The growth and development of metropolitan planning strategies in Istanbul

Beside it?s historical, cultural and natural values in the international level, Istanbul is a world wide city which leads to national and regional development from socio-economic point of view. However, there are some obstacles to become an international metropolis. The two properties which have determined the growth dynamics negatively up to now are: ? Turkey?s industrialisation occurs mainly in Istanbul and the development of the city as an Industrial City, ? In a rapid and unhealthy developed city, the pressure of economic process base on speculations on real estates and other urban areas over business and political decision mechanism. Istanbul, with it?s approximately 9 million inhabitant, pulls a great amount of migrant every year. However, inadequacy in present infrastructure, housing stock and natural life sources which answer to migrants, leads to a complex structure in the city. There are some obstacles to become an international metropolis. The two properties which have determined the growth dynamics negatively up to now are: Istanbul Metropolitan Area Sub Region Master Plan done by Greater Municipality of Istanbul in 1995, aimed Istanbul to be a historical, cultural, scientific, artistic and service city integrated with regional countries and to take part in the hierarchy of world metropolitan cities in the current economic development process. According to this aim, Greater Municipality of Istanbul developed a strategic plan as a result of planning studies which direct city development. With this plan, ? Planning decisions in the metropolitan area that supply balanced land use for the protection of natural sources, cultural heritage and sustainable environment are formed. ? Transportation schema that ideally organises relations among the most convenient centre and sub-centres of Istanbul?s linear development, We are aimed to explain Istanbul Metropolitan Area Sub Region Master Plan.

Crystal and electronic structure study of Mn doped wurtzite ZnO nanoparticles

AbstractThe change in the crystal and electronic structure properties of wurtzite ZnO nanoparticles was studied according to Mn doping in the powder samples. The investigations were conducted by X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (XAFS) technique for the samples prepared with different heating and doping processes. Electronic analysis was carried out by the collected data from the X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure Spectroscopy (XANES) measurements. Additional crystal structure properties were studied by Extended-XAFS (EXAFS) analysis. Longer heating periods for the undoped wurtzite ZnO samples were determined to own stable crystal geometries. However, for some doped samples, the distortions in the crystal were observed as a result of the low doping amounts of Mn which was treated as an impurity. Besides, the changes in oxygen locations were determined to create defects and distortions in the samples

Sanctuary and the Cold War: The US Versus The Sanctuary Movement in Texas and Arizona 1981-1986

In the 1980s, the Reagan Administration launched a campaign against the American Solidarity and sanctuary movements, which were highly critical of US support for right-wing dictatorships in Central America. The US sought to discredit these movements by branding their members criminals. The government used many different tactics, some legitimate and others illegal. None were successful, however, and the government was ultimately forced to leave the movements alone. This thesis examines three different hotspots in the Reagan Administration’s war against these groups. It examines the different tactics employed and analyzes their effectiveness. It also explains why the government was unsuccessful in its prosecution

Regulation of neuropathic pain behavior by amygdaloid TRPC4/C5 channels

Pain per se may increase anxiety and conversely, anxiety may increase pain. Therefore, a positive feedback loop between anxiety and pain possibly contributes to pain and suffering in some pathophysiological pain conditions, such as that induced by peripheral nerve injury. Recent results indicate that transient receptor channels 4 and 5 (TRPC4/C5) in the amygdala have anxiogenic effects in rodents, while their role in chronic pain conditions is not known. Here, we studied whether the amygdaloid TRPC4/C5 that are known to have anxiogenic properties contribute to the maintenance of sensory or affective aspects of pain in an experimental model of peripheral neuropathy. Rats with a spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathy in the left hind limb had a chronic cannula for microinjections of drugs into the right amygdala or the internal capsule (a control site). Sensory pain was assessed by determining mechanical hypersensitivity with calibrated monofilaments and affective pain by determining aversive place-conditioning. Amygdaloid treatment with ML-204, a TRPC4/C5 antagonist, produced a dose-related (5-10 mu g) antihypersensitivity effect, without obvious side-effects. Additionally, amygdaloid administration of ML-204 reduced affective-like pain behavior. In the internal capsule, ML-204 had no effect on hypersensitivity or affective-like pain in SNI animals. In healthy controls, amygdaloid administration of ML-204 failed to influence pain behavior induced by mechanical stimulation or noxious heat. The results indicate that the amygdaloid TRPC4/C5 contribute to maintenance of pain hypersensitivity and pain affect in neuropathy. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Field Effect versus Driving Force: Charge Generation in Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells

Efficient charge generation in organic semiconductors usually requires an interface with an energetic gradient between an electron donor and an electron acceptor in order to dissociate the photogenerated excitons. However, single-component organic solar cells based on chloroboron subnaphthalocyanine (SubNc) have been reported to provide considerable photocurrents despite the absence of an energy gradient at the interface with an acceptor. In this work, it is shown that this is not due to direct free carrier generation upon illumination of SubNc, but due to a field-assisted exciton dissociation mechanism specific to the device configuration. Subsequently, the implications of this effect in bilayer organic solar cells with SubNc as the donor are demonstrated, showing that the external and internal quantum efficiencies in such cells are independent of the donor-acceptor interface energetics. This previously unexplored mechanism results in efficient photocurrent generation even though the driving force is minimized and the open-circuit voltage is maximized

Production of haploids and doubled haploids in oil palm

Background: Oil palm is the world’s most productive oil-food crop despite yielding well below its theoretical maximum. This maximum could be approached with the introduction of elite F1 varieties. The development of such elite lines has thus far been prevented by difficulties in generating homozygous parental types for F1 generation. Results: Here we present the first high-throughput screen to identify spontaneously-formed haploid (H) and doubled haploid (DH) palms. We secured over 1,000 Hs and one DH from genetically diverse material and derived further DH/mixoploid palms from Hs using colchicine. We demonstrated viability of pollen from H plants and expect to generate 100% homogeneous F1 seed from intercrosses between DH/mixoploids once they develop female inflorescences. Conclusions: This study has generated genetically diverse H/DH palms from which parental clones can be selected in sufficient numbers to enable the commercial-scale breeding of F1 varieties. The anticipated step increase in productivity may help to relieve pressure to extend palm cultivation, and limit further expansion into biodiverse rainforest

Photophysicochemical properties and photodynamic therapy activity of highly water-soluble Zn (II) phthalocyanines

The syntheses of two zinc(II) phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) having either imidazole (ZnPc 1) or pyridiloxy (ZnPc 2) moieties as their macrocycle substituents are reported. Quaternization of the ZnPcs with methyl iodide afforded water soluble cationic phthalocyanines. The photophysical, photochemical properties and photodynamic therapy (PDT) activity of the ZnPcs were studied in solution. The fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime of ZnPc 1 were higher as compared to ZnPc 2. ZnPc 2 afforded higher triplet state (ΦT) and singlet oxygen quantum yields (ΦΔ) in comparison to ZnPc 1. The PDT activity of ZnPcs was investigated against human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF–7). The two compounds afforded a very minimal in vitro dark cytotoxicity with 85% viable cells at concentration ≤80 μM. On irradiation of the cells having the ZnPcs, ≥50% cell death was recorded for ZnPc 1 which was also evidenced by the cells photo–micrograph