The Covid 19 effect on macroeconomic indicators

Purpose- From the moment covid 19 started to spread in the world, its effects began to be seen simultaneously in financial markets and economy.The purpose of this study is to observe Covid 19 effect on EURO/USD,gold ,oil and wheat prices. Methodology- The database includes the Daily prices of EUR/USD, wheat ,gold , brent oil prices and COVİD 19 numbers between the period of 31.12.2019-04.09.2020 which consist of 180 daily data. Natural logaritm for each indicator is used. First, the stationarity of the series were analyzed with ADF (Augmented Dickey Fuller) unit root test. Lag lengths are determined. Interactions between the series were analyzed by theARDL, Impulse- Response Function and Variance Decomposition method. Findings- The series are found out to not to be stationary as a result of Unit root test.After, the lag length criteria using VAR models were checked and this lag length criteria for them were determined as one . According to the ARDL test result, cointegration could not be found between our data. Impulse response graphs indicate that all variables respond in a reducing way to reducing shocks occurred in each indicator. Shocks have lost their effect on average in 2 days. Conclusion- The results indicate that the effect of COVID 19 on EUR/USD , gold , brent oil and wheat prices do not have a strong effect. The results may be beneficial for only literatüre.Publisher's Versio

Crypto currency applications in financial markets: factors affecting crypto currency prices

Purpose- As the cryptocurrency market is beginning to attract investors, a new portfolio of cryptocurrencies has been published in the literature on macro-economic factors affecting these currencies. This research also aimed to identify the interaction between gold, brent oil, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple. Methodology- The database includes the Daily prices of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, gold and brent oil prices between the period of 03.04.2018-31.12.2020 which consist of 500 daily data. Natural logaritm for each indicator is used. First, the stationarity of the series were analyzed with ADF (Augmented Dickey Fuller) unit root test. Lag lengths are determined. Interactions between the series were analyzed by the Johansen Cointegration test, Granger Causality test, Impulse- Response Function and Variance Decomposition method. Findings- The series are found out to be stationary at first difference. According to the cointegration test result, cointegration could not be found between our data. According to Granger causality analysis, only one-way relationship was found from bitcoin to gold. Impulse response graphs indicate that all variables respond in a reducing way to reducing shocks occurred in each indicator. Shocks have lost their effect on average in 2 days. Conclusion- The results indicate that the effect of gold and brent oil prices on bitcoin, ethereum, ripple daily prices do not have a strong effect. The results may be beneficial for investors to consider diversification for the portfolios.Publisher's Versio

Determinants of Bitcoin prices

Purpose - The increase in the popularity of cryptocurrency market, various literature figure out the macroeconomic factors that effect the price movements of cryptocurrencies. This research aims to identify the interaction between gold, brent oil and bitcoin. Methodology - The database includes the Daily prices of Bitcoin, gold and brent oil prices between the period of 28.04.2013-23.07.2019 which consist of 484 daily data. Natural logaritm for each indicator is used. First, the stationarity of the series were analyzed with ADF (Augmented Dickey Fuller) unit root test. Lag lengths are determined. Interactions between the series were analyzed by the ImpulseResponse Function and Variance Decomposition methods. Findings- The series are found out to be stationary at first difference. Impulse response graphs indicate that all variables respond in a reducing way to reducing shocks occurred in each indicator. Shocks have lost their effect on average in 5 days. Conclusion- The results indicate that the effect of gold and brent oil prices on bitcoin daily prices do not have a strong effect. The results may be beneficial for investors to consider diversification for the portfolios.Publisher's Versio

