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Abstract: In this study, a pulp and paper mill (PPM) in the SEKA Papermaking Plant in İzmit, Turkey, is analysed through energy and exergy balances. The plant utilises recycled waste paper for papermaking. This type of raw material input makes the process highly sophisticated. The pulping uses strictly mechanical processes, such as digestion, separation by screening and hydrocyclone, and refining. The milling, as an integrated process, provides the final operations necessary to prepare the conditions required for the end-product by stock-preparation, wiring, rolling, and drying by dewatering, pressing, and evaporation. The possibility of making the entire process more thermodynamically efficient is discussed by calculating the energy and exergy losses for all the mechanical and physical sub-processes. The study shows that the energy efficiencies for each of the mechanical and physical steps in the PPM vary between 34% and 97.4%, whereas the exergy efficiencies vary between 30.2% and 94.2%. In conclusion, based on the results from the energy and exergy flow analyses, the exergy output can be improved through more efforts directed primarily to further measurements toward more efficient energy utilisation in the PPM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Excessive water consumption in pulp and paper industry results in high amount of wastewater. Pollutant characteristics of the wastewater vary depending on the processes used in production and the quality of paper produced. However, in general, high organic material and suspended solid contents are considered as major pollutants of pulp and paper industry effluents. The major pollutant characteristics of pulp and paper industry effluents in Turkey were surveyed and means of major pollutant concentrations, which were grouped in three different pollution grades (low, moderate and high strength effluents), and flow rates within 3000 to 10,000m3/day range with 1000m3/day steps were used as design parameters. Ninety-six treatment plants were designed using twelve flow schemes which were combinations of physical treatment, chemical treatment, aerobic and anaerobic biological processes. Detailed comparative cost analysis which includes investment, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation costs was prepared to determine optimum treatment processes for each pollution grade. The most economic and technically optimal treatment processes were found as extended aeration activated sludge process for low strength effluents, extended aeration activated sludge process or UASB followed by an aeration basin for medium strength effluents, and UASB followed by an aeration basin or UASB followed by the conventional activated sludge process for high strength effluents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study was designed to apply cleaner production concepts in a Turkish pulp and paper mill, for the first time in Turkey, to introduce the concept as well as to provide a framework for future initiatives. To achieve this objective a comprehensive waste reduction audit was conducted at SEKA Balikesir pulp and paper mill. First, audit schemes from different sources were examined and compiled that resulted in the methodology employed in this work. The audit covered water emissions and water usage. Then, the collected data were compared with international environmental performance indicators from other companies in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe. This comparison provided specific opportunities for improvement at different processes in the mill. For each viable opportunity, different waste reduction measures were analyzed and determined. Furthermore, the benefits of the identified waste reduction options were analyzed for increasing production efficiency and achieving target raw effluent pollution loads from the mill. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Turkish electricity market law (EML) came into force in 2001 aiming at establishing a financially strong, stable, transparent and competitive electricity market based on bilateral contracts. Also, a balancing and settlement system (BSS) was put into practice in November 2004 to create a market where uncontracted generation can be traded, and actual implementation of the BSS started on August, 1st 2006 following a 21-month virtual implementation period. However, BSS has always been criticized from its beginning as transferring excessive profits to private generation companies. The present paper analyzes the implementation of BSS and argues that current BSS not only undermines the healthy development of the electricity market in Turkey but also prevents power investments due to uncertainties it created. It concludes that since the inconsistency between the objectives of EML and results of BSS in practice is obvious, Turkish policy makers need to modify current electricity market policy in line with suggestions presented in the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper entitled “An economic analysis of energy requirements and input costs for tomato production in Turkey” used energy input–output analysis in tomato (industrial type) production and compare it with production costs. The research also pursued to analyze the effect of farm size. As a result of that research, the authors claimed that the better benefit–cost ratio was found on the large farms and it was more successful in economic performance. However, there are some minor and major miscalculations that could, and perhaps should be added to the result section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent publication on the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition in carbonate platforms of NE Turkey reported some major discontinuities. Based on biostratigraphy and Sr-derived ages, one associated hiatus was estimated spanning the Tithonian whereas the remaining three minor hiatuses are supposed to have occurred during the Hauterivian - Barremian interval. The revision of the material (foraminifers and calcareous algae) from the 2 localities studied led to identify Kimmeridgian strata below the discontinuity and Valanginian to ? lower Hauterivian strata