Gender differences in perceptions of work experiences and service quality provided by front line service workers in four and five star hotels in Turkey a research note

Two studies considered possible gender differences in work experiences and service quality behaviors of front-line service employees working in hotels in Turkey.. The first study examined perceptions of servant leadership provided by their supervisors/managers and worker’s reports of service quality provided to clients by their hotels of male and female front line workers employed in four- and five –star hotels. Data were collected from 221 front-line employees, 122 males and 82 females, a 37% response rate, using anonymously completed questionnaires. Previously developed and validated measures of servant leadership (Liden, Wayne, Zhao & Henderson, 2008) and service quality (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1998) were used and both were found to be highly reliable in this study. Males and females were similar on five personal demographic items. Males tended to report higher levels (p<.10) on two dimensions of servant leadership (Emotional support, Conceptual skills) than did females. In addition, males rated the quality of service provided higher on three dimensions (Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, and tended top rate the quality of service higher on the composite score (p<.10) than did females. The differences on perceptions of service quality might be attributed to the departments in which males and females were more likely to work, males tended to work in departments having greater direct client contact. The second investigation examined gender differences in levels of service rewards provided by their hotels and employees engaging in in three prosocial service behaivors:estra0role, role prescribed, and cooperation (Bettencourt & Brown, 1997). Data were collected from241` employees, 151 males and 88 females working in 18 different hotels in the Cappadocia region, using anonymously completed questionnaires, a 60% response rate. There were no differences in perceptions of service rewards or in prosocial behaviors. In essence, male and female front-line service workers generally indicated more similar than different appraisals of their work experiences in both investigations.

The Impact of Poverty on Corruption

Abstract. This paper examines the effect of poverty on corruption using annual unbalanced panel data analysis on 154 countries from 2000 to 2013. In the models, we use corruption measures from three alternative sources as a dependent variable while independent variables are five different poverty measures. In addition, this study has some control variables, such as foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness, inflation rate and democracy level. According to empirical results, all poverty variables and inflation rates have statistically significant and positive effects on corruption, while FDI, trade openness and democracy levels have statistically significant and negative effects.Keywords. Poverty, Corruption, Inflation, FDI, Democracy.JEL. O15, K42, E31, D72

Minimally invasive surgery in primary hyperparathyroidism

Aim:  To describe the general and laboratory characteristics of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) who underwent surgery in our clinic, as well as surgery-related morbidity. Methods: The study population were selected: Patients with clinical and radiological diagnosis of PHPT were included in the study. Minimal invasive parathyroid surgery, aimed only the affected gland, was chosen for the patients. Preoperative calcium (Ca), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and postoperative Ca and PTH levels were recorded. Preoperative sonography and scintigraphy studies to determine localization were obtained from the same database. Results: 116 patients were undergone minimal invasive surgery for hyperparathyroidism, which is mainly focused on the pathological gland. The mean preoperative PHT was 397 ng/L and postoperative PTH was 53 ng/L. Preoperative and postoperative Ca levels were 11.7 mg/dL and 9.3 mg/dL, respectively. Histopathological evaluation revealed following results: 108 patients had adenoma. None of the subjects had malignancy. The mortality rate was 0% and the morbidity was 1.7%, related to this procedure. Conclusion: According to the data in present study, we suggest that minimally invasive surgical techniques should be preferred in sake of higher success and lower postoperative morbidity in patients with a single gland disease

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TÜBİTAK EEEAG01.01.201

Service rewards and prosocial service behaviours among employees in four and five star hotels in Cappadocia

Considerable research evidence has emerged demonstrating a link between aspects of organizational culture and employee behaviour. The present investigation examined the association of levels of service rewards perceived by service employees working in four- and five-star Turkish hotels to be provided by their organizations, and employees engaging in prosocial service behaviours. Data were collected from 241 employees working in 16 different hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey, using anonymously completed questionnaires, with a 60% response rate. Respondents rated both levels of prosocial service behaviours and levels of service rewards provided to them by their hotels as relatively high. Personal demographic characteristics were weak and inconsistent predictors of both prosocial service behaviours and perceptions of service rewards. Service rewards, controlling for personal demographics, were strong and consistent predictors of the three prosocial service behaviours studied here

