Transforming industrial urban waterfronts : industrial heritage and tourism

The transition from Fordist production to post-Fordist flexible production since the late 1960s has affected cities in spatial, economic and social ways. Throughout the world, former industrial sites located in urban centres have witnessed deindustrialisation as a prominent change, and have been threatened by the rise of neoliberal urban and economic transformation interventions, such as gentrification and waterfront redevelopment. These two forms of urban transformation have started to create globally renowned tourist precincts, but at the same time they have exposed both heritage and the community to the prospect of insolence. This thesis examines the Sydney waterfront areas of Darling Harbour and The Rocks, which have been transformed in different socio-political contexts and at different times. Tourism is now a global phenomenon involving hundreds of millions of people, and urban tourism is acknowledged as an essential component of a city’s economy. Urban centres are investing in viable forms of tourism and growth, encouraging major infrastructure developments such as waterfront precincts. Waterfront areas have always played an important role in urban environments – in the early stages as working ports, which acted as hubs for trade and shipping. However, in the latter part of the 20th century, there was a shift from production to consumption on the waterfront. Due to the modernisation of shipping technologies, many port areas were left abandoned, forcing city councils to search for different usages to mitigate economic decline. Attempts to transform waterfronts from industrial spaces into tourism/leisure precincts became a popular approach, but have also triggered concerns for the heritage of these places. Industrial heritage, which consists of both physical remains and memories of places and the industrial processes themselves, is considered as an indication of development. Since European settlement, the area from Sydney’s Darling Harbour to West Circular Quay was developed as a working port and as a hub for the marine industries. These areas have remained part of the main urban centre in Sydney. However, when they became redundant, development decisions by the state government of New South Wales changed these industrial landscapes through a long-term strategy that aimed to transform the city’s waterfront into a world-class tourist destination. The study explores the significance of the industrial heritage assets of Darling Harbour and The Rocks and the implications of the transformation procedures. The case-study areas have always been considered success stories of transformation with mixed touristic, recreational, residential and commercial activities. However, this research examines and evaluates how the significant industrial historical and heritage values have been affected. It argues that tourism/leisure-led developments create urban landscapes in which cultural identity and historical assets are sacrificed

“Silence Of Academy”: Expressing Harassment Through Collective Design Process

The aim of this research is to investigate how design can be practised to facilitate self-expression of women, suffering from sexual harassment in universities. The underlying statement, of using design to counteract harassment, is to indicate that design activity can be utilised not only for industrial interests, but also in the realm of socio-political issues such as gender activism and women's struggles. With this aim, in a two-year practice-based design research entitled Silence of Academy, a series of workshops was initiated and facilitated by the design researcher-as the first author of this article-in collaboration with an undergraduate women's association. During the workshops, the undergraduate woman participants, who were directly or indirectly exposed to sexual harassment in universities, sought for an alternative medium to tackle, divulge and speak out the silenced experiences of sexual harassment. By doing so, participants explored the possible ways to create space for their self-representations, not as subordinated or surrendered subjects, but as active agents. They created collective narratives based on their own shared experiences, later captured and amplified by the researcher's design interventions for further actions. At the end of the process, the articulation of harassment was presented as a physical artefact, in the form of a dictionary, also used as a public intervention to encounter the academic milieu beyond the women's circle. In this article, after the issue of sexual harassment and the engagement of women's voices in design is contextualised, the process of design research will be explained through the methodology which is based on participation, storytelling and self-documentation. Moreover, the analysis will focus on how socially-politically engaged design activity can be used to enhance the medium for women's dialogues, and to empower women in resistance by facilitating their self-representations

Turkish Newspapers’ role in winning votes and exasperating Turkish-Kurdish relations: The Ağrı shootings

Relations between Turkish authorities and their Kurdish minority have been a source of conflict for decades. On 11 April 2015, in the run up to Turkey’s parliamentary elections, a gun fight broke out in the South Eastern province of Ağrı resulting in six Kurdish people dead and four Turkish military personnel wounded. Though sqirmishes like this are not unusual, this caught the public imagination as it became clear Kurdish civilians helped wounded Turkish soldiers after the shoot-out. The government denied such help and was keen to place the blame for the fight on the Kurdish opposition in its attempt to dissuade the public from voting for Kurdish-oriented parties, thereby increasing their chances of securing a parliamentary majority. The Kurds were keen to do the same to the government for the sake of votes, whilst the mainstream opposition saw this as an opportunity to represent the government and Kurds as poor voting options. The Turkish media, polarized and closely aligned to political interests, recontextualised events in ways which showed their political ties. This paper uses Critical Discourse Analysis to show how this was done in three national newspapers. Furthermore, the paper argues representations as such do nothing to aid in solving the decades old problem of how Turks and Kurds can coexist peacefully

