Pope Francis visits Poland at a tense time for relations between Europe’s Christians and Muslims

Pope Francis has stated that the ‘world is at war’ following the series of recent terrorist attacks in France and Germany, including the murder of the Catholic priest Jacques Hamel on 26 July. Commenting on the Pope’s current visit to Poland, Kristin Garrity Sekerci writes that he will find a country in which tensions between Christians and Muslims are already heightened, where several anti-Islam protests have been held over the last year

Common ownership and firm dividend policies

This paper examines the relationship between common owners and firm dividend policy. We find that dividend policies of firms newly added to an investor's portfolio evolve towards the dividend policies of the existing firms in this portfolio. This relationship is neither driven by owners targeting firms forecasted to change their dividend policies, nor by firms with a similar dividend strategy to the companies in the new investor's existing portfolio. Our results suggest that owners have a dividend policy style, and that their influence depends on the type of co-owner and the existing governance characteristics of the co-purchased firm

AN ADVANCED STATISTICAL METHOD RESEARCH ON THE EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE USE LEVELS ON SOME SKILLS

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of cognitive knowledge levels of senior students studying in higher education on various variables and some performance-based skills. 265 students selected by criterion sampling method participated in the study. The validity and reliability of the data of the study were determined, collected with two separate inventories, and various advanced statistical methods were used in the analysis of the data. According to some variables, it has been determined that knowledge levels have a significant effect on some performance-based skills. The obtained data were interpreted in the light of the literature and various suggestions were made to researchers and practitioners. Article visualizations

Gynaecological robotic surgery at a state hospital — our own experience

Objectives: In recent years, the rapid development of minimally invasive surgical methods, including robotic surgery, has resulted in a marked decline of the traditional methods in gynaecological surgery. The aim of the study was to share our experience with robotic surgery at a state hospital. Material and methods: A total of 40 patients, who underwent robotic gynaecological surgery (GS) between 2015 and 2017, were included. Age, BMI, previous abdominal operations (PAO), operation indications (OI), operative time (OT), pathological evaluation, uterine weight (UW), blood loss during surgery (BL), complications, and duration of the hospitalization (DoH) were analyzed. The Da Vinci XI was used during surgery. Results: A total of 40 patients were analyzed. Mean values were as follows: age — 48 years, BMI — 28, and PAO — 12%. The most common OI included uterine fibroids (52%) and abnormal uterine bleeding (45%). Mean OT, docking time and console time values were 166 min, 15 min, and 123 min, respectively. Mean BL was 93 mL. Mean UW was 256 gr, and DoH was 4 days. Perioperative and postoperative complications were observed in 10% and 20% of the cases, respectively. Conclusions: Robotic-assisted surgery is invaluable in gynaecology, especially in the case of endometriosis, extensive adhesion, and in some oncological patients, as it allows for better visualization and higher maneuverability. In order for a surgeon to prepare for such cases, the use of the robot in benign cases is necessary to complete the learning curve and gain speed

The Frequency and Distribution of Idiopathic Osteosclerosis of the Jaw

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of idiopathic osteosclerosis (IO) in the jaw by radiographic evaluation and to investigate the relationship between the findings in relation to age, gender, and localization. Methods: The study included 2,211 panoramic radiographs obtained from the patients (915 men and 1,296 women) whose ages ranged from 10-77 and who visited the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology in the Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University between 2008 and 2009. Results: Of 2,211 patients, 135 patients (6.1%) had IO. The prevalence obtained in our study was in the range reported in the literature. IO was detected more often in mandible rather than the maxilla. In addition, mandibular molar localization was the most common localization, and most of the lesions were associated with root apices. Conclusions: In view of the findings, IO can be defined as developmental variations of normal bony architecture, which are unrelated to local stimuli. The lesions can arise at any age, any location with no sex predilection, and IO usually requires no treatment other than diagnosis. Because all these lesions were located in the jaw and could only is detected in panoramic evaluations, this indicates the importance of careful diagnostic evaluation of radiographies in dental examinations

Cone beam computed tomographic analysis of maxillary premolars and m olars to detect the relationship between periapical and marginal bone loss and mucosal thickness of maxillary sinus

Background: This study assessed the relationship between mucosal thickness (MT) of the maxillary sinus and periodontal bone loss (PBL) and periapical condition of related teeth. We also aimed to identify the association between root apices and the inferior wall of the maxillary sinus using Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: In this study, CBCT images of 205 patients with 410 maxillary sinuses were examined, retrospectively. A total of 582 maxillary molars and 587 premolars were observed. The relationship of each root with maxillary sinus and apical lesions of these roots were classified, PBL was examined and the situations of adjacent teeth were estimated. The effect of these conditions on sinus mucosal thickness (MT) was evaluated. Results: There was a significant correlation between MT of maxillary sinus and both PBL and age (r = 0.52, p =0.000 and r = 0.111, p = 0.002, respectively). The frequency of MT increased as the severity of apical lesion enlarged. A positive correlation was found between MT and degree of PBL and periapical lesions. To reveal the association between MT and pulpoperiapical condition bivariate correlation was done and a significant relationship between the pulpoperiapical condition and MT was found (r = 0.17, p =0.000). Conclusions: This retrospective study showed that MT of the maxillary sinus was common among patients with PBL and MT was significantly associated with PBL and apical lesions. The relationship of maxillary sinus to adjacent teeth had also positive correlation with MT. CBCT imaging enabled better evaluation of maxillary sinus, posterior teeth and surrounding structures compared to other imaging tool

Identification of the mandibular landmarks in a pediatric population

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine and compare the reliability to accomplish of common man - dibular landmarks and to determine the incidence of incisive canals, anterior looping, and lingual foramina in children from panoramic and CBCT images. Study Design: Panoramic and CBCT images from 100 children and adolescent patients were randomly selected. In order to grade the visibility of mandibular anatomical landmarks, a four-point rating scale was used. Results: In panoramic images, the mandibular canal could be observed in 92.5% of cases, with good visibility in 12.0%. The mental foramen could be observed in 44.5% of cases, while none had good visibility. Anterior looping of the mental nerve was present in 16.5% of the cases, and none had good visibility. An incisive canal could be identified in 22.5% of cases, with only 1.5% showing good visibility. The lingual foramen could be visualized in 61.0% of cases, with good visibility in 6%. In CBCT images, the mandibular canal, the mental foramen, and the lingual foramen could be observed in 100% of the cases, with good visibility in 51.0%, 98.5%, and 45.0% of cases, respectively. Anterior looping of the mental nerve was present in 26% of cases, with 2% having good visibility. An incisive canal could be identified in 49.5% of cases, with only 75% showing good visibility. Conclusions: This study confirms the applicability of CBCT images to visualize critical structures in children

The Determination of Optimal Operating Condition For an Off-Grid Hybrid Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid: A Case Study in Izmir, Turkey

Nowadays, off-grid systems, which do not require grid connection investment instead of grid connected systems, have become quite feasible. In this study, a feasibility analysis was carried out for a hybrid energy system using solar and wind energy sources to supply to uninterrupted electricity demand of a region with 100 villas in Izmir, Turkey. It has been shown that how changes cost of the hybrid energy system sizing according to the control strategies by using the HOMER software. In the paper, two different control strategies are determined as Cycle Charging (CC) and Load Following (LF), and then the control strategies are compared. According to the results obtained as a result of the simulations, it has been revealed that the research region to operate with CC can supply to the electrical energy demand with lower capacity system architecture. The CC was found to be more suitable for the research region than LF in terms of both Cost of Energy (COE) and Net Preset Cost (NPC)