above the discontinuity, but no upper Hauterivian or Barremian strata at the top of the section. The major stratigraphic gap possibly corresponds to the Berriasian and most, if not all, of the Tithonian at this location. • The revision of microfossils from NE Turkey leads to different datings than those obtained earlier, which implied Sr ages. • The hiatus associated to the major unconformity spans the Berriasian and probably most of the Tithonian. • The oldest transgressive deposits above the subaerial exposure surface are Valanginian in age, not Berriasian. • Upper Hauterivian to Barremian strata are reascribed to a Valanginian to (?) lower Hauterivian interval. • Such significant changes in the timing of the events should help writing a different scenario for the area and the Black Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the colemanite (a natural calcium borate mineral, NCBM) and Fe 2 O 3 used as a catalyst on the liquefaction of Elbistan Lignite (EL, which has the most reserves in the east of Turkey). The liquefaction experiments were carried out at the reaction temperature of 400 °C, the reaction time of 90 min, the solvent/solid ratio of 3/1, stirring speed of 400 rpm, and initial nitrogen gas pressure of 20 bar. Fe 2 O 3 and colemanite were together prepared as a new catalyst. Research has been made the recent observation that the highest liquefaction product yields, especially from a series of valuable fractions, obtained, with the highest mineral content of lignite. According to that model colemanite mixed with Fe 2 O 3 to decide if the mineral content effect on total conversion if mineral substances added separately from coal. Fe 2 O 3 selected as the most suitable catalyst type. To understand how to affect colemanite (as an economical catalyst source and also has high reserves in Turkey) as a catalyst on the liquefaction of EL with waste paper. The experiment conditions fixed and so compared due to the total conversion values. Unlike previous studies, this study was 67.1% of the total fluid conversion without catalyst, but this value increased to 77.6% when 15% NCBM catalyst was used. The total conversion was up to 83.8% with the catalyst concentration of 3% Fe 2 O 3. On the other hand, when only 3% of Fe 2 O 3 was used, the total conversion was only 75%. As a result, the mixture of NCBM and Fe 2 O 3 increased the liquefaction efficiency by 15% by the synergistic effect. • Colemanite is suitable for commercial liquefaction. • The use of NCBM with Fe 2 O 3 increased total conversion by about 15%. • Low catalyst cost significantly determines liquefaction cost. • As the high total conversion will affect the oil product conversion and the by-product is low means NCBM is eco-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper entitled “An economic analysis of energy requirements and input costs for tomato production in Turkey” was carried out examine the energy requirements of inputs and to make input/output analysis for tomato production for various farm size. As a result of the research, better benefit-cost ratio was given on the large farms. However, due to miscalculation of this ratio, line 6 as given in the original abstract “According to the benefit-cost ratio, large farms were more successful in economic performance” should be changed to “According to the benefit-cost ratio, small farms were more successful in economic performance”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of agricultural and food wastes for biohydrogen generation is a hot research topic. In this paper, biohydrogen generation potentials from wheat, maize, barley, rice and potato production, consumption, associated losses, and household food waste generation in Turkey is estimated till 2030 using novel semi-empirical holistic models based on different scenarios. It was estimated that up to 90 thousand tonnes of biohydrogen could be produced from household food wastes in Turkey in 2030. This amount of biohydrogen would be worth 1.5 billon US$ and generate nearly 0.8 billion US$ of net return. In addition, this study clearly shows that there is a great potential for economic gain from agricultural and food waste based biohydrogen generation in Turkey. In conclusion, the methodology developed in this study could be used by researchers around the world to estimate local and national level biohydrogen generation potentials from agricultural and food wastes. [Display omitted] • This paper examines biohydrogen potentials from agricultural and food wastes. • Holistic per capita models for estimating annual biohydrogen production potentials. • Annual production and sale costs are estimated. • Annual net returns from biohydrogen generation are calculated. • The results highlight recommendations for future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on fishing vessels worldwide began in the 1850s and continues to increase to this day. In Turkey, academic studies on fishing vessels commenced with the establishment of the Ata Nutku Ship Model Experiment Laboratory in 1953. Academic studies on fishing vessels in Turkey can be divided into three periods: the early period studies, the İTU fishing vessel series studies, and the Black Sea type fishing vessels studies. The early period studies started in the 1950s and continued until the 1970s, focusing on Taka, Çektirme, and Alametro type fishing vessels. The İTU fishing vessel series studies began in 1979 under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Kemal KAFALI, in collaboration with İTU and TÜBİTAK, based on fishing vessel forms developed through model experiments, and have continued to the present day. The third period, the Black Sea type fishing vessels studies, started in the 1990s and research on these forms is still ongoing. These fishing vessels, generally built in the Black Sea region, are now used in all seas and oceans. This study examined master's and doctoral theses, articles, and conference papers from these three periods. The subjects were analyzed in a cause-and-effect relationship, and the information contained was summarized. • Academic studies on fishing vessels in Turkey. • Doctoral and master's theses, articles and conference papers from 1950 to the present. • Studies