Enhancing social well-being through social innovation approach and design expertise: a case study for social innovation in a local district in Turkey

Design-driven scenarios can play a critical role in enhancing social and environmental well-being and creating sustainable solutions for better living conditions and sustainable futures. With this starting point, this study aims to use traditional knowledge as a source for sustainable development and a sustainable way of living by examining, empowering, and promoting local and traditional values through social innovation approach and design expertise. The main motivation of the study is to construct an intended link between traditional knowledge and a sustainable future for societies. The research was conducted by examining a multi-cultural local district in Turkey and its traditional and sustainable habits and proposing development ideas based on the social innovation literature and authors’ design expertise. The proposed ideas involve different approaches such as an ecosystem that promotes co-creation, women’s employment, symbiotic production processes, and digital marketing platforms for local products

Comparison of adjacent segment degeneration in patients using cervical cage and disc prosthesis in anterior cervical surgery

Aim: To examine the prevalence of adjacent segment degeneration associated with the use of cages and disc prostheses in patients who underwent cervical disc surgery via an anterior cervical approach. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 60 patients who underwent cervical disc surgery via an anterior cervical approach at our clinic between 2018 and 2023. The patients were divided into two groups based on the type of implant used: those with a cervical cage (Group 1) and those with a cervical disc prosthesis (Group 2). Patients' demographic and clinical details, including age, gender, smoking habits, follow-up durations, and any additional comorbid diseases, were recorded. Radiological evaluations focused on degeneration rates in the segments adjacent to where either the cage or disc prosthesis was implanted. Results: In the study comparing two groups, participants' average ages were 48.9 in Group 1 and 48.1 in Group 2 (p=0.720). Group 1 had a higher proportion of smokers (p=0.052) and more discopathy (p=0.196). In terms of disc degenerations, variations existed but were not statistically significant (p=0.259). Utilizing the Pfirrmann grading, Group 1 had more Grade III degeneration (p=0.088) and a significantly higher presence of ossification or osteophytes (p=0.038). Both groups showed high rates of adjacent segment degeneration, yet Group 1 had notably more proximal degeneration (p=0.012). Stenosis and facet hypertrophy differences were not significant (p=0.417, p=0.071). Follow-up duration averaged around 38 months for both groups (p=0.929). Conclusions: No substantial difference in the overall incidence of adjacent segment degeneration between the two procedures. Nevertheless, further large-scale and long-term studies are essential to draw comprehensive conclusions regarding the optimal surgical intervention for cervical disc ailments

Short-term Efficacy of Dienogest in Improving Pain in Patients with Endometriosis: A Single-center Experience

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Obtaining and analysis of gluten-free toothpaste from acorn for celiac patients

Günümüzde giderek yaygınlaşan çölyak hastalığı ile ilgili araştırmalara bakıldığında glütensiz yiyeceklerin ön planda olduğu görülmektedir. Çölyak hastalığı ve glüten duyarlılığı olan bireylerin sağlıklı bir yaşam sürdürebilmesi için beslenmelerinde olduğu gibi kişisel bakım ürünlerinde de glüten bulunmamalıdır. Meşe palamudu, meşe ağacının (Quercus) çeşitli türlerinden biridir. Ülkemiz, meşe ağacı cinsinin yayılış ve tür dağılımı bakımından en zengin merkezlerden birini oluşturmaktadır. Meşe ağacının meyvesine halk arasında palamut denilmektedir. Palamut, pelit ve kadeh (kupula) olmak üzere iki kısımdan oluşmaktadır. Meşe palamudunun antioksidan özelliği vardır ve glütensiz olması önemli özelliklerindendir. Bu araştırma kapsamında çölyak hastalarının kullanımına uygun glütensiz diş macunu formülasyonunun geliştirilmesi için ham madde olarak meşe palamudu kullanılmış, elde edilen diş macununun glütensiz olduğu analiz ile kanıtlanmış ve antibakteriyel etki göstermesi incelenmiştir.When the researches on celiac disease, which are becoming more and more common today, are examined, it is seen that gluten-free foods are at the forefront. In order for individuals with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity to lead a healthy life, gluten should not be present in personal care products as well as in their diets. The acorn is one of the several species of the oak tree (Quercus). Our country is one of the richest centers in terms of the species distribution of the oak tree genus. The fruit of the oak tree is called acorn among the people. Acorn consists of two parts: valonia and cup. Having antioxidant properties and being gluten-free is one of acorns’ important features. Within the scope of this research, the use of acorn as a raw material for the development of gluten-free toothpaste formulation suitable for the use of celiac patients, the proof that the obtained toothpaste is gluten-free with analysis and its antibacterial effect were examined

Optimization of PCR-RFLP method for genotyping of GHSR rs2232165 Gene Polymorphism and Determination of allele frequency in Turkish men

