Integration with the Global Economy: The Case of Turkish Automobile and Consumer Electronics Industries

This paper aims to contribute to the extensive study of the World Bank Commission on Growth and Development by a case study of the Turkish automotive and the consumer electronics industries. Despite a macroeconomic environment that inhibits investment and growth, both industries have achieved remarkable output and productivity growth since the early 1990s and played a critical role in generating employment and fostering growth. Although there are similarities between the performances of automobile and consumer electronic industries, there seems to be significant differences between their structures, links with domestic suppliers, technological orientation and modes of integration with the global economy. The automobile industry is dominated by multinational companies, has a strong domestic supplier base, and has seized the opportunities opened up by the Customs Union by investing in new product and process technology and learning. The consumer electronics industry is dominated by a few, large domestic firms, and has become competitive in the European market thanks to its geographical proximity, productive domestic labor, and focus on a protected and technologically mature CRT color television receivers segment of the marker, which also helps explain the recent decline in industry’s fortunes. It is without doubt that these industries could have performed even better had governments in Turkey adopted more responsive macroeconomic policies. It is certain that governments could be more responsive only if far-reaching political/institutional reforms are undertaken by changing the Constitution, and current political party and election laws in order to establish public control over the political elites.Macroeconomic policies; automobile industry; consumer electronics industry; political elites; political reforms.

Advancement of Satellite Rainfall Applications for Hydrologic Modeling with Emphasis on Flood Monitoring (FLOODSAT)

"Floods are the most widespread and frequent natural disaster responsible for significant loss of lives and property each year. The European Environmental Agency estimated that floods in Europe between 1998 and 2002 caused about 700 deaths, the displacement of about half a million people and at least 25 billion Euros in insured economic losses. As such, one of the four priority areas in FP7 has been identified as triggering factors and forecasting and mitigation strategies for natural hazards. Flood early warning systems are the most effective way to mitigate flood induced hazards. The reliability of such systems depends on the availability of timely and good-quality rainfall estimates. Although many of the regions in Europe are equipped with dense rain gauge networks, the station density varies greatly from country to country, which can affect the quality of the model simulations. Hence exploiting alternative ways, such as satellite-based products, for estimating rainfall having continuous spatial coverage and short latency will be potentially beneficial for mitigating flood risks. The overall goal of this project is to “advance the utility of satellite-based rainfall estimates for hydrologic modeling, specifically for flood monitoring”. The expected outcomes of this research are: 1) a large database of dynamic and static datasets for the Western-Black Sea basin, Turkey, 2) A methodology for adjusting satellite-based rainfall estimates, 3) intercomparison study revealing the degree of agreement between rain gauge and satellite-based rainfall products over the study area before/after the adjustment, 3) A hydrologic model that is implemented for the study basin using rainfall estimates from rain gauges and existing/adjusted satellite rainfall products, 4) An improved methodology for calibration and evaluation of hydrological models, 5) An analysis providing insights into the value of existing/adjusted satellite-based rainfall estimates for streamflow simulations."EU, Funded under :FP7-PEOPLE-2010-R

Initiatives and New Trends Towards Stem Education in Turkey

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Education; Is an educational approach that many countries in the world have included in their curricula that allow learners to view the knowledge they learn in science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, aiming at transforming theoretical knowledge into practice, product and innovative inventions. It is aimed to be able to adapt easily to the qualities of the business life thanks to these skills when the STEM trained individuals enter into the business world, as well as being an approach that is based on giving the skills of STEM education, production and invention. Within the scope of the study, attempts were made to investigate the initiatives and new trends of STEM education from 2010 until the day. Document analysis and thematic content analysis (meta-synthesis) method was used in the research process. Thematic content analysis; Analyze, synthesize and interpret the findings of more than one research on the same subject, with a critical point of view, in contrast to the theme or templates specified and raw data. During the research; Articles, theses, reports and reports which are reached from various sources in the national and international literature have been examined and a wide-scale resource has been created by considering every point related to the contents of the work. The results of the research were examined under various headings and a broad framework was established and recommendations were made

Kardiyak resenkronizasyon tedavisine yanıtın öngörülmesinde sistemik bağışıklık-inflamatuvar indeksinin rolü

