Illness as a divine punishment in the Hittite Empire: Hitit İmparatorluğu’nda ilahi bir cezalandırma yöntemi olarak hastalık

The Hittites, who were a political authority in the Anatolian II. millennium BC, not only changed the course of history, but also left deep traces in the history and culture of ancient Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Egypt. As in other ancient societies, religion was at the center of life in the Hittites, and it was the determining and shaping element of many issues from politics to economy, from daily life to relations with other nations. When they came to Anatolian lands, they added the gods of the local Anatolian peoples and the gods of the places they later conquered to the gods they brought with them, and as a result, they had a wide pantheon of gods, feasts and rituals. Since they think of the gods as human-shaped in their mental world, they assume that they have needs just like humans, and they take it upon themselves to serve the gods, make up for their deficiencies and entertain them. The Hittites thought that as long as the slave served his master and received security, shelter and food in return, they would be rewarded with peace, abundance, fertility, health and victory as long as they served the gods and kept them pleasant. In the opposite case; performing acts prohibited by the gods, such as a wrong or defect in the service that should be rendered to the gods, such as ill-treatment in case the slave does wrong or delays the work, not performing the feasts on time, not being well-fed or clean, not paying attention to cleanliness, will of course bring along various punishments. In line with this belief, the gods came to their minds in all kinds of negativity that the Hittites experienced, and they did not think that there could be any other reason. So just as health, wellness and longevity are a blessing from the gods; Physical and mental illnesses are also deserved punishments. What needs to be done at this point is what was done wrong, and which god was angry with it. At this point, what needs to be done is to make various prophecies and make fortune-tellings by applying to the gods in order to determine what has been done wrong, which god is angry and what can calm the god. After the necessary determinations are made, in order to return to the old healthy days, prayers should be offered to the gods, sacrifices should be made, and mercy and forgiveness should be asked. In this study, which was prepared to reveal that diseases were perceived as a method of divine punishment in the Hittite Empire, cuneiform text translations were used. In this respect, firstly, the prophecy texts related to the subject were evaluated, then the prayer and ritual texts were examined, and the relevant parts of the texts were shared with the reader. As a result, the accuracy of the idea put forward has been determined from the examined texts and it has been clearly understood from the mentioned texts that they hold the gods responsible for the individual and social diseases that people suffer from (Extended English summary is at the end of this document)   Özet M.Ö. II. binyıl Anadolu’sunda siyasi bir otorite varlık gösteren Hititler, hem tarihin seyrini değiştirmişler hem de antik Anadolu, Mezopotamya ve Mısır tarih ve kültüründe derin izler bırakmışlardır. Diğer antikçağ toplumlarında olduğu gibi Hititlerde de din, hayatın merkezinde yer almış siyasetten ekonomiye gündelik yaşamdan diğer milletlerle kurulan ilişkilere kadar birçok konunun belirleyici ve şekillendirici unsuru olmuştur. Anadolu topraklarına geldikleri zaman yanlarında getirdikleri tanrılara yerli Anadolu halklarının tanrılarını ve daha sonra fethettikleri yerlerin tanrılarını da eklemişler, netice olarak geniş bir tanrı panteonuna, bayram ve ritüel birikimine sahip olmuşlardır. Zihin dünyalarında tanrıları insan biçimli olarak düşünmeleri sebebiyle onların da insanlar gibi ihtiyaçları olduğunu var sayarak tanrılara hizmet etmeyi, eksiklerini gidermeyi ve eğlendirmeyi kendilerine vazife edinmişlerdir. Hititler, kölenin efendisine hizmet etmesi ve karşılığında güvenlik, barınak ve yiyecek alması gibi tanrılara hizmet ettikçe ve onları hoş tuttukça karşılığını barış, bolluk, bereket, sağlık ve zaferle alacaklarını düşünmüşlerdir. Bunun tam tersi olduğu durumda; kölenin işleri yanlış yapması veya aksatması halinde karşılaşacağı kötü muamele gibi tanrılara sunulması gereken hizmette bir yanlışlık veya eksiklik olması, bayramların vaktinde icra edilmemesi, kurbanların ve adakların besili veya temiz olmaması, temizliğe önem verilmemesi gibi tanrılar tarafından yasaklanan eylemlerin yapılması elbette çeşitli cezalandırmayı beraberinde getireceğine inanmışlardır. Bu inanç doğrultusunda, Hititlerin yaşadıkları her türlü olumsuzlukta akıllarına tanrılar gelmiş bunun dışında bir gerekçe olabileceğini düşünmemişlerdir. O halde nasıl ki sağlık, sıhhat ve uzun ömür tanrılardan gelen bir lütuftur; fiziksel ve ruhsal hastalıklar da hak edilmiş cezalardır. Bu noktada yapılması gereken ise neyin yanlış yapılmış olduğunu, buna bağlı olarak hangi tanrının öfkelendiğini ve tanrıyı neyin sakinleştirebileceğini tespit edebilmek için yine tanrılara başvurarak çeşitli kehanetlerde bulunmak ve fallar baktırmaktır. Gerekli tespitler yapıldıktan sonra ise eski sağlıklı günlere dönebilmek için tanrılara dualar edip kurbanlar sunulmalı ve adaklar adanarak merhamet ve af dilenmelidir. Hitit İmparatorluğu’nda hastalıkların ilahi bir cezalandırma yöntemi olarak algılandığını ortaya koymak amacıyla hazırlanan bu çalışmada çivi yazılı metin tercümelerinden faydalanılmıştır. Bu bakımdan ilk olarak konu ile alakalı kehanet metinleri değerlendirilmiş, ardından dua ve ritüel metinleri incelenmiş ve metinlerin ilgili kısımları okuyucuyla paylaşılmıştır. Netice olarak, irdelenen metinlerden ortaya atılan fikrin doğruluğu tespit edilmiş olup bahsi edilen metinlerden insanların muzdarip oldukları bireysel ve toplumsal hastalıklardan tanrıları sorumlu tuttukları net bir biçimde anlaşılmıştır.

