Determining the Underlying Reasons of License Termination and Cancellation Associated with Local Power Production in Turkey

Considerable changes have taken place in power production investments in Turkey within the last decade. As a result, an increasing number of investments in this sector have been terminated or cancelled and still continue to do so. When these investments are analyzed, significant issues attributed to misconceptions on cash flow estimations, local community objections, changes in the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation interpretations, diminished trust in the conducted project evaluations and the associated reduction of capital and funds have been observed. Thus, the main contributors and their underlying reasons for these issues are examined in this study. In order to determine the associated key aspects and parameters, a survey has been developed and distributed to companies working on the renewable energy sector with questions regarding the number and the size of the licenses they have, the percentage of them turning into investments, the major methods of financial evaluation they use in the decision making process, their ability to calculate the cash flows during project evaluation process and the modelling of associated risk factors in the renewable energy sector. Keywords: Project evaluation methods; power production; license termination; Turkey JEL Classifications: O220; O250; Q280  

Pricing Electric Power under a Hybrid Wholesale Mechanism: Evaluating the Turkish Electricity Market

During the restructuring process, Turkish electricity sector has gone through significant changes both in wholesale and retail markets. In this framework, the Market Financial Settlement Mechanism established for handling market imbalances has become a spot market in time. So, it can be claimed that the wholesale electricity market in Turkey is a hybrid mechanism composed of bilateral contracts and the balancing market. On the other hand, the main target of liberalization program is providing consumers with affordable electric power. Hence, this study attempts to explore the link between retail tariffs for ineligible consumers and prices in the two wholesale mechanisms, in the period after the launch of the day-ahead market. Findings suggest that regulated wholesale prices are more effective in the determination of end-user prices, whereas unregulated ones might have a price reduction effect in case the free market dominates. However, the volatility in spot market prices implies that the sector would better continue with the hybrid mechanism for quite some time. Keywords: Electricity Prices; Wholesale; Retail; Competition; Turkey JEL Classifications: D40; Q40; Q4

Effects of the topical hemostatic agent Ankaferd Blood Stopper on the incidence of alveolar osteitis after surgical removal of an impacted mandibular third molar

Background: Alveolar osteitis (AO) is a commonly seen post‑operative complication during the wound‑healing period after permanent tooth extraction or surgical removal of impacted third molar teeth.Objectives: The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the effects of administration of the topical hemostatic agent Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) into the socket on AO formation after impacted mandibular third molar extraction.Patients and Methods: Bilaterally, 100 half‑impacted mandibular third molars were extracted in 50 patients. Then, 1.0 mL ABS was administered to achieve hemostasis in one half of the sockets and as a control, the other half was irrigated with 1.0 mL physiological serum after surgery.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in terms of AO formation (P > 0.05) between the extraction sites. However, the postoperative pain in ABS administration sites was higher than in the other sites for the first 2 days after surgery (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The results showed that ABS administration did not increase the incidence of AO formation. Thus, ABS can be used safely for hemostasis after impacted mandibular third molar surgery.Key words: Alveolar osteitis, Ankaferd Blood Stopper, hemostasis, third mola

An Analysis of Pre-service Elementary School Teachers' Skills in Geometrical Drawing Using Isometric Pape

The aim of this study was to determine pre-service elementary school teachers’ capabilities of deciding the viewpoint and perspective in geometrical drawing. The study examined geometrical drawings the participants did on isometric paper. This is a case study, a qualitative study method, and the study data were analyzed using written documents. The study sample included 34 senior students in the Education Faculty’s Elementary School Teaching Program at a Turkish public university. They were selected from approximately 205 pre-service teachers. The students participated in the study on a voluntary basis. The study results revealed that the pre-service teachers generally had weak skills in geometrical drawing. The participants had better skills in building structures which they saw from the air using unit blocks, and forming a structure of which they had the direct views (left and right; front and back) using unit blocks. However, the participants had weaker skills in drawing the direct views of the structures they had built, recognizing the connections between the left-right views and front-back views of the structures and drawing the structures they built on isometric paper in perspective

Evaluation of ear, nose and throat involvement in pemphigus vulgaris in comparison with pemphigus severity scoring systems: a cross-sectional study