Aim: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a reliable treatment modality in patients with systolic dysfunction. However, not every patient appears to benefit from CRT. The systemic immune inflammation index (SII) is closely linked to the poor prognosis of various cardiovascular disorders. However, there is no study investigating whether SII has predictive value in determining response to CRT in dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Therefore, we intend to investigate the association between SII and response to CRT. Methods: A total of 220 patients (mean age 61.2±10.8 years; 120 men) implanted with CRT were involved in this study. Echocardiographic and laboratory measurements were evaluated prior to CRT. Response to CRT was determined as a≥ 15% decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume at one-year follow-up. Results: Patients grouped as CRT responders and non-responders. Of these, 143 (64.6%) were considered to be CRT responders, while the remaining 77 (33.4%) were non-responders. Female sex (OR: 3.823, CI: 1.568-9.324 p=0.003), QRS duration (OR: 1.224, CI: 1.158-1.335 p<0.001), and SII (OR: 0.996 CI: 0.995-0.997 p<0.001) were shown to be independent predictors of CRT response in multivariate analysis. A cut-off value of SII >825 estimated no response to CRT with 80% sensitivity and 75% specificity. Conclusions: SII was associated with unresponsiveness to CRT. Therefore, it may be used to determine optimal patient selection for CRT implantation in routine clinical practice.Amaç: Kardiyak resenkronizasyon tedavisi (KRT), sistolik disfonksiyonu olan hastalarda güvenilir bir tedavi yöntemidir. Ancak, KRT'nin faydası belli hasta grupları ile sınırlıdır. Sistemik immün inflamatuvar indeks (SII), çeşitli kardiyovasküler bozuklukların kötü prognozu ile ilişkilidir. Bununla birlikte, dilate kardiyomiyopati hastalarında SII'nin KRT'ye yanıtı belirlemede prediktif değeri olup olmadığını araştıran bir çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmada SII ile KRT'ye yanıt arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmak amaçlandı. Yöntemler: Bu çalışmaya KRT implante edilen toplam 220 hasta (ortalama yaş 61,2±10,8 yıl; 120 erkek) dahil edildi. KRT öncesi ekokardiyografi ve laboratuvar ölçümleri değerlendirildi. KRT'ye yanıt, bir yıllık takipte sol ventrikül sistol sonu hacminde ≥ %15 azalma olarak belirlendi. Bulgular: Hastalar, KRT'ye yanıt verenler ve yanıt vermeyenler olarak gruplandırıldı. Bunlardan 143'ü (%64,6) KRT'ye yanıt veren olarak kabul edilirken, kalan 77'si (%33,4) yanıt vermeyendi. Kadın cinsiyet (OR: 3.823, CI: 1.568-9.324 p=0.003), QRS süresi (OR: 1.224, CI: 1.158-1.335 p<0.001) ve SII (OR: 0.996 CI: 0.995-0.997 p<0.001) çok değişkenli analizde KRT yanıtının bağımsız öngörücüleri olarak bulundu. SII >825'lik bir sınır değeri, %80 duyarlılık ve %75 özgüllük ile KRT'ye yanıt olmadığını öngördürmüştür. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada SII’nin KRT'ye yanıtsızlığı öngördüğü gösterilmiştir. Bu nedenle SII rutin klinik uygulamada KRT implantasyonu için optimal hasta seçimini belirlemede kullanılabilir

Chemical constituents and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils from Sedum pallidum var. bithynicum and S. spurium grown in Turkey

PubMed: 20645839Chemical compositions of the essential oil of Sedum pallidum Bieb. var. bithynicum (Boiss.) and S. spurium Bieb. (Crassulaceae) from Turkey were investigated by GC-MS, and antimicrobial activity of the oil samples were assessed against Gram-positive/negative bacteria and yeast-like fungi. Thirty-eight and thirty-five components were identified in the essential oils and the main components of these species were found to be caryophyllene oxide from S. pallidum var. bithynicum and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone from S. spurium in the ratios of 12.8% and 15.7%, respectively. The isolated essential oils of the plants showed low antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative/positive bacteria and yeast-like fungi, having the MIC values of 500-2000?g/mL. Antibacterial activity was not observed against Bacillus cereus. © 2010 Informa UK Ltd.Karadeniz Teknik ÜniversitesiThis study was supported by grants from Karadeniz Technical University and State Planning Agency (DPT) of Turkey.Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi ve Türkiye Devlet Planlama Teşkilatı (DPT