Investment climate of Georgia

This study tries to present the current picture of investment climate of Georgia. This work, we believe, will also fill the knowledge gap in the area of foreign direct investment (FDI) research on Georgia. The analysis focuses on major obstacles faced by investors. We first identify and then quantify the major obstacles for both foreign and domestic investors using the case studies of investors in Georgia and the statistics obtained from these data. The study results indicates that the most serious problem for investors is the human factor, which comprises of corruption and unskilled local labor force. We also found that the issues such as government regulations (regulatory burden), infrastructure, or safety do not act as major deterrents of FDI inflows, especially after the successful reforms of the Saakashvili government. It was also found that most investors have been satisfied with their operation

The effect of different nanocatalysts for photocatalytic degradation of Methylene blue

The aim of this study was to investigate photodegradation of Methylene Blue (MB) in water by using ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles. Adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation studies were carried out by using produced TiO2, commercial TiO2 and commercial ZnO nanoparticles. In order to evaluate performance tests, 5 mg/l of MB solution was used. The samples were mixed in the dark for 2 hours for establishing adsorption-desorption equilibrium. The photocatalytic tests of the samples were performed by assessing the decomposition rate of MB solutions under UV light. The results of the photocatalytic showed that the highest color removal efficiencies was obtained by TiO2 catalyst where Methylene blue solution was completely degraded