Kablosuz Çoklu Ortam Duyarga Ağlarında Gözetleme Uygulamaları için Füzyon-Tabanlı Çatı Tasarımı ve Geliştirilmesi

TÜBİTAK MFAG Proje15.07.2018Bu proje kapsamında, kablosuz çoklu ortam duyarga ağları için özellikle aşağıda verilen ikikonuda çözüm üreten bir yaklaşım ve çatı (framework) geliştirilmesi amaçlanmıştır:- Halen kullanılan ağlara göre daha az enerji tüketen bir kablosuz duyarga ağı kümelemealgoritmasının geliştirilmesi: Proje kapsamında yeni bir kümeleme algoritması geliştirilmiştir.Geliştirilen algoritma, gözetleme uygulamaları da dahil olmak üzere uygulamadan bağımsızve enerji-etkin çalışabilecek şekilde tasarlanmıştır. Geliştirilen algoritma, gerçek duyargadüğüm donanımları üzerinde de kolaylıkla çalışabilir nitelikte dağıtık ve hafif bir yapıdatasarlanmış eşit olmayan bir kümeleme yaklaşımı sergilemektedir. Tasarlanan kümelemealgoritması ile, çeşitli metotlarla konuşlandırılmış düğüm noktaları içeren kümelenmemiş birkablosuz duyarga ağdan, etkin olarak veri toplayabilecek kümelenmiş bir duyarga ağı eldeedilebilmektedir. Kümeleme için uygun parametreler belirlenmiş ve bulanık mantık tabanlı biralgoritma geliştirilmiştir. Kümeleme yarı çapı tespitinde ana istasyona uzaklık, düğüm noktasıkalan enerjisi ve düğüm noktası göreli bağlanabilirlik parametreleri, yönlendirme için ise linkortalama kalan enerjisi ve göreli uzaklık parametreleri algoritma içerisinde kullanılmıştır.- Ana istasyona taşınacak bilginin miktarını azaltırken doğruluk oranını artıracak yöntemleringeliştirilmesi: Duyarga düğümlerinden ana istasyona kadar üç seviyede değişik veri füzyonyöntemleri kullanarak nesne çıkarımı yapan ve bu sayede taşınan veri miktarını azaltarakduyarga ağın ömrünü uzatan bir yöntem geliştirilmiştir. Bu çerçevede, ilk seviyede PKÖ,sismik ve akustik duyargalardan elde edilen veriler kullanılmıştır. Söz konusu skalerduyargalardan gelen veriler füzyon işlemine sokularak duyarganın kontrol ettiği alanda insanve araç gibi bir nesnenin olup olmadığı konusunda ilk karar oluşturulmaktadır. Bu karara göreikinci seviyede çoklu ortam duyargalarının (kamera ve mikrofon) uyandırılmasıgerçekleştirilmektedir. Kamera tarafından alınan görüntü ve mikrofon tarafından alınan sesişlenerek nesne tespiti yapılmaktadır. İkinci seviye füzyonu kapsamında görüntü ve sestençıkarılan bilgiler bir füzyon işleminden geçirilerek nesne sınıflandırılması doğruluk oranıartırılmaktadır. Duyarga düğümü üzerinde gerçekleştirilen bu işlemlerin ardından üretilen özetbilgi ana istasyona iletilmektedir. Üçüncü seviye füzyon ve sınıflandırma işleminde farklıkiplerden elde edilen veriler ile kip içi ve kipler arası korelasyonlar da kullanılarak, dahagelişmiş bir tanıma işlemi gerçekleştirilmektedir. Bu işlem enerji ve kaynak kullanım maliyetigerektirdiği için ana istasyonda yapılmaktadır.Bu projenin özgün değeri, skaler duyargalara ilave olarak