Public Politics, Private God: Political Rhetoric of Religious Morality in Selected American Social Novels

Religion and politics have been intertwined throughout the history of the United States, starting from the Colonial period to the present. In this study, I argue that the manipulative use of certain religious morality under the guise of objectivity and universality is a threat to individual freedom and democracy. The privileged discourse of religious morality in the context of politics helps maintain and reinforce the patterns of domination and subordination in society. This dissertation analyzes the relationship of the categories of ‘moral’ and ‘ideological’ in the writings of ethical and political critics such as Wayne Booth, Martha C. Nussbaum, Irving Howe, and Frederic Jameson. In this study, I present textual analyses of four American social novels—Harriet Beecher Stowe\u27s Uncle Tom\u27s Cabin, Rebecca Harding Davis\u27 “Life in the Iron Mills,” Edward Bellamy\u27s Looking Backward and John Steinbeck\u27s The Grapes of Wrath—employing historical, social, political, and rhetorical interpretative strategies. I argue that the use of religious language and imagery in the context of their political arguments helps maintain the status quo rather than promoting social change towards freedom, justice, and equality. This dissertation reflects my belief that exploring these ideas and exposing the ideologically manipulative use of religious morality in selected American political novels help us understand our past and function as a warning in the present. Drawing from my observations of Turkey and the United States, I conclude my argument with a call towards a secular humanist politics to protect democratic values

FATE OF ENDOSULFAN AND DELTAMETHRIN RESIDUES DURING TOMATO PASTE PRODUCTION

In this study, the effects of tomato paste processing steps on pesticides with active ingredient endosulfan and deltamethrin were investigated in Biga/Canakkale. Residue data were obtained by analyzing samples taken during harvesting, taken after washing and chopping, taken after pulping (pulp and pomace) and taken from the tomato paste with GC-ECD. In the process of making tomato paste, washing decreased endosulfan and deltamethrin, 30.62% and 47.58%, respectively. Pre-heating, pulping, evaporation and half-pasteurization increased deltamethrin 2.33% while decreasing endosulfan 66.5% after washing. The whole process decreased endosulfan and deltamethrin, 76.8% and 46.3%, respectively. The residues were mostly collected in pomace

An Atypical Presentation of Brucellosis in a Patient with Isolated Thrombocytopenia Complicated with Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeding

A 59-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency service with complaints of hematemesis and melena for the last few days. In laboratory tests, the platelet count was found to be /L. Intravenous or oral corticosteroid treatment was thought to be given for ITP but disclaimed due to upper GIS bleeding. On the 5th day of treatment, Brucella melitensis was isolated from blood culture before the results of Wright tube agglutination tests were reported positive as 1 : 80. On the second day of the anti-brucellosis treatment, the thrombocyte count was raised from 6000/mm3 to 110000/mm3, and on the 3rd day to 225000/mm3

Molecular Characterization of Natural Fungal Flora in Black Olives: From Field to Table

In this study, molecular markers were used to determine fungal flora in black olive fruits from field surveys to the table, following the fermentation process. Field samples were collected from different locations of Canakkale province, including Gokceada (Imbros), where organic farming is employed. Some of the fruits from field samples were used for black table olive production and then fungal flora was tracked during the fermentation process. Fungal isolation was also conducted on some commercial samples. Fifty seven isolates from field samples, 56 isolates from the fermentation process and 17 isolates from commercial products were obtained. Among these isolates, 41 Alternaria, 43 Penicillium, 19 Aspergillus, 8 Monascus and 19 other genera were determined using amplified sizes of the Beta-tubulin gene region. Species level identification was carried out based on sequences of Beta-tubulin amplicons, which provided accurate identification, especially where the genera were morphologically highly similar. The occurrence and prevalence of fungal species changed in fungal collections from the field to the fermentation process. While Alternaria alternata was common in field samples, they were absent during fermentation. Many of these identified species, such as Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus niger and Monascus pilosus, which are known as potential toxin producers such as aflatoxin, ochratoxin A and citrinin, were found both in natural and fermented samples, even at the end of the fermentation process. These results showed that some fungal species which survive on olives from the field to the table are potential toxin producers and can be successfully characterized by amplification and sequencing of Beta-tubulin gene

Risk factors influencing mortality related to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection in hematology-oncology patients

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection is of concern in patients with cancer. Antibiotics active against S. maltophilia are rarely used in the treatment of febrile neutropenia, making it important to identify the factors influencing mortality in cancer patients with S. maltophilia infection. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of cancer and hemopathic patients with S. maltophilia infection and assess the factors influencing the mortality. The microbiology laboratory records of Erciyes University, Faculty of Medicine Hospital were reviewed to retrospectively identify patients with S. maltophilia infection between January 2007 and June 2011. A total of 38 patients (25 male, 13 female) were eligible for the study. The median age of the patients was 53 years. The underlying disease was hematological malignancy and disorders in 76.3 % (29 cases), solid tumors in 15.8 % (six cases), aplastic anemia in 7.9 % (three cases), while 18.4 % (seven cases) were hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. An indwelling central venous catheter was used in 32 cases (84.2 %). Twenty-seven patients (71.1 %) were neutropenic at the onset of infection. Nine patients (23.7 %) were receiving corticosteroid therapy. The overall 14-day mortality rate was 50 %. Three of the patients received empirical antibacterial treatment, and three HSCT recipients received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis, which is active against S. maltophilia. Severe sepsis (OR 13.24, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.62-108.57) and the duration of the treatment (OR 0.73, 95 % CI 0.60-0.90) were related to death based on logistic regression analysis findings. In immunocompromised hematology-oncology patients with severe sepsis, S. maltophilia should be considered as a possible cause of infection, and should be given effective empirical antibiotic treatment immediately; the antimicrobial spectrum may be narrowed according to results of antibiotic susceptibility test

The Effectiveness of Bilirubin Column on Severe Hyperbilirubinemia in a Patient with Cardiac Cirrhosis

The aim of extracorporeal detoxification through plasma exchange therapy is to eliminate protein-bound components and to prevent their potential toxic effects. It is thought that hyperbilirubinemia has a direct cytotoxic effect on T lymphocytes and that it thus increases infection and sepsis. The use of bilirubin absorption column reduces bilirubin levels in patients with hepatic insufficiency. For the first time in Turkey, we presented a patient with cardiac cirrhosis and high bilirubin levels who was successfully treated with bilirubin absorption column method