REVIEW: COMPARISON OF ULTRASONICALLY AIDED ZINC BENEFICIATION BY MECHANICAL FLOTATION AND COLUMN FLOTATION CELL

Zinc is a key beneficiary of economic development for the developing countries. While the global zinc mine production in 2019 was recorded as 13 million tons, the value of zinc mined in 2019, based on zinc contained in concentrate, was about $2.1 billion. Sphalerite or zinc blende (ZnS), which is the main source of zinc, provides more than 90 % of zinc productions today. Beneficiation is usually carried out by flotation to produce marketable concentrates (45–55 %Zn). The flotation, which is the most widely used separation process at fine sizes for the concentration of low grade complex Pb-Cu-Zn ores plays an important role in the global economy. In any concentration plant employing flotation technique huge quantity of ores are being processed. Thus, any increments in the flotation recovery are important to get higher profits and to ensure that resources are utilized optimally. In this review, a comparative evaluation was made between mechanical flotation (MF) [1] and column (CF) [2] cells with or without ultrasonic pre-treatment (UP) for zinc recovery from lead-zinc-copper ore and the effect of UP on the MF and CF experiments were investigated at the optimized conditions. When compared with the optimized parameters, UP increased zinc grade and recovery for both MF and CF techniques as supported by XRD patterns. Besides, the best zinc grade and recovery was obtained by UP with CF technique. So that, sphalerite mineral can be effectively beneficiated to produce saleable zinc concentrate product and UP with CF will lead to a higher metallurgical gains and improvements to Net Smelter Return (NSR). This positive effect of ultrasound, which is safe and eco-friendly, on the zinc flotation by both mechanical cell and column cell regarding zinc grade and recovery is in good agreement with the previous published works in the literatur

Mobile internet experiences of the children in Turkey and European countries: a Comparative analysis of internet access, use, activities, Skills and risks

Purpose: This study aims to examine the current state of mobile Internet experience of the children in Turkey and to compare the Internet experiences of the children in Turkey to the children living in seven European countries included in the Net Children Go Mobile (NCGM) project. Research Methods: In this study, a descriptive research design was employed and the participants consisted of 784 children between the ages of 9 and 16 from 12 different regions. Findings: Results revealed that the ratio of Turkish children having Internet access in their own bedrooms and outside and also the ratio of them owning mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, is above the European average. It was seen that Turkish and European children used the Internet mostly for performing leisure and communicative activities. Although Turkish children's Internet use skills seemed to above the European average, it was seen that their skills towards safe Internet browsing like filtering unwanted content, blocking pop-up windows lacked behind their European counterparts. Thus, it was revealed that Turkish children were facing more Internet risks compared to the children in Europe. Implications for Research and Practice: Future studies can utilize more detailed evaluation methods, such as performance tasks to assess the children’s mobile device and Internet use. Researchers can also design applications and activities that aim to redirect the children’s attention from using the Internet for entertainment and communication purposes to using it for research and study and then evaluate the effectiveness of the designs

Evaluation of surgical nurses’ attitudes concerning patient safety

The present study was designed as a descriptive study to evaluate the attitudes of surgical nurses concerning patient safety. The study included 123 nurses, who have been working in the operating rooms of the hospitals in Karaman, Konya for at least one year and were voluntary to participate in the study. Data collection tools included a questionnaire to inquire demographic characteristics of surgical nurses, and “Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) -Operating Room Version” to evaluate their attitudes concerning patient safety. The mean scores obtained from SAQ sub-dimensions were between 42.12 ±16.82 and 69.07±24.44, whereas the mean score of SAQ total was 59.11 ±13.29. Statistically significant difference was determined between the mean SAQ total score and age, weekly working hours, duration of working in the operating room, resting status, receiving in service training, and training about patient safety. The present study will enhance patient safety in operating rooms by providing an improvement in communication among health workers and in team collaboration, regulating working hours, and scheduling training programs to establish an opinion about worker safety and patient safety