Investment behaviour in Turkey: perception towards cryptocurrency

Purpose- Our health and social lives and financial markets have been significantly influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though the coronavirus' overall economic impacts are not yet known, a financial market reaction to the pandemic is observed. Studies show that the pandemic has strong impact on stock markets and cryptocurrency markets and also increases uncertainty. Cryptocurrency known as virtual money is one of the most important developments of digitalization. Cryptocurrencies discussed during the past few years and, in particular, a new investor portfolio, are highly popular. Cryptocurrency markets began to pickup with the arrival of bitcoin. These markets have started to be demand like stock markets. The purpose of this study is to establish the elements influencing individual financial investment decisions both on the cryptocurrency market and in the stock markets, with the performance of cryptocurrencies growing positively in conjunction with the pandemic in 2020. Methodology- While making financial decisions, individuals want to know how the market is carried over and they act accordingly. For this reason, both stock and crypto money markets have been examined in order to see the behaviour of individuals. The objective of this research is to establish the elements that influence individual financial investment decisions on both cryptocurrency and equity markets, since cryptocurrencies have a positive increase in performance parallel to the globally lower pandemic interest rates in 2020.In the study, it was collected with the data by survey technique. The survey examined investor behaviour in financial markets based on individual investor demographics on 428 individual investors. Findings- The study, which was collected with the participation of 428 individual investors with the survey technique, shows that the majority of crypto money users are between the ages of 25-34 according to gender, age and education level and are university graduates. When the data of the survey applied to determine the investment tendencies of individual investors are evaluated, it has been observed that the investors are mostly willing to invest in foreign exchange and cryptocurrencies arouse considerable curiosity due to their high return performance. However, participants believed that cryptocurrency market is riskier than stock markets. In our article, the level of perception about how cryptocurrencies are an investment tool is also not clear, and it has been revealed that investors primarily obtain information about this market through social media channels. Conclusion- In the financial sector, where competition is intense, financial decisions taken by investors are of great importance. Increased pandemic risk factor has led to ambiguities in investment decision-making. Global uncertainty continues despite the development of the vaccine. Corruption in cryptocurrency exchange, often mentioned in recent days, led individuals to research and to learn more about themselves in this area, who are investing in this industry or planing to do so. Our survey on investor behaviour in financial markets, which was carried out with the participation of 428 people over the social platform, was also prepared to be more on crypto money. According to the survey, developments regarding cryptocurrencies showed that the State had to regulate. The recent news about corruption reveals that cryptocurrency markets will continue to be precepted negatively for some time, but it shows that incidents are rapidly forgotten.Publisher's Versio

Straight versus S-shaped sternotomy: a histologic study in the sheep model

INTRODUCTION: Straight sternotomy is the most common access for open heart surgery. Techniques have been proposed for maximizing sternal stability in high-risk patients. This trend implies a growing need for newer surgical techniques. The aim of this experimental study in the sheep model is to evaluate median vs. S shaped sternotomy the feasibility of using a special device to accelerate the sternal instability and bone healing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 31 sheep, weighing 18–30 kg. For all animals a midline skin incision was made. In group I (n = 16 animals), straight median sternotomy and in group II (n = 15 animals), S-shaped incision was marked on the periosteum of the sternum by new created device for standard S-shaped sternotomy. Sternum biopsies were performed on second surgery month for all survived animals from the sternum and the surrounding soft tissue. RESULTS: No early superficial wound complications were observed. Overall mortality in the initial approach group was 19.3% (6 sheep). In group I; 3 sheep had died on first surgery day, the reason may be hemorrhage and in group II; 3 sheep developed intractable VF during surgery procedure or immediately afterwards so died. There were statistically significant differences in the scores of bone healing between group 1 and group 2 (4.2 vs.7.3, ANOVA, p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Our work is based on the use of a standard S-shaped sternotomy procedure on sheep sternum. In our experience with the sternal healing in the sheep model, the process of new bone formation was accelerated with S- shaped cut than straight sternotomy procedure. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13019-014-0173-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Single dose regorafenib-induced hypertensive crisis

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are uncommon tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Regorafenib is a new multikinase inhibitor and is approved for the treatment of GISTs in patients who develop resistance to imatinib and sunitinib. The most common drug-related adverse events with regorafenib are hypertension, hand-foot skin reactions, and diarrhea. Grade IV hypertensive side effect has never been reported after a single dose. In this report, we present a case of Grade IV hypertensive side effect (hypertensive crisis and seizure) after a single dose of regorafenib. A 54-year-old male normotensive GIST patient was admitted to the emergency department with seizure and encephalopathy after the first dosage of regorafenib. His blood pressure was 240/140 mmHg upon admission. After intensive treatment with nitrate and nitroprusside, his blood pressure returned to normal levels in five days. Regorafenib was discontinued, and he did not experience hypertension again. This paper reports the first case of Grade IV hypertension after the first dosage of regorafenib. We can suggest that hypertension is an idiosyncratic side effect unrelated to the dosage. Key Words: hypertension, regorafenib, gastrointestinal stromal tumor

High body-mass index is not associated with worse clinicopathological characteristics in predominantly obese breast cancer patients

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women. A high body-mass index (BMI) is related to increased incidence of BC with poorer prognosis. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association in patients with BC between BMI at the time of diagnosis and biological characteristics, according to the menopausal status. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study comprised a total of 318 women with BC. Clinicopathological differences between normal, overweight and obese patients according to menopausal status were evaluated. Results: Premenopausal women had a significantly lower BMI than postmenopausal patients (28.7 vs. 31.5, respectively; p = 0.00001). No statistically significant association was determined between BMI and clinicopathological characteristics in either the premenopausal or the postmenopausal group (all p values are > 0.05). Conclusions: There are many conflicting results in literature on this relationship. The results of this study showed that a high BMI is not associated with worse clinicopathological cha­racteristics in a predominantly obese population. In current medical oncology practice, BC should be evaluated on an individual patient basis and the impact of obesity on BC prognosis seems to be difficult to estimate especially in an obese population. Key Words: breast cancer, body-mass index, prognosis