on Taka, Çektirme, Alametro. • Studies on ITU fishing boats series. • Studies on the Black Sea type fishing vessel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ejector cycles achieved higher performance than booster cycle within the gas cooler outlet temperature range of 31 and 50°C. • Multi-ejectors can be applied to ejector cycles with different configurations. • Up to 17% annual energy consumption reduction was found using ejector cycles. • Unit product exergy costs of ejector cycles are up to 28% lower than booster cycle. Restrictions on high-GWP refrigerants have made the use of transcritical CO 2 refrigeration systems widespread. Using transcritical booster refrigeration cycle in warm climates is unsatisfactory due to its high energy consumption. This paper presents theoretical analysis and performance comparison of three different transcritical CO 2 supermarket refrigeration cycle configurations with ejector expansion in Türkiye, which has different climatic regions. Bin-hour data were derived using hourly dry-bulb temperature values for provinces from 7 different regions in Türkiye. The applicability of multi-ejectors to each modeled cycle was also investigated. Annual energy consumption and environmental impact reductions of up to 17% were obtained using ejector expansion cycle compared to booster cycle. Ejector expansion cycles achieved higher performance than booster cycle up to 46% in terms of exergy efficiency at investigated ambient temperatures. Unit product exergy costs of the ejector cycles were found up to 28% lower than booster cycle. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new family of estimators for population mean with a non-response using a simple random sampling. It specifically applies this method to estimate the mean in Turkey's Education sector data sets, accounting for non-response. The study integrates additional information in the form of mean and cdf of the auxiliary variable which is highly positively correlated with the study variable to develop a general class of estimators tailored for the non-response using a simple random sampling scheme. Through numerical research, the characteristics of these estimators – namely, their biases and mean square errors – have been carefully investigated and deeply evaluated. The basic estimator of a population mean is under-performed by the suggested estimators. The empirical investigation validates the results, demonstrating the improved relative efficiency of the proposed estimator over the existing estimators, as demonstrated by theoretical and numerical comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common oral mucosal disease. Despite a variety of scientific articles have been available till date, merely a few scientometric analyses have been systematically carried out in this field. The objective of this study was to recognize the hotspots and research trends related to RAS via bibliometric approach. The Elsevier's Scopus database was searched to retrieve qualified literature through an advanced search strategy on 9 Feb 2023. The basic information was collected as following: article type, publication year, journals, impact factor, the count of citations, citation density, keywords, authors, contributing institutions and country. A list of 986 publications were identified from 1933 to 2022, and the number of citations for each paper varied from 0 to 283. A steady increasing trend in the number of documents could be observed each decade with the summit in 2010s. Controlled study (n = 334) and major clinical study (n = 192) were the most common types of study design. Scully C (n = 26) was identified as the most productive author. United States (n = 166) and Turkey (n = 101) top the list of dedicating countries. This report would offer profound insight into the current status of RAS research and serve as a reference source for anyone planning to enhance the quality of future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtually errorless high speed data processing feature has made computers popular assessment tools in education. An important concern in developing countries considering integrating computers as an educational assessment tool before making substantial investment is the effects of computer-based testing on students’ test scores as compared to paper-and-pencil tests. This study investigated whether test scores of Turkish students were different in the computer-based test and in the paper-and-pencil test, with forty-seven undergraduate students studying at a public university located in the Blacksea region of Turkey. Findings of this study showed that test scores of undergraduate students were not different in the computer-based test and in the paper-and-pencil test which led us to reach the conclusion that computer-based testing can be considered as a promising alternative technique for the undergraduate students in Turkey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The paper evaluates the effect of charging plastic bags on consumer behavior. • The demand by the consumer for plastic bags, bin bags, and own bags is analyzed. • Face-to-face questionnaires are applied to 821 consumers reside in Istanbul. • There has been a change of using plastic bags in shopping. • There has been a change of using plastic bags keeping it as domestic waste. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the plastic bag fee (that was implemented in Turkey recently) on the consumer behavior. For this purpose, a face-to-face consumer survey with 821 respondents was conducted in Istanbul. A paired sample t -test was carried out in order to compare consumers' average frequency of using plastic bags, bringing their own bags for shopping, using plastic bags obtained in shopping for domestic waste and purchasing bin bags for domestic waste before/after the implementation of the policy of charging for plastic bags. Two different multiple regression analyses were carried out to determine which factors affect the change in plastic bag demand by the consumers for when the plastic bags were free of charge and for when they were paid. The results suggest that there has been a statistically significant change in consumers' behaviors towards using plastic bags in shopping and the means of keeping domestic waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that the achievement of sustainability of public debt requiring the fulfillment of solvency and liquidity conditions in countries for which real interest rates are above the real growth rates is challenging and difficult. Since solvency is a rather complex concept and its governance is difficult and delicate, the paper maintains that such countries could try to achieve the sustainability of public debt by delegating the tasks of securing the observance of solvency and liquidity conditions to fiscal councils (FC) that need to be formed as autonomous public institutions with sufficient financial and technical resources. In Turkey FC needs to be assigned the further task of improving policymakers' incentives to opt for sound government procurement and taxation policies that would lead to the achievement of efficient allocation of resources and elimination of corruption and nepotism in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeastern Turkey perished by the M w 7.8, Kahramanmaras earthquake on February 6, 2023, at 01:17 UT (04:17 LT). The Kahramanmaras-centered event, hit by the break of the East Anatolian Fault Line, is felt in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, and Cyprus on the border of Turkey. Together with Syria, it causes loss of lives and severe damage in 10 cities. This work is dedicated to the people of the region. The study discusses the causality of anomalies by conducting ionospheric anomaly research via the interpolated TEC map obtained from the CODE according to the coordinates of the epicenter of the earthquake (latitude, longitude). The TEC amplitudes are observed by evolving the time-domain TEC map into the frequency-domain with the Fourier transform. The peaks of the amplitudes allow preliminary information for the anomaly days. For the anomaly, the TEC (TECU) boundaries are drawn by the statistical specification. The TEC map outside these boundaries is marked as an anomaly. The causality of abnormalities is tried to be read through the triad of the geomagnetic storm(s) , solar activity , and the earthquake effect. One can find seven anomaly days in the paper. January 30, February 2, 3, 11, 15, 16, and 21 are the anomaly days. The essay probably detects the anomaly before 3 days related to the Southeastern earthquake. • Reads the causality of the earthquake in southeast Turkey (Mw 7.8), through the ionosphere-earth crust relationship. • Notices potential anomalies by presenting the time-domain TEC atlas in the frequency domain with Fourier spectral analysis. • Considering all possible TEC anomaly essentials detect the precursors of the earthquake 3 days before the event day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the abundance of renewable energy potential in Turkey, green hydrogen derived from renewable sources holds great promise as a fuel. This paper presents a model for obtaining green hydrogen from medium-temperature geothermal sources. In this model, the Zilan location in the Van province of Turkey was identified as a suitable site for electricity and hydrogen production from low or medium-temperature geothermal sources due to its significant geothermal and water resource potential. In this regard, the installed capacity of the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) geothermal power plant is determined by using Monte Carlo Simulation based on the characteristics of the geothermal well at this location, and subsequently, the hydrogen production performance has been evaluated by analyzing the water of Lake Van. According to the analysis results, Lake Van was found to be efficient for hydrogen production. Hydrogen production from Lake Van water was subsequently simulated using the electrolysis method with this ORC geothermal power plant. According to the findings of this model, the hourly hydrogen production potential at this location using a 1.4 MW ORC plant, based on 2022 data, was estimated to be 18.6 kg, which is projected to increase to 28 kg based on 2050 estimated data. In addition, the techno-economic analysis of this compact green hydrogen production process was conducted in the study. The production cost of 1 kg of hydrogen was calculated to be €4.91 in 2022, while it is expected to be €1.21 in 2050. These results indicate that ORC technology will become competitive in hydrogen production in the upcoming years. • Determining the installed capacity of an ORC plant using Monte Carlo simulation. • Producing green hydrogen through an ORC power plant. • Analysis of the hydrogen production potential of the relevant water source. • Selection of the suitable electrolysis unit. • Hourly hydrogen production capacity of compact facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severalreports have been published on the history of pioneering women pursuing neurosurgery. Women in Turkey started receiving neurosurgery specialty training later than men, as was the case in other parts of the world. However, compared to other countries, Turkey saw the admission of women in neurosurgery sooner, with Aysima Altınok who obtained her specialization in 1959. Nevertheless, Yıldız Yalçınlar, one of the pioneers, remains relatively unknown. In this paper, we witness Yıldız Yalçınlar's journey, from her graduation from Ankara Medical Faculty in 1954 and her subsequent specialization in general surgery to her arrival in Iğdır as a young surgeon in the early 1960s, where she faced cultural challenges. We explored her transition into neurosurgery, becoming the second neurosurgeon in Turkey in 1965. We examine her complex career progression from receiving her specialization in neurosurgery to her academic journey toward becoming a department chief and her role as one of the founding members of the Turkish Neurosurgery Association. In Turkey, the number of women practicing as neurosurgeons has increased consistently. Despite this upward trend, the representation of women in the field of neurosurgery remains disproportionately low. We hope that Yıldız Yalçınlar's achievements, which began in the early 60s, will encourage women today and contribute to the continuing growth of neurosurgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Turkey, the transportation industry's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by 147.1% between 1990 and 2019. Today, this transportation industry (i.e., freight and passenger) is among the significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Turkey's megacities. Moreover, 65.43% of short-distance trips between home to work and home to school have been made by private automobiles in Istanbul and increasing concerns about environmental pollution have led practitioners to seek practical, robust, and effective solutions to reduce GHG emissions. Shared electric scooters have rapidly become popular for end-users and practitioners in megacities, depending on their valuable advantages. However, the rapid spread of micro-mobility, characterized by e-scooters, has also raised questions about this system's sustainability, suitability, and applicability. Thus, there are some critical and noteworthy gaps in this issue. This study investigates the factors affecting the suitable e-scooter selection for a sustainable urban transport system. Besides, it aims to develop a methodological framework for assessing the available e-scooter alternatives. For this purpose, a novel negotiation approach, a new form of the Delphi technique, was developed with the help of Fermatean fuzzy sets to identify the influential criteria. Also, the current paper presents a consensus-based MULTIMOORA (Multiple Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis plus Full Multiplicative Form) decision-making model based on Fermatean fuzzy sets to address the appraisal problem concerning e-scooter selection. The current paper indicated that economic measures such as acquisition price and upkeep costs affect the e-scooter selection processes. In addition, an optimization model based on cross-entropy and dispersion measures is utilized to compute criteria weights. It highlighted that the costs of e-scooters are still high, and operators consider these criteria instead of the technical and operational features of the e-scooters. Finally, the validity check executed to test the robustness and trustworthiness of the model affirms the model's firmness and trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spike is a type of abnormal waveform observed in strong motion records. It is characterized by a sudden and significant increase in peak acceleration, exceeding the theoretical range, and being greatly uncoordinated with the surrounding record points. The spike severely affects the reliability of subsequent analysis of strong motion records. This paper conducts research based on the strong motion records of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes in 2023. It focuses on the spike represented as Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) and proposes a spike recognition model for strong motion records using Bayesian-optimized Support Vector Machine (SVM). Firstly, a preprocessing method for strong motion records based on adaptive waveform scaling is proposed. This method enables the adaptive normalization of strong motion records with different scales, thereby eliminating the influence of different scales on the accuracy of manual annotations. Furthermore, a new method for characterizing strong motion records is proposed. It captures shape features (two-dimensional) through one-dimensional data, enabling the spatial distribution of strong motion records to be represented by a shape feature vector. Finally, a Bayesian optimization-based improved SVM model is proposed. It utilizes the feature extraction method proposed in this paper for the identification of spikes in strong motion records. The experimental results show that the proposed model in this paper achieved excellent performance, with an F1-score of 0.868 and an AUC value of 0.93 on the test set. • A normalization method for strong motion records at different scales is proposed. • Proposed a numerical computation-based method for spike feature extraction. • Developed a spike identification model based on Support Vector Machine. • Optimized our model's hyperparameters using bayesian optimization. • Achieved good results on the dataset of Turkey-Syria earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing knowledge-based and usable climate change policies requires establishing science-policy interfaces through which knowledge producers and policymakers cooperate. Current research reveals that co-production-based interfaces dominated neither by knowledge producers nor policymakers succeed in facilitating the transformation of knowledge into politics. From this point of view, this paper explores how Izmir Development Agency (IZKA), a regional development agency in Turkey, utilizes scientific knowledge and science-policy interfaces in its activities on climate change. Based on the analysis of agency documents and semi-structured interviews with experts from and outside IZKA, the findings indicate that IZKA thrives in integrating scientific knowledge on climate change in its activities drawing from multi-stakeholder and multi-level science-policy interfaces that have significant similarities with the co-production model. In these interfaces, international, national, regional, and local stakeholders share their resources, knowledge, and experience on climate change. Although legal, geographical, and demographic conditions also have an impact, the main reason behind IZKA's success is the agency's climate-focused vision that shapes decisions, strategies, organizational structure, and activities. In parallel to the indicated finding, this paper also discloses that the perspective of not prioritizing climate change and considering the potential benefits as only "co-benefit" does not yield results with the desired efficiency. Another finding is that even though the national government is the main actor on climate in Turkey, development agencies are capable of carrying out transformative activities in their regions, albeit limited. • Effective climate policies necessitate multi-stakeholder and multi-level science-policy interfaces. • The concept of "co-production" provides a useful theoretical framework for science-policy