Çağımızın ciddi sorunlardan biri olan alkol bağımlılığı, genetik, çevresel, kültürel, gelişimsel ve nörobiyolojik faktörlerin etkisiyle ortaya çıkmaktadır. Son yıllarda yeme davranışı nörobiyolojisi ile bağımlılık yapan maddelere aşerme davranışının nörobiyolojisinin benzer özelliklere sahip olduğunun keşfedilmesi araştırmacıları, alkol bağımlılığı ile grelin gibi besin alımında önemli olan hormonlar arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmaya sevk etmiştir. Alkol kullanım bozukluğunda ve alkole aşermede grelin sisteminin önemi mevcut çalışmalar tarafından ortaya konulmasına karşın bu ilişkinin biyolojik mekanizmasının aydınlatılması için daha çok çalışmaya ihtiyaç vardır. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmada, alkol kullanım sorunu olan Türk erkeklerinde, grelin reseptörünü kodlayan GHSR genindeki rs2232165 polimorfizminin alkol kullanım sorunu ile ilişkisi araştırılmıştır. Çalışmaya alkol kullanım bozukluğu tanısı konmuş 72 erkek birey ile herhangi bir madde bağımlılığı olmayan 82 sağlıklı erkek dahil edilmiştir. GHSR rs2232165 gen polimorfizmi, ilk defa bu çalışmada optimize edilen PCR-RFLP yöntemi ile genotiplendirilmiştir. GHSR rs2232165 polimorfizmi için alel frekansları alkol kullanım sorunu olan grupta (n:144); C aleli için 0,99 (n:142), T aleli için 0,01 (n:2) olarak hesaplanmıştır. Karşılaştırma grubunda ise (n:164), C aleli frekansı 0,98 (n:161), T aleli frekansı 0,02 (n:3) olarak belirlenmiştir. İki grup arasında, T alel frekansı açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark bulunmamıştır (p>0,05). Gen polimorfizmleri, çevresel faktörlerden etkilenmediği için Türk erkeklerindeki minör alel frekansını (MAF) belirlemek için iki gruptaki bireyler birleştirilmiş (n=154) ve Türk erkeklerinde GHSR rs2232165 polimorfizminin MAF değeri 0,02 olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışmada, çağımızda alkol kullanım bozukluğu kadar önemli olan obezite etiyolojisinde de rol oynayan GHSR rs2232165 polimorfizminin Türk erkeklerinde alel frekansı ile ilgili ilk veriler toplanmıştır.Alcohol addiction, which is one of the crucial problems of the current era, arises with the effects of genetic, environmental, culturel, developmental and neurobiological factors. In recent years, the discovery that the neurobiology of eating behavior and the neurobiology of craving for addictive substances have similar characteristics has prompted researchers to investigate the relationship between alcohol addiction and hormones important in food intake such as ghrelin. Even though the importance of the ghrelin system in alcohol use disorder and alcohol craving has been stated by existing studies , more studies are needed to enlighten the biological mechanism of this relationship. Therefore, in this study the relationship between rs2232165 polymorphism in GHSR gene encoding ghrelin receptor and alcohol use disorder in Turkish men with alcohol use problem. Seventy-two individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and 82 healthy men without any substance addiction were included in this study. The GHSR rs2232165 gene polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-RFLP which was optimized for the first time in this study. The allele frequency of the GHSR rs2232165 gene polymorphism was determined in the group with alcohol use problem (n:144) as 0,99 (n:142) for C allele and 0,01 (n:2) for T allele. The frequency of the C allele was 0,98 (n:161) and T allele was 0,02 (n:3) in the healthy group. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of T allele frequency. Since gene polymorphisms are not affected by environmental factors, individuals in two groups were combined (n=154) in order to determine minor allele frequency (MAF) in Turkish males, and the MAF value of GHSR rs2232165 polymorphism in Turkish males was determined as 0,02. In this study, the first data on the allele frequency of GHSR rs2232165 polymorphism, which plays a role in the etiology of obesity, which is as important as alcohol use disorder in the current era, were collected in Turkish males

Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries

Music is present in every known society but varies from place to place. What, if anything, is universal to music cognition? We measured a signature of mental representations of rhythm in 39 participant groups in 15 countries, spanning urban societies and Indigenous populations. Listeners reproduced random ‘seed’ rhythms; their reproductions were fed back as the stimulus (as in the game of ‘telephone’), such that their biases (the prior) could be estimated from the distribution of reproductions. Every tested group showed a sparse prior with peaks at integer-ratio rhythms. However, the importance of different integer ratios varied across groups, often reflecting local musical practices. Our results suggest a common feature of music cognition: discrete rhythm ‘categories’ at small-integer ratios. These discrete representations plausibly stabilize musical systems in the face of cultural transmission but interact with culture-specific traditions to yield the diversity that is evident when mental representations are probed across many cultures