Nadir faktör eksikliği tanılı 36 olgunun değerlendirilmesi

Introduction: Rare factor deficiencies are predominantly autosomal recessively inherited disorders with a frequency of approximately 1: 500000 to 1: 2000000 in the general population. They account for 3-5% of all inherited coagulation disorders. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the demographic features and clinical findings of 36 patients who were followed up and treated with the diagnosis of rare factor deficiency. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 patients aged between 0-16 years diagnosed with rare coagulation deficiencies were evaluated in terms of demographic, physical examination, clinical follow-up, and laboratory findings at the Dicle University Pediatric Hematology Unit. Ethics committee approval was obtained from Dicle University for the study on 16.03.2018 with decision no 115. Results: Rare factor deficiencies were diagnosed in 36 (35 %) of 103 patients who were followed up with coagulation disorders. Hemophilia a, hemophilia b, and von Willebrand disease constituted 67 of our patients. Familial consanguinity was present in 75, 6 %, and positive family history was found at 16.6% of the patients. 11 (32.4%) of our patients were diagnosed under the age of one year. Most of our patients diagnosed with factor X deficiency (38.8%). The most common symptoms were mucocutaneous bleeding (50%). Intracranial hemorrhage was detected in 7 (%19,5) patients. Conclusions: Early diagnosis and treatment are very important in the case of rare factor deficiency since severe bleeding complications such as intracranial hemorrhage may develop. Rare factor deficiencies are seen more frequently in places where consanguineous marriage is more common than the general population. Families should be informed about this issue, and family screening should be done early.Giriş: Nadir faktör eksiklikleri; çoğunlukla otozomal resesif geçiş gösteren,prevalansı 1/ 500.000 -1/2.000.000 arasında değişen pıhtılaşma faktör eksiklikleridir. Kalıtsal pıhtılaşma faktör eksikliklerinin %3-5’ini oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, nadir faktör eksikliği tanısı ile takip ve tedavi ettiğimiz hastaların demografik özellikleri ve klinik bulguları değerlendirilmiştir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmamızda, Dicle Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Çocuk Hematolojisi ve Onkolojisi biriminde nadir faktör eksikliği tanısı ile takip ve tedavi edilen, yaşları 0-16 yıl arasında değişen toplam 36 hasta değerlendirilmiştir. Hastaların demografik özellikleri,klinik izlem sonuçları ve labaratuar verileri incelenmiştir.Çalışma için Dicle Üniversitesi’nden 16.03.2018 tarihinde 115 nolu karar ile etik kurul onayı alınmıştır. Bulgular: Kalıtsal faktör eksikliği nedeniyle takip ve tedavi ettiğimiz 103 hastanın 36’sında (% 35) nadir faktör eksikliği tanısı mevcuttu. Hastalarımızın 67’sini hemofili A, hemofili B ve von Willebrand hastalığı oluşturuyordu. Anne ve babaların akrabalık oranı % 75,6 olup,aile öyküsü %16.6 olarak bulunmuştur. Hastalarımızın 11’i (%32,4) bir yaşından önce tanı almıştır.Hasta grubumuzda %38,8 oranı (14 hasta) ile FX eksikliği en fazla görülmektedir.Tanı anında en sık başvuru semptomunu %50 ile cilt-mukoza kanamaları oluşturmaktaydı. Ciddi kanamalardan intrakranial kanama yedi (%19,5) hastada görülmüştür. Sonuç: İntrakranial kanama gibi ciddi kanama komplikasyonlarıyla seyretmesinden dolayı nadir faktör eksikliğinde erken tanı ve tedavi çok önemlidir. Nadir faktör eksiklikleri, akraba evliliğinin fazla görüldüğü yerlerde genel popülasyona oranla sık görülmektedir. Ailelerin bu konuda bilgilendirilmesi,aile taramalarının erken dönemde yapılması gerekliliktir

Thrombocytopenia Developing After Centipede Bite

Centipede bites have been reported rarely in humans. The mechanism of centipede toxin is not fully understood. Skin reactions develop more in centipede bites. In this text, we will present a case that developed thrombocytopenia after a centipede bite. An 18-month old female infant was bitten on the back of the right hand and the right side of the forehead. She applied to the emergency department with the complaint of redness and swelling that started in the morning hours after the bite. The vital signs of the patient were stable. The patient had no systemic complaints. The patient's laboratory tests, PLT was 28,000 K/UL were determined. During follow-up of the patient, bleeding symptoms developed associated with thrombocytopenia. The follow-up examination 10 days later, thrombocyte count was determined as 302,000 in the full blood count. Centipede bites are not greatly reported and the actual incidence is undoubtedly higher than assumed. Although the majority spontaneously recover with only simple local reactions that have formed, they can lead to serious complications such as acute myocardial infarcts, acute coronary ischemia, acute renal damage, anaphylaxis, or thrombocytopenia. Therefore, following a centipede bite, patients must be evaluated carefully and attention must be paid in respect of complications

Cardiometabolic risk factors in pediatric kidney transplant recipients

Objective: There is an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome among kidney transplant recipients, which adversely affects cardiovascular and renal outcomes in these patients. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in pediatric kidney transplant recipients and the associations of metabolic syndrome with cardiovascular disease and graft function. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, single-center study included 52 kidney transplant recipients (27 males) transplanted before 18 years of age. All subjects underwent a comprehensive assessment that included anthropometric and blood pressure measurements and laboratory tests. Metabolic syndrome was defined based on the recent recommendations of the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce. Left ventricular hypertrophy was assessed as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and estimated glomerular filtration rate was assessed to determine graft function. Results: The median age of patients was 15.9 (13.8;18.4) years, and the median follow-up time was 35.5 (20.0;62;0) months after transplantation. Nineteen patients (36.5%) were obese or overweight, 43 (83%) had hypertension or controlled hypertension, 23 (44%) had dyslipidemia, and 9 (17%) had hyperglycemia. Ten patients (19.2%) were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Twenty-eight patients (54%) had left ventricular hypertrophy. The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy was higher in patients with metabolic syndrome than in those without metabolic syndrome (90% vs. 45%, P =.014), whereas estimated glomerular filtration rate did not differ between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Cardiometabolic risk factors are common in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Approximately one-fifth of patients have metabolic syndrome, and left ventricular hypertrophy is much more common among patients with metabolic syndrome. However, there is no relationship between metabolic syndrome and graft dysfunction