interaction. • To improve science-policy interfaces, barriers and facilitators must be well identified. • Climate change should be integrated into the local policy agenda as "the main focus", not as "a co-benefit". • Although Turkey has a centralized political system, local and regional actors can also be influential in climate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, renewable energy generation (REG) forecasting has become a challenging task for effective energy management. To date, a number of time-series models utilizing physical models, statistical techniques, and artificial intelligence algorithms have been proposed to deal with this problem. Fuzzy time series (FTS) models stand out among these methods since they do not need extensive historical data or some statistical assumptions like the normal distribution. Because intuitionistic fuzzy sets incorporate non-membership values in addition to membership values, they provide more information than conventional fuzzy sets do. In this regard, this paper recommends a hybrid methodology that combines the intuitionistic FTS method with the intuitionistic fuzzy c-means method for REG forecasting of Turkey between the years 2000–2020. According to the empirical results, it can be concluded that the presented integrated model showed good performance in terms of accuracy. The suggested framework is a useful tool not only for REG forecasting but also for other time series forecasting problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behramkale, also known as the ancient city of Assos, has gained considerable national and international visibility after its declaration as an Archaeological site in 1982 and later in 2000 as Urban Archaeological site. The declaration brought with it stringent regulations limiting new constructions and simple extensions in the historical village and opened new construction site outside the ancient city walls for future developments. After declaration, the village has become a major destination for cultural heritage led tourism. This largely growth oriented transformation is concerning as less attention given to shift in class structure. The paper uses the concepts of rural and tourism gentrification to understand this transformation in Behramkale using empirical evidence from a longitudinal, case study approach spanning between 2000 and 2017. The longitudinal, case study documents transformation in terms of (i) demographic and socio-economic changes; (ii) conservation practice in old settlement and development of new settlement; and (iii) change in property prices and ownership. It is seen that the authentic characteristics of the landscape and traditional buildings that is being abandoned but remains desirable have led to a population influx from, bigger cities of Turkey and also other countries, purchasing these homes as a primary or secondary house. This has led to renovation of the existing buildings with an increase in the property prices and displacement of the local population to the new development area. Consequently, the conservation practice in Behramkale served merely encouraging investment in building renovation rather than a function of preserving local community. The paper contributes to limited literature on rural gentrification within the Mediterranean context. • Heritage led transformation of rural villages have severe impacts on inhabitants. • Tourism activities are important factor for the development of the rural economies. • Rural village Behramkale has transformed with the conservation site declaration. • Declaration of conservation site enhanced the interest of the urbanities and intensified tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The city of Burdur has been selected as the target city. • Solar power target of Turkey has been analyzed at urban level for Burdur. • The results show that the solar share of the total installed capacity will reach 49%. The energy profile of a city, with all of the relevant details about production and consumption phases, is a significant part of its sustainability rating. Therefore, municipalities have initiated the development of Sustainable Energy Action Plans as a key document to introduce the respective course of actions in order to define the technology adaptation process, identify the principal sources of CO 2 emissions and their respective reduction potentials for the designated target years. A complete energy-strategy plan is required to handle the financial, technical, and environmental dimensions, not just for the country, but also for cities. As a powerful energy model generator among the energy planning and optimization tools, TIMES utilizes the energy, economy, and environmental parameters simultaneously. This paper aims to oversee and indicate the possible implications of "2023 energy targets" of Turkey in a city-level energy modeling. In this perspective, the city of Burdur is selected as the target to implement the designated solar energy policy targets. With this paper, nationwide official targets are evaluated for a city level by calculating long-term effects and costs to the system. A total of 5000 MW of solar energy utilization target of Turkey has been reduced to the urban level for Burdur, depending on its share of solar energy, and then applied as an alternative scenario on the energy model developed for this analysis. The results show that the solar share of the total installed capacity of Burdur city will reach 49% while tripling the solar-based electricity generation in its energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Contextualised and place bound sustainability transitions. • Sustainable alternatives being constructed by specific actors. • Sustainable agro-food transition is in the making in İzmir. • Exploratory case study research. The city of İzmir-Turkey has recently attracted interest for a range of actions regarding agro-food and been perceived as a pioneer in providing alternatives to the practices of the incumbent agro-food regime. This paper builds on the multi-level perspective as a heuristic device to place these actions within discussions of sustainable agro-food transitions. Findings suggest that what could be considered as individual and isolated