Sustainable Leadership for Sustainable Corporations

Today, when sustainability is important for all companies, sustainable leaders are needed to provide sustainability at the firm. As a concept, sustainability contains themes of economic development, social development, and protection of the environment. Corporate sustainability states that it executes economic, social and environmental responsibilities of enterprises in an integrated manner; establishes a balance between these areas of responsibility and to be sustainable in these dimensions. It emphasizes that institutions should focus on long-term gains rather than short-term. A sustainable leader is someone who shares responsibility for the prevention of unnecessary consumption of human and financial resources and prevention of negative damage to the social environment (Hargreaves and Fink, 2003, p.3). Sustainable leaders acknowledge that individuals will create future together by seeing, understanding and interacting (Ferdig, 2007, p. 32). “A sustainability leader is someone who inspires and supports action towards a better world.” The Sustainability Leadership Institute’s (2011) offers another definition, suggesting that sustainability leaders are “individuals who are compelled to make a difference by deepening their awareness of themselves with the world around them. In doing so, they adopt new ways of seeing, thinking and interacting that result in innovative, sustainable solutions.” For sustainable leadership, not only is discourse necessary, but it also requires harmonious behavior. Sustainable leadership is more than what a leader does; it is about how they are understood by others. Leaders should both demonstrate personal intention, and behave in an observable way (Ulrich ve Smallwood, 2011, p.3-4). Sustainability of Corporation enables the growth of corporations, attracts capital, positions the brand, and makes the brand preferred, increasing loyalty of existing customers. To achieve this, the sustainable leader is needed. The purpose of this research is to examine the Sustainability Leadership Model as identified by the Cambridge Sustainability Leadership Institute, on managers working at NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in Izmir/Turkey. Research data will be analyzed to identify characteristics of managers who seek corporate sustainability and identify those which are absent. Data collection will occur using a survey form among indispensable conditions of "Sustainable Leadership"; the external and internal context for leadership traits, styles, skills and knowledge of the individual leader; and leadership action. Business owners are required to indicate characteristics that they think they have. Survey results, applied to 50 business people, will be evaluated by computer and interpreted as statistical data. The results show that it is quite a remarkable study, regarding how "sustainable leader" are perceived based on the characteristics identified within the sampling group throughout İzmir. This research also provides indicators as to what kind of leadership qualities need to be present or developed to lead companies towards "sustainable corporations"

Cyclic Fatigue Resistance and SEM Evaluation of Fractured Instrument Surfaces; Comparison of ProTaper Universal and ProTaper Gold Files

Purpose:To compare the cyclic fatigue resistance of ProTaper Universal (PTU) and ProTaper Gold (PTG) nickel titanium files at different angles and to examine the fractured surface areas by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Materials and Methods: A special static test device made of stainless steel with artificial canals at 3 different angles. The files were rotated until they were broken in artificial canals with 45°, 60° and 90° angles and also the time was recorded using a digital stopwatch. The number of cycles to failure was calculated for each instrument. Statistical analyzes were made by using one-way analysis of variance (Anova) for comparison between main groups. Results: PTG files showed higher fatigue resistance (

Pseudotumor cerebri associated with Pickwickian syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a case report

AIM: To report a male patient with Pickwickian syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who presented with pseudotumor cerebri and visual loss. METHODS: Case report. RESULES: A 54-year-old obese man with a three-month history of bilateral visual deterioration was evaluated. His visual acuity was 20/200 in OD and 20/400 in OS. Color vision was impaired only in the left eye. Funduscopy revealed bilateral disc edema and peripapillary hemorrhages together with macular exudates in OS. Physical examination and laboratory investigations were consistent with OSA and Pickwickian syndrome. Lumbar puncture demonstrated an opening pressure of 350mm H 2O and computed brain scan was normal. The diagnosis was pseudotumor cerebri in association with OSA and Pickwickian syndrome. Fundus findings and visual acuity improved with phlebotomy, blood pressure regulation, weight reduction and bi-level positive airway pressure therapy. CONCLUSION: OSA and Pickwickian syndrome should be kept in mind when facing a patient with pseudotumor cerebri

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection for acute non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy

Non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy is the most common optic neuropathy of the elderly, characterised by unilateral, sudden, painless visual loss. No effective treatment has been proven to reverse or limit the course of this disease. We evaluated the role of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection in eyes with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Four eyes of four patients with acute NAION received a single intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (4 mg). The time between visual loss and intravitreal injection varied between four and 10 days. Mean age of patients was 57.25 years (range, 44 to 77 years). All patients experienced some visual gain. No complications related to the injection were observed during the following three months. Intravitreal triamcinolone injection may offer help in limiting the damage in this small group of patients with a relatively short history of visual loss due to NAION

Efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab injection in acute nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy: A long-term follow up

Background: To evaluate the effect of a single intravitreal ranibizumab injection in eyes with acute nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Subjects and Methods: In this retrospective clinical data analysis, 17 eyes of sixteen patients who experienced a visual loss with duration of 15 days or less comprised the study group. In addition to standard ophthalmic examination, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) analysis with spectral domain OCT was also performed prior to 0.5 mg Ranibizumab injection, one week, one, three, six months and one year after the injection. Results: The mean time between visual loss and intravitreal injection was 7.5 days (Range, 2-15 days). Mean age of patients was 59 years (Range, 41-90 years). Male to female ratio was 6:10. After a single dose of ranibizumab injection, visual gain was noted in 14 of 17 study eyes. In two eyes, visual acuity was minimally reduced and no change was noted in the remaining eye with an initial visual acuity of hand motions. While pre-injection mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 1.45 ±0.88 log Mar unit, post-injection mean BCVA was 1.00±0.68, 0.86 ±0.70, 0.80 ±0.71, 0.77 ±0.70, 0.77 ±0.70 log Mar unit respectively at the first week, first month, third month, sixth month and first year. In all patients, the mean RNFLT dramatically decreased after the injection during the follow- up. While pre-injection mean RNFLT was 210 ±38 μm, post-injection mean RNFLT was 162.11±40.2, 94±27, 71.23±22.5, 63 ±19 and 57 ±18 μm respectively at the first week, first month, third month, sixth month and first year. No injection related complication was noted during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Intravitreal ranibizumab injection can be a treatment modality in eyes with acute NAION. © Saatci et al

Intravitreal injection treatment in two cases with radiation retinopathy Radyasyon retinopatili i̇ki olguda i̇ntravitreal enjeksiyon tedavisi

Medical records of two patients treated for radiation retinopathy in our clinic were evaluated retrospectively to assess the efficacy of various intravitreal injections. Age of the patients was 28 and 53. The time interval between radiotherapy and radiation retinopathy was 3 years in the first patient and one year in the second. First patient received no prior treatment. Second patient had a history of left vitrectomy for a presumed diagnosis of retinal vein occlusion at another institute. First patient's visual acuity was 2/10 in the right eye and 4/10 in the left eye while second petient's visual acuity was counting fingers at 2 meters in the right eye and counting fingers at 4 meters in the left eye. Their posterior segment examinations revealed changes compatible with radiation retinopathy. There was no retinal or disc neovascularization. Second patient had also signs of optic neuropathy in the left eye. Both patients had multiple intravitreal injections of triamcinolone acetonide, bevacizumab and pegaptanib sodium. Early after injections visual acuity and clinic manifestations became slightly better but re-injections deemed necessary due to recurrent macular oedema. There is no consensus on treatment of radiation retinopathy but intravitreal injections may limit the damage and have a role in the treatment of macular oedema due to radiation retinopathy