Z2\mathbb Z_2~Green's function topology of Majorana wires

We represent the $\mathbb Z_2$~topological invariant characterizing a one dimensional topological superconductor using a Wess-Zumino-Witten dimensional extension. The invariant is formulated in terms of the single particle Green's function which allows to classify interacting systems. Employing a recently proposed generalized Berry curvature method, the topological invariant is represented independent of the extra dimension requiring only the single particle Green's function at zero frequency of the interacting system. Furthermore, a modified twisted boundary conditions approach is used to rigorously define the topological invariant for disordered interacting systems.Comment: final versio

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (July 2016)

This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the Alicante region. Algeria: the rare Atlanto-Mediterranean bivalve Cardium indicum is reported from Annaba. Tunisia: new distribution records for the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois miles from Zembra Island and Cape Bon. Italy: the ark clam Anadara transversa is reported from mussel cultures in the Gulf of Naples, while the amphipod Caprella scaura and the isopods Paracerceis sculpta and Paranthura japonica are reported as associated to the –also allochthonous–bryozoan Amathia verticillata in the Adriatic Sea; in the latter region, the cosmopolitan Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensisis also reported, a rare finding for the Mediterranean. Slovenia: a new record of the non-indigenous nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi in the Adriatic. Greece: several new reports of the introduced scleractinian Oculina patagonica, the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina, the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (all Atlantic), and the lionfish Pterois miles (Indo-Pacific) suggest their ongoing establishment in the Aegean Sea; the deepest bathymetric record of the invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea in the Mediterranean Sea is also registered in the Kyklades, at depths exceeding 70 m. Turkey: new distribution records for two non indigenous crustaceans, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic origin) and the moon crab Matuta victor (Indo-Pacific origin) from the Bay of Izmir and Antalya, respectively; in the latter region, the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali, is also reported. Lebanon: an array of records of 5 alien and one native Mediterranean species is reported by citizen-scientists; the Pacific jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata and the Indo-Pacific teleosteans Tylerius spinosissimus, Ostracion cubicus, and Lutjanus argentimaculatus are reported from the Lebanese coast, the latter notably being the second record for the species in the Mediterranean Sea since 1977; the native sand snake-eel Ophisurus serpens, rare in the eastern Mediterranean, is reported for the first time from Lebanon, this being its easternmost distribution range; finally, a substantial number of sightings of the lionfish Pterois miles further confirm the current establishment of this lessepsian species in the Levantine

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (April, 2019)

The Collective Article on “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article presents new biodiversity data information on 18 taxa (14 alien, 3 native and 1 cryptogenic species) belonging to 5 Phyla that are reported for 11 different countries listed according to their geographic position from the western to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Algeria: the alien green alga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla and the heterobranchs Aplysia dactylomeda and Aplysia punctata are first reported from the entire country. France: a new record of the alien hydroid Porpita porpita is reported from the Corsican Sea, representing the second record of the species in the western Mediterranean Sea. Tunisia: the alien fish Scatophagus argus is reported from the Gulf of Gabès, probably representing an aquarium release. Italy: the well-established Mediterranean alien bivalve Malleus regula is first reported from the entire country. Slovenia: the alien marine bivalve Xenostrobus securis is reported for the first time from the entire country. Croatia: the alien gastropod Biuve fulvipunctata is reported for the first time from the country but also from the entire Adriatic Sea. Montenegro: the alien bivalve Rapana venosa is reported for the first time from the Montenegrin waters. Albania: the well-established alien fish Lagocephalus sceleratus and the rare native shark Rhizoprionodon acutus are reported for the first from the entire country. Greece: the rare native ray Leucoraja circularis is reported for the first time from the Argolikos Gulf and for the first time for the entire country its identification is confirmed morphologically and molecularly; additional records of the alien nomad jellyfish Rhopilema nomadic document its expanding distribution, while the occurrence and the alien fishes Sillago suezensis and Pomadasys stridens are reported for the first time from Hellenic waters. Turkey: additional records of the Egyptian Prawn Metapenaeopsis aegyptia are reported with some biological information. Cyprus: the alien fish Variola louti is reported for the first time for the entire Mediterranean Sea, probably released from an aquarium, while the alien moon crab Matuta victor is reported for the first time from the entire country