practices that diverge from agro-food regime may be viewed as sustainable niche alternatives from a transition perspective and hailed for sowing the seeds of an urban sustainability transition in the making. It is also demonstrated that making urban sustainability transitions in stabilized regimes such as agro-food, is as predicated on contestation and struggle as it is on policy devolution to localities, suggesting that sustainable agro-food transitions cannot be studied in isolation from the domain of urban policy and without incorporating adversarial struggle into the analysis. This paper comprises five sections. The introduction is followed by a conceptual section, outlining some of the key insights provided by the MLP and its application in an analysis of sustainability transitions. Following a description of the methodology employed, the focus turns to İzmir in the fourth section, offering empirical evidence that sustainable agro-food transitions are in the making in the city, which it does by addressing the generic pressures surrounding the agro-food regime and outlining the emerging local government-driven and bottom-up responses to these pressures that diverge from and run parallel to the prevailing agro-food regime. Finally, the paper reflects on the implications of the findings for the role of cities in terms of their contribution to the struggle for a sustainable future for agro-food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of macroeconomic recovery policies implemented by fiscal and monetary authorities against Covid-19 pandemic in Turkey. A dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, in which Turkey is defined as an open and small developing country, is built. The model contains eight groups of agents, which are two heterogeneous households, the firms producing intermediate, final and capital goods, the commercial bank, the central bank and the government. Stochastic simulations of the model reveal the propagation of Covid-19 shock, the impacts of fiscal and monetary tools on the selected economic variables. The simulations demonstrate that direct fiscal measures are more effective in mitigating negative economic impacts of Covid-19. This paper broadens existing literature on the macroeconomic impacts of Covid-19 by exerting the functioning of different fiscal and monetary measures in a comprehensive framework within a developing country context. • A simulated dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model is constructed. • Covid-19 is introduced as an autoregressive process that directly affects labor supply, aggregate demand as well as households' consumption and external block such as export, global interest rates and inflation. • Direct fiscal measures are much more effective in alleviating negative impacts of the pandemic in Turkey. • A more targeted and harmonious policy mix that includes more direct fiscal tools and prudently accommodative monetary policy would be more appropriate in order to support output and consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2007, the number of HIV diagnoses in Turkey has increased more than 600% and the AIDS-related deaths have more than doubled. Despite trans community being severely impacted by the growing epidemic, there exists a conspicuous absence of epidemiological data regarding the HIV burden of trans people. This paper examines the medical experiences of HIV-positive trans women who engage in sex work and the harmful violence they encounter at the hands of health providers. The paper emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to address the intersecting issues of HIV risk, structural violence, and discrimination faced by HIV-positive trans sex workers, one of the most marginalized communities worldwide. To interpret better how transphobia and HIVphobia become deeply entangled in Turkish medical settings, the paper draws from the concepts of iatrogenesis , necropolitics, and immunity. By bringing together these conceptual tools with long-term ethnographic data and in-depth interviews, this paper demonstrates that trans women are treated by healthcare providers as though they are always-already infectious. The paper contends that aggressive immunitarian boundaries, erected between healthcare personnel and individuals deemed "contagious others," are central to doctors' denial of medical care and reluctance to touch, examine, or even admit trans patients, particularly when they are HIV-positive. • Social immunization lies at the core of doctors' refusal of care for trans patients. • Social immunization is central to the operation of necropolitics and iatrogenesis. • Doctors establish violent boundaries in an attempt to "protect" themselves. • Trans women are assumed to be inherently contagious by healthcare providers. • Trans communities are slowly debilitated through denial of healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the significance of real and monetary integrations for the inflationary dynamics of an emerging country, Turkey. The analysis accounts for 2-digit items of CPI inflation, which can be broadly categorized as tradable versus non-tradable and goods versus services. We find that a fall in the inflation gap between partner countries is mainly related to real integration whereas the co-movement of inflation is prominently driven by monetary policy co-movements. The product-type analysis shows that inflation gap in tradable items between trade partners shrinks and becomes more correlated with the (de)convergence and co-movement of real integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatolia witnessed an increase in mobility and interaction during the Iron Age. Peoples from Southeastern Europe and Southwest Asia migrated into and across Anatolia. At the same time, under the influence of expanding and competing polities, trade and military mobility reinforced supra-regional networks across land and sea. Little is known about how animal husbandry practices in Iron Age Anatolia changed in the face of these large-scale movements of people and goods. Especially little understood remains how past mobility and connectivity influenced pig husbandry, as pigs are generally considered rather immobile