Perception Scale for Female Performance Athletes: Validity and reliability study: Kadın Performans Sporcularına Yönelik Algı Ölçeği: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable scale that measures the perceptions of performance sports spectators towards female athletes participating in performance sports. Method:"Qualitative and quantitative steps" were used in the process of creating the scale. The Davis technique was utilized to calculate the scope validity index after expert evaluations of the 60-item form. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on 423 individuals who are performance sports viewers in order to determine potential factors. Basic assumptions of EFA, including linearity, multicollinearity, sample size, missing data, normality, and factorability of the data, were tested. To assess the psychological structure validity of the scale, data were collected from 307 individuals using the revised form derived from the EFA, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed. Standardized load values of sub-dimensions, estimated error variances associated with variables, and model goodness-of-fit values were examined during the CFA. Following the CFA, the reliability, convergent validity, and divergent validity of the scale were calculated. Findings: After calculating the content validity index, 16 items with a content validity ratio below 0.80 were removed. The resulting scale consisted of 44 items on a 5-point Likert scale. Following an exploratory factor analysis (AFA), 17 items were eliminated from the scale, resulting in a final structure comprising 27 items grouped into 4 dimensions "Cultural Value Judgments", "Integration with Social Support", "Body Perception" and "Media Interest". Due to insufficient representation of the 4th factor, it was decided to remove it from the scale, and one item was excluded from the scale due to redundancy. As a result of these procedures, a final structure with 23 items and 3 dimensions was obtained. The three-factor structure consisting of 23 items was confirmed as a validated model. Result: Upon examining the results, it has been concluded that the Perception Scale for Female Performance Athletes is a valid and reliable scale for measuring the perception towards female athletes participating in performance sports. (Extended English summary is at the end of this document)   Özet   Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı; performans sporu izleyicilerinin elit sporlara katılan kadın sporculara yönelik toplumsal cinsiyet temelli algılarını ölçen geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçek geliştirmektir. Yöntem: Ölçek formunun oluşturulması sürecinde “niteliksel ve niceliksel adımlardan”  yararlanılmıştır. 60 maddelik formdan uzman değerlendirmeleri sonrası kapsam geçerlik indeksi hesaplanması için Davis tekniği kullanılmıştır. Olası faktörlerin belirlenmesinde kullanılan Açımlayıcı Faktör Analizi (AFA) için performans sporu izleyicisi olan 423 kişiye uygulanmıştır. AFA’nın temel sayıltıları olan doğrusallık, çoklu bağlantı problemi, örneklem büyüklüğü ve kayıp veri, normallik ve R’nin faktörlenebilirliği sınanmıştır. Ölçeğin psikolojik yapı geçerliliğini incelemek amacıyla AFA sonrasında oluşan form ile 307 kişi üzerinde yeniden veri toplanmış, sayıltılar test edilmiş Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi (DFA) yapılmıştır. DFA sonucunda alt boyutlara ait standardize yük değerleri, değişkenlere ilişkin kestirilen hata varyansları ve model uyum iyiliği değerlerine bakılmıştır. DFA sonrasındaölçeğin birleştirici güvenirlik, yakınsak ve ıraksak geçerliği hesaplanmıştır. Bulgular: Kapsam geçerlik indeksi hesaplamaları sonrasında kapsam geçerlik oranı 0.80’nin altında olan 16 madde çıkarılmıştır. Oluşturulan 44 maddelik ve 5’li likert tipindeki ölçek AFA sonucunda 17 madde ölçek formundan çıkarılmış ve  “Kültürel Değer Yargıları”, “Sosyal Destekle Bütünleşme”, “Beden Algısı” ve “Medya İlgisi” olarak isimlendirilen 4 boyutlu toplam 27 maddeden oluşan yapı elde edilmiştir. 4. Faktörel temsilin yetersizliği nedeniyle ölçek formundan çıkarılmasına karar verilmiş ve bir maddenin binişik olması sebebiyle ölçek formundan atılmıştır. Bu işlemler sonucunda toplam 23 madde ve 3 boyuttan oluşan bir yapı elde edilmiştir. 23 maddeden oluşan ölçeğin 3 faktörlü yapısı bir model olarak doğrulanmıştır. Sonuç: Bulgular incelendiğindeKadın Performans Sporcularına Yönelik Algı Ölçeği’ninperformans sporlarına katılan kadın sporculara yönelik algıyı ölçmede geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçek olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır

A Wearable Heating System with a Controllable e-Textile- Based Thermal Panel

Flexible textile heating systems present great advantage due to their ability to bend and hence could ensure uniform heating for irregular geometries. In cooler outer environment, the user requires his/her body to be kept warm for monitoring vital body functions within realistic thermal body balance constraints. In this chapter, heated vest with controllable e-textile-based thermal panel has been studied. Several e-textile-based thermal panels with different conductive yarns were produced using hot air welding technology under different manufacturing parameters. E-textile-based thermal panels were tested for their heating behaviors at varying direct current (DC) power levels. Based on the experimental results, the optimum e-textile-based thermal panel design was chosen considering its flexibility and uniform heating behavior. Moreover, a control algorithm with electrical circuit and electrical connection network was designed and assembled in an electronic control module. Finally, the electronic module consisting of power control and management system was integrated to attachable e-textile-based thermal panel in order to form a wearable heating vest