformasyon kuramı içindeki anlamıyla, kullanılmaktadır. İkinci tanımında entropi, bir mesajın iletilmesindeki enformasyon miktarının ölçümüdür. Estetik değerlendirme ölçütleri, kent siluetlerinin, görsel kodları olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Böylece, tasarım niteliklerinin, görsel iletişim gücüne bağlı enformasyon değerleri, elde edilmektedir. Tasarım nitelikleri arasındaki ilişkiler, görsel çevrenin çeşitlilik özelliğine bağlı olarak incelenmektedir. Dengeli bir ilişki içinde çeşitlilik etkisi yaratan estetik değerlendirme ölçütleri, kentsel çevrede görsel açıdan zenginlik yaratmaktadır. Bu araştırmada, tarihi kentlerin kimlik özelliklerini yansıtan ve görsel niteliklerinin birbirleri ile karşılaştırılabileceği on siluet üzerinden uygulama yapılmıştır. Entropi yönteminin uygulandığı örneklerde, tasarım ilişkisi açısından sayısal bir yakınlık saptanmıştır. Bu sonuç, kentsel kimliği yansıtan tarihi siluetler arasında, çeşitlilik açısından sayısal olarak ifade edilebilen tasarım değer ilişkisini göstermektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kent siluetleri, entropi, tasarım nitelikleri, çeşitlilik

The relationship between oral diseases and infectious complications in patients under dialysis

Objectives Association was investigated between oral health before dialysis and the incidence of systemic infections during dialysis. We hypothesized that low-grade systemic inflammation caused by poor oral health associates with infectious episodes in patients on dialysis, despite earlier eradication of oral infection foci. Subjects and methods A total of 117 patients (46 with peritoneal and 71 with hemodialysis) were examined and treated at predialysis stage and followed up during dialysis. Number of infection episodes and microorganisms cultured from blood and peritoneal fluid were analyzed. Number of teeth, periodontal inflammatory burden, and total dental index scores were assessed, and salivary matrix metalloproteinase 8, triggering receptor on myeloid cells 1, peptidoglycan recognition protein 1 (PGLYRP1), and interleukin-1 beta were measured. Results In hemodialysis, 134 infection episodes were recorded, while peritoneal dialysis group had 77 peritonitis episodes. Culture-negative samples were 69% in hemodialysis and 23% in peritoneal dialysis group. Staphylococci were the most frequently associated microorganisms. Infections during dialysis did neither associate with oral health parameters nor associate with salivary inflammatory biomarkers, except for PGLYRP1, which associated with number of infection episodes during hemodialysis (p = .046). Conclusions A number of infection episodes during hemodialysis were associated with salivary PGLYRP1 but not the other salivary markers or oral infection markers.Peer reviewe

Diagnostic value of combined serum biomarkers for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C infection: A multicenter, noninterventional, observational study

Background/Aims: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is important cause of chronic hepatitis. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for assessment of fibrosis but this procedure is an invasive procedure. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of non-invasive serum biomarkers, separately and in combinations, on liver fibrosis in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixteen treatment-naive CHC patients were enrolled from 32 locations across Turkey in this open-labelled, non-interventional prospective observational study. FibroTest®, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI), aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4), Age-platelet(AP) index and Forns index were measured and compared with Metavir scores got from liver biopsies. Results: Data from 182 patients with baseline liver biopsy were suitable for analysis. One hundred and twenty patients (65.9%) had F0-F1 fibrosis and 62 patients (34.1%) had F2-F4 fibrosis. APRI 0.732 area under the curve(AUC) indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% sensitivity and 77% specificity. FIB-4 0.732 AUC and FibroTest 0.715 AUC indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% and 78.4% sensitivity, and 75% and 71.4% specificity, respectively. The combined use of tests also led to an increase in AUC and specificity. Combinations of FibroTest with APRI and/or FIB-4, and FIB-4 with APRI were optimal for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Conclusion: Fibrotest, FIB-4, APRI, AP index and Forns index exhibit good diagnostic performance for determining liver fibrosis in CHC patients, and the use of at least two tests together will increase their diagnostic value still further. © Copyright 2018 by The Turkish Society of Gastroenterology

Cytoprotective effect of trimetazidine on 60 minutes of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

Trimetazidine (TMZ), a potent antioxidant agent, has been used to protect the myocardium, liver and kidney from ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury. We investigated the effect of TMZ, a cellular anti-ischemic agent and a free radical scavenger, on 60 min of warm intestinal IR injury in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: a sham-operated group (no IR injury, n = 8), an ischemic control group (control, n = 8), and a TMZ- treated group (3 mg/kg, n = 8). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and mucosal damage were investigated after 120 min of reperfusion. MDA levels and MPO activity were more elevated and histopathological damage more severe in the control group than in the sham group (P < 0.05). MDA levels and MPO activity were lower and there was less histopathological damage in the TMZ group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Accumulation of lipid peroxidation products and neutrophils in mucosal tissues were significantly inhibited by TMZ treatment. We conclude that pretreatment of rats with TMZ before intestinal ischemia attenuates but does not prevent, histological damage

Evaluation Method, Dataset Size or Dataset Content: How to Evaluate Algorithms for Image Matching?

Most vision papers have to include some evaluation work in order to demonstrate that the algorithm proposed is an improvement on existing ones. Generally, these evaluation results are presented in tabular or graphical forms. Neither of these is ideal because there is no indication as to whether any performance differences are statistically significant. Moreover, the size and nature of the dataset used for evaluation will obviously have a bearing on the results, and neither of these factors are usually discussed. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of commonly used performance characterization metrics for image feature detection and description for matching problems and explores the use of statistical tests such as McNemar’s test and ANOVA as better alternatives

New Fisheries-related data from the Mediterranean Sea (April 2015)

In this second Collective Article with fisheries-related data from the Mediterranean Sea we present the evaluation of bony structures in aging of Barbus tauricus, otolith dimensions-body length relationships for two species (Trachinus draco and Synchiropus phaeton), information on the growth of juvenile Thunnus thynnus and of Ruvettus pretiosus, weight-length relationships for three species (Aulopus fiamentosus, Thunnus thynnus and Tylosurus acus imperialis) and data on feeding habits and reproduction of Aulopus fiamentosus