International competitiveness of Turkish agriculture: A case for horticultural products

International Relations/Trade,

Comparative analysis of the Turkish and European Union passenger ferry market in the eastern Mediterranean

This thesis covers Turkish and EU maritime policies for the passenger ferry industries. It concentrateso n the positioning of ferry operatorsi n the passengefre rry market in the Eastern Mediterranean. A general background to Turkey and to its maritime industry is drawn before developing a model. A positioning model is developed in a quantitative approach to this research. Furthermore, it is operationalised by using the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) Technique within multivariate analysis. A specific programme, MDPREF, from the MDS(X) Series of MDS Programmes is used for the calculation and illustration of the analysis. The Positionso f the Turkish and EU passengerfe rry operatorsi n the EasternM editerranean are measured and identified, within the positioning model, by data and information from the operators, for 1994, that were received from questionnaires and data files. The data and information are based on the "7P"s of the service marketing mix, which are product, price, place,p romotion, people,p hysical evidencea nd process,s incep assengefre rry operationsa re widely considered to be services for people. The resultso f the analysisi ndicatet he positionso f the Turkish and EU passengefre rry market in the EasternM editerraneanw ith the Turkish and EU operatorsg rouping togethera t different places in the market place. An exception is made by one of the EU operators illustrating similarity with the Turkish operators by positioning its place close to them in the market place.I t was also discoveredt hat only the Greeko peratorsa ppeart o representt he EU because Greece is an EU country and there were no operators other than the Greeks in 1994. However Greeced oesn ot totally reflect the characteristicso f the EU maritime policy. The discussionc oncludest hat the EasternM editerraneanp assengefre rry market is a dynamic and a growing market with potential points for further research.Maritime Faculty at the D. E.U niversity in Turke

The cross‐entropy method for combinatorial optimization problems of seaport logistics terminal

Studies on seaport operations emphasize the fact that the numbers of resources utilized at seaport terminals add a multitude of complexities to dynamic optimization problems. In such dynamic environments, there has been a need for solving each complex operational problem to increase service efficiency and to improve seaport competitiveness. This paper states the key problems of seaport logistics and proposes an innovative cross‐entropy (CE) algorithm for solving the complex problems of combinatorial seaport logistics. Computational results exhibit that the CE algorithm is an efficient, convenient and applicable stochastic method for solving the optimization problems of seaport logistics operations. First published online: 10 Feb 201

Case Study Analysis on Agri-Food Value Chain: A Guideline-Based Approach

This study aims to identify the methods and associated indicators that are commonly used in value chain analyses (VCA) and to determine the areas of interest that have been excluded. Value chain analysis generally includes four different dimensions, which are institutional/functional, economic/financial, social, and environmental. This study has two main sources of literature. The first is the guidelines and the other is case studies on value chain analysis. The case study review is limited by the time between 2000 and 2022. The results showed that the researchers mainly focused on the institutional/functional analysis of the value chain, which is the first step of the analysis. Studies were mostly concentrated on the mapping of value chains, which includes the mapping of agents, core activities, and the marketing channels and flows of products. The second important area of interest is economic/financial analysis. Value added analysis is a top research area on the economical side of the value chain (VC). Consumer behavior and financial analysis are also included in the case studies. The research on consumer behavior of the value chain analysis has focused on the preferences, attitudes, and behaviors of the consumers. Financial analysis is another area of interest which generally concentrates on the cost of intermediate inputs, total output value, net present value, internal rate of return, cash flows and cost of fixed assets, and break-even point. The social and environmental sides of the value chain have been studied with less attention. This is much more important for a sustainable food VC

Conversion of patellofemoral arthroplasty to total knee arthroplasty: A matched case-control study of 13 patients

Background and purpose The long-term outcome of patellofemoral arthroplasty is related to progression of femorotibial osteoarthritis with need for conversion to total knee arthroplasty. We investigated whether prior patellofemoral arthroplasty compromises the results of total knee arthroplasty

Stiffness in total knee arthroplasty

Stiffness is a relatively uncommon complication after total knee arthroplasty. It has been defined as a painful limitation in the range of movement (ROM). Its pathogenesis is still unclear even if some risk factors have been identified. Patient-related conditions may be difficult to treat. Preoperative ROM is the most important risk factor, but an association with diabetes, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and general pathologies such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis has been demonstrated. Moreover, previous surgery may be an additional cause of an ROM limitation. Postoperative factors include infections, arthrofibrosis, heterotrophic ossifications, and incorrect rehabilitation protocol. Infections represent a challenging problem for the orthopaedic surgeon, and treatment may require long periods of antibiotics administration. However, it is widely accepted that an aggressive rehabilitation protocol is mandatory for a proper ROM recovery and to avoid the onset of arthrofibrosis and heterotrophic ossifications. Finally, surgery-related factors represent the most common cause of stiffness; they include errors in soft-tissue balancing, component malpositioning, and incorrect component sizing. Although closed manipulation, arthroscopic and open arthrolysis have been proposed, they may lead to unpredictable results and incomplete ROM recovery. Revision surgery must be proposed in the case of well-documented surgical errors. These operations are technically demanding and may be associated with high risk of complications; therefore they should be accurately planned and properly performed

BMP-2 Dependent Increase of Soft Tissue Density in Arthrofibrotic TKA

Arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is difficult to treat, as its aetiology remains unclear. In a previous study, we established a connection between the BMP-2 concentration in the synovial fluid and arthrofibrosis after TKA. The hypothesis of the present study was, therefore, that the limited range of motion in arthrofibrosis is caused by BMP-2 induced heterotopic ossifications, the quantity of which is dependent on the BMP-2 concentration in the synovial fluid

Isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis: A systematic review of treatment options using the GRADE approach

Background and purpose The optimal treatment for isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis is unclear at present. We systematically reviewed the highest level of available evidence on the nonoperative and operative treatment of isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis to develop an evidenced-based discussion of treatment options

SAUDI MEDICAL JOURNAL

Objective: To report a series of 8 diabetic patients in whom the reconstruction of large-sized defect of the foot was performed using lateral supramalleolar flap. Methods: Coverage of the soft tissue defect was carried out by a lateral supramalleolar flap in 8 patients who had large-sized, non-healing ulcers at the Celal Bayax University, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Manisa, Turkey, between 1998-2003. The mean age was 54 years. Preoperatively Doppler flowmeter evaluation was performed, and the ischemic index was calculated in all patients. Results: The flaps survived except for one patient who had a large defect on the heel with low ischemic index. The average healing time of the ulcer region and recovery of regular walking status was 34 days. The average healing period of the donor site was 35 days. After the average follow-up period of 40 months, neither infection nor a recurrence of the ulcer was encountered. The major problem of the donor area was skin graft breakdown and its non-aesthetic appearance due to hypertrophic granulation tissue. Conclusion: The lateral supramalleolar flap is a reliable option for the reconstruction of large-sized diabetic ulcers involving the dorsal aspect of the foot. This can also be used in conjunction with local muscle flaps, such as abductor hallucis for covering deep and large heel defects when the sural neurocutaneous flap is contraindicated