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) frequently affects the mucous membranes of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT). Since ENT examination is not a routinely performed procedure, the exact involvement of PV remains unrecognized. The available severity scoring systems (Pemphigus Disease Area Index (PDAI) and Autoimmune Bullous Skin Disorder Intensity Score (ABSIS)) for PV do not include a full ENT examination. This study was designed to evaluate the real extent of PV in ENT areas and to find out the specific scores which indicate the need for ENT examination. The patients were evaluated for ENT manifestations by endoscopic examination whether or not they exhibited symptoms. PDAI, ABSIS, and ENT scores were calculated, and the results were compared for correlation and significance. The mucosal involvement was more severe when scored by ENT examination than when assessed by PDAI or ABSIS. The ENT score was significantly associated with symptoms and endoscopic findings, especially when PDAI ≥15 and/or ABSIS ≥17. ENT endoscopic examination could result in more accurate grading in PV. In particular, performing such an examination should be considered in patients, especially when PDAI ≥15 and/or ABSIS ≥17, regardless of ENT symptoms. </p

Evaluation of ear, nose and throat involvement in pemphigus vulgaris in comparison with pemphigus severity scoring systems: a cross-sectional study

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) frequently affects the mucous membranes of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT). Since ENT examination is not a routinely performed procedure, the exact involvement of PV remains unrecognized. The available severity scoring systems (Pemphigus Disease Area Index (PDAI) and Autoimmune Bullous Skin Disorder Intensity Score (ABSIS)) for PV do not include a full ENT examination. This study was designed to evaluate the real extent of PV in ENT areas and to find out the specific scores which indicate the need for ENT examination. The patients were evaluated for ENT manifestations by endoscopic examination whether or not they exhibited symptoms. PDAI, ABSIS, and ENT scores were calculated, and the results were compared for correlation and significance. The mucosal involvement was more severe when scored by ENT examination than when assessed by PDAI or ABSIS. The ENT score was significantly associated with symptoms and endoscopic findings, especially when PDAI ≥15 and/or ABSIS ≥17. ENT endoscopic examination could result in more accurate grading in PV. In particular, performing such an examination should be considered in patients, especially when PDAI ≥15 and/or ABSIS ≥17, regardless of ENT symptoms. </p

Hareket becerileri egzersiz programının zihinsel engellilerin motor ve dikkat performansına etkisi

Bu çalışma, hareket becerileri egzersiz programının zihinsel engellilerin motor ve dikkat performansına etkisini belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmada, Eğitilebilir Zihinsel Engellilerin (EZE) deney grubuna 8 haftalık hareket eğitimi programı uygulanırken diğer kontrol grubuna klasik beden eğitimi programı uygulanmıştır. Katılımcıların vücut kompozisyonu, koordinasyon, çeviklik ve dikkat özelliklerine bu iki eğitim programının etkililiği araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada Mersin ilinde EZE çocuklara ve ailelerine ulaşılarak yaşları 10 ile 20 arasında değişen 40 EZE çocuk ailelerinin verdikleri onam formları ile gönüllü katılımları sağlanmıştır. Katılımcıların 20’si deney (9 erkek, 11 kadın), diğer 20’si de kontrol (14 erkek, 6 kadın) grubu oluşturulmuştur. Araştırmada ön test-son test kontrol gruplu modelde yansız atama ile biri deney, diğeri kontrol grubu olarak iki grup oluşturulmuştur. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları Erkek ve kadın adölesanlarda ön test sırasında deney ve kontrol grupları arasındaki sadece atma ve yakalama testi sonucu deney grubunun lehine daha büyük bulunmuştur. Son test sırasında ise, deney ve kontrol grupları arasında erkeklerde Burdon dikkat testi deney grubunun lehine ve slalom testi kontrol grubunun lehine daha büyüktür. Sonuç olarak, 8 haftalık hareket eğitimi programı, EZE erkeklerin beden kütle indeksi üzerinde düşük, slalom yeteneklerinde orta, atma-yakalama ve Burdon dikkat testine büyük düzeyde etkiye sahipken farklı egzersiz programı uygulanan erkeklerde sadece Burdon testi üzerinde düşük etkiye sahiptir

Robotic Compartment-Based Radical Surgery in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

A radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy is the recommended treatment option in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. Although various classifications were developed in order to define the resection margins of this operation, no clear standardization could be achieved both in the nomenclature and in the extent of the surgery. Total mesometrial resection (TMMR) is a novel procedure which aims to remove all components of the compartment formed by Müllerian duct in which female reproductive organs develop. TMMR differs from the conventional radical hysterectomy techniques in that its surgical philosophy, terminology, and partly resection borders are different. In this paper, a TMMR with therapeutic pelvic lymphadenectomy operation that we performed for the first time with robot-assisted laparoscopic (robotic) approach in an early-stage cervical cancer patient was presented. This procedure has already been described in open surgery by Michael Höckel and translated to the robotic surgery by Rainer Kimmig. Our report is the second paper, to our knowledge, to present the initial experience regarding robotic TMMR in the English literature