çoklu ortam duyargaları tarafındantoplanan görüntü ve ses verilerinin duyarga düğümü içerisinde işlenerek ve füzyon edilerekpotansiyel tehditlere yönelik anlamlı bilgiler üretilmesi ve bu sayede taşınacak verininboyutunun azaltılması ile taşınacak verinin ağ üzerinde daha etkin taşınmasını sağlayanözgün kümeleme algoritmasının geliştirilmesinde yatmaktadır.Proje öneri dokümanında yer alan planlı faaliyetlerin tamamı gerçekleştirilmiş ve projebaşlangıcında hedeflenen noktaya ulaşılmıştır. Proje kapsamında, 6 adet uluslararasıdergilerde (4 adet SCI-E, 1 adet SSCI, 1 adet ESCI indeksli) ve 9 adet konferanslarda(tamamı uluslararası konferans) olmak üzere toplam 15 adet yayın gerçekleştirilmiştir. Projekapsamında projenin değişik süreçlerinde görev alan 6 doktora ve 2 lisansüstü öğrencisinintez çalışmasına imkân sağlanmıştır (iki doktora tezi tamamlandı, altısı devam ediyor).Bu proje, BİLİMSEL VE TEKNOLOJİK ARAŞTIRMA PROJELERİNİ DESTEKLEMEPROGRAMI kapsamında TÜBİTAK tarafından 114R082 kod numarasıyla desteklenmiştir.In this project, a wireless sensor network clustering algorithm which consumes less energythan currently used networks and methods that increase the accuracy rate while reducingthe amount of information to be transferred to the base station have been studied. In thiscontext, a new distributed and lightweight fuzzy logic-based clustering algorithm withunequal clustering approach has been developed. In order to reduce the amount ofinformation to be transferred to the base station and to increase the accuracy, a methodextracting objects using data fusion methods at three different levels from sensor nodes tothe base station and reducing the amount of data carried in this way has been developed toextend the lifetime of a sensor network. At the first level, the data from scalar sensors arefused to decide whether or not there is an object in the controlled area. In the context of thesecond level fusion, information extracted from visual and audio data are fused to increaseobject classification accuracy. In the third level fusion and classification process performed inthe main station, a more advanced recognition process is performed using intra and intermode correlations between data obtained from different channels.The project has been terminated in 39 months with a three-months extension. In the project,five researchers, who are experts on multimedia applications, fuzzy logic and wirelesssensor networks, have been worked. An opportunity is provided for 6 PhD and 2 MSstudents, who have contributed to the project during different terms of the project, to work onand finish their thesis successfully. It is evaluated that the studies done in the project fill a biggap in the academic literature. During project, 6 journal papers and 9 internationalconference papers, which make 15 in total, are published

Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity evaluation and physicochemical properties of some novel N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides

Several N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides derivatives have been synthesized and structural analyses have been carried out using FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H and 13C NMR, LC-MS-MS and elemental analyses. Photoluminescence and physicochemical properties have also been conducted. Two 4-aminobenzenesulfonamides have been treated with 2-bromopropionyl bromide in pyridine to give their respective bromo substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides as intermediates. Subsequent reactions with morpholino-, thiomorpholino- and piperazine amines have yielded novel aminobenzenesulfonamide derivatives. As it is well known that CA IX and CA XII enzymes play an active role in attacking various cancerous conditions, studies presented in this study target these enzymes with in vitro cytotoxicity studies being performed on the compounds synthesized. The target compounds have been found to be active against some cancerous cells, with mimimal effects on normal cells. The physicochemical data reveal interesting synergistic effects controlling cytotoxicities, where the lipophilicity and polarity combinations play important roles on the eventual observed cytotoxicities. Further, the electronegativity and availability of the electrons of the heteroatoms of the synthesized compounds appear to have an effect on cancer cell cytotoxicities

Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity evaluation and physicochemical properties of some novel N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides

888-900Several N4-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides derivatives have been synthesized and structural analyses have been carried out using FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H and 13C NMR, LC-MS-MS and elemental analyses. Photoluminescence and physicochemical properties have also been conducted. Two 4-aminobenzenesulfonamides have been treated with 2-bromopropionyl bromide in pyridine to give their respective bromo substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides as intermediates. Subsequent reactions with morpholino-, thiomorpholino- and piperazine amines have yielded novel aminobenzenesulfonamide derivatives. As it is well known that CA IX and CA XII enzymes play an active role in attacking various cancerous conditions, studies presented in this study target these enzymes with in vitro cytotoxicity studies being performed on the compounds synthesized. The target compounds have been found to be active against some cancerous cells, with mimimal effects on normal cells. The physicochemical data reveal interesting synergistic effects controlling cytotoxicities, where the lipophilicity and polarity combinations play important roles on the eventual observed cytotoxicities. Further, the electronegativity and availability of the electrons of the heteroatoms of the synthesized compounds appear to have an effect on cancer cell cytotoxicities

Measuring Medical Students’ Awareness of Rational Drug Use and Assessing Associated Factors

Aim: This study aimed to measure Selcuk University Medical Faculty (SUMF) students’ levels of awareness of rational drug use (RDU) in adults and to assess related factors. Material and Methods: The data for this descriptive, cross-sectional study derived from an online questionnaire completed by SUMF students; the questionnaire employed a sociodemographic survey form and the Rational Drug Use Scale. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software, and a p-value of &lt;.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Four hundred and forty-six students (51.1% women, 48.9% men) participated in this study. The results show that awareness of correct usage was higher in women than in men (p=.10) and that awareness of the correct drug (p=.03), correct usage (p=.02), and RDU (p=.07) was higher in post-clinical students than in preclinical students. Awareness of correct information (p=.08), the correct drug (p=.30), correct usage (p=.09), and RDU (p=.02) was higher in students who took RDU education than in those who did not. Awareness of correct information (p=.18), correct use (p=.20), and RDU (p=.15) was also higher in students who considered RDU education necessary than in those who did not. Conclusion: Irrational drug use has negative effects on the health sector and the economy. The results of this research indicate that students’ RDU awareness levels should be improved. To broaden awareness of RDU, practices such as lectures and seminars should be implemented in schools, and advertisements and programs that encourage unnecessary drug use should be limited in the media, such as the internet and TV

Of the importance of a leaf: the ethnobotany of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans

BACKGROUND: Sarma - cooked leaves rolled around a filling made from rice and/or minced meat, possibly vegetables and seasoning plants - represents one of the most widespread feasting dishes of the Middle Eastern and South-Eastern European cuisines. Although cabbage and grape vine sarma is well-known worldwide, the use of alternative plant leaves remains largely unexplored. The aim of this research was to document all of the botanical taxa whose leaves are used for preparing sarma in the folk cuisines of Turkey and the Balkans. Methods: Field studies were conducted during broader ethnobotanical surveys, as well as during ad-hoc investigations between the years 2011 and 2014 that included diverse rural communities in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Primary ethnobotanical and folkloric literatures in each country were also considered. Results: Eighty-seven botanical taxa, mainly wild, belonging to 50 genera and 27 families, were found to represent the bio-cultural heritage of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans. The greatest plant biodiversity in sarma was found in Turkey and, to less extent, in Bulgaria and Romania. The most commonly used leaves for preparing sarma were those of cabbage (both fresh and lacto-fermented), grape vine, beet, dock, sorrel, horseradish, lime tree, bean, and spinach. In a few cases, the leaves of endemic species (Centaurea haradjianii, Rumex gracilescens, and R. olympicus in Turkey) were recorded. Other uncommon sarma preparations were based on lightly toxic taxa, such as potato leaves in NE Albania, leaves of Arum, Convolvulus, and Smilax species in Turkey, of Phytolacca americana in Macedonia, and of Tussilago farfara in diverse countries. Moreover, the use of leaves of the introduced species Reynoutria japonica in Romania, Colocasia esculenta in Turkey, and Phytolacca americana in Macedonia shows the dynamic nature of folk cuisines. Conclusion: The rich ethnobotanical diversity of sarma confirms the urgent need to record folk culinary plant knowledge. The results presented here can be implemented into initiatives aimed at re-evaluating folk cuisines and niche food markets based on local neglected ingredients, and possibly also to foster trajectories of the avant-garde cuisines inspired by ethnobotanical knowledge