animals, and Iron Age animal mobility studies tend to focus on pastoralist practices (e.g. Hammer and Arbuckle, 2017). Yet, pig husbandry practices are highly plastic, and may have changed dynamically along with evolving economic and socio-cultural circumstances during the first millennium BC. In addition, palaeogenetic studies provide evidence that durign the Iron Age pigs with European lineages appeared and subsequently spread over Anatolia (Ottoni et al., 2013) suggesting pigs may have been actively incorporated in trade and mobility. Building on these two observations, this paper explores pig husbandry practices over the course of the Anatolian Iron Age (1200–600 BCE) by (1) discussing diachronic change in relative abundance of pigs and mortality patterns over different sites in first millennium BC Anatolia; (2) investigating whether the introduction of European pigs in Anatolia coincided with noticeable phenotypic changes in pig populations by looking at pig biometry using the R package zoolog. Primary data from various key sites are presented (Troy, Klazomenai, Gordion, Kerkenes, Kinet Höyük) alongside a meta-analysis of published zooarchaeological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing recognition of the importance of insurgent group structure on conflict outcomes, there is very little empirical research thereon. Though this problem is rooted in the inaccessibility of data on militant group structure, insurgents frequently publish large volumes of image data on the internet. In this paper, I develop a new methodology that leverages this abundant but underutilized source of data by automating the creation of a social network graph based on co-appearance in photographs using deep learning. Using a trove of 20,645 obituary images published online by the PKK, a Kurdish militant group in Turkey, I demonstrate that an individual's centrality in the resulting co-appearance network is closely correlated with their rank in the insurgent group. • Develops a new methodology to auto-generate social network graphs from photographs. • Leverages image data to map the internal structure of a militant group. • Identifies a strong relationship between network centrality and insurgent rank. • Explores the group's structural resilience to counterinsurgency strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy cooperatives (RECs) in Turkey have received considerable attention in recent years and the total number of cooperatives is 46 in 2020. With increased environmental awareness and energy demand, RECs aim the local and renewable resources to be used by the people of the region by creating an example venture model through cooperatives. The growth in the number of cooperatives has resulted largely from Turkish energy policy and arrangement of Renewable Energies Act. This study is aimed to identify energy cooperatives, current situations, advantages, characterizing the implementation barriers RECs face and external factors. For this purpose, an online questionnaire was carried out with REC members and questionnaires were sent to 468 members of 20 cooperatives via e-mail, and approximately 80% return was obtained, 16 management board members were interviewed with categorized questions, and RECs websites were examined, as well. This paper presents an overview of This paper presents an overview of Turkish energy cooperatives in terms of organization, financing, membership, technology, policy, internal and external barriers drawing on collected data. How to create a better understanding of energy cooperatives and contribute to the Turkish energy policy were discussed. RECs could be an example venture model to provide the local and renewable resources to be used by the people of the region. Also, RECs can be an important building block of the energy transition in Turkey where consumed energy mainly imported from abroad and if RECs are to continue to play an important role in the energy transition, policy makers are expected to support their growth. These findings may be a guide for further researches for Turkey. • RECs can be an important building block of the energy transition in Turkey. • Differences in the development of RECs exist mainly regarding the finance. • The main external factor in the development of RECs is policy. • The amount of electricity produced is the most important indicator of success of RECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional agricultural knowledge of local farming communities in centers of genetic diversity is a foundational component of modern agricultural practices. This paper aims to explore how traditional agricultural knowledge of farmer communities and scientific knowledge can be brought together, and become the focus of agricultural research and technologies which meet the priorities defined by farmers themselves. We will address this issue in the context of Turkey, a Vavilov center of genetic origin and diversity for several important crops. The fieldwork of the paper is based on open-ended, in-depth interviews with six pioneer farmers from different parts of Turkey, 22 farmers in Kars who are stewards of genetic resources and holders of traditional agricultural knowledge, two millers/farmers and a scientist from Kafkas University in Kars. The paper aims to lay out, from farmers' perspectives: (a) what are the priorities for agricultural research and technologies that can enable the continuation of traditional agricultural practices and heritage, and sustain farmers' livelihoods at the same time (b) in what ways can these priorities be realized. As such, the paper aims to contribute to the debate on democratization of agricultural research. The paper will argue that even though a great potential for integrating traditional agricultural knowledge with scientific knowledge exists, in the absence of a relational context in which farmers and experts can engage with each other on equal grounds, individual efforts by innovative farmers will remain limited in terms of changing power relations and prioritizing farmers' knowledge and research needs. • Traditional agricultural knowledge (TAK) is crucial for modern agriculture. • Structural constraints hinder bringing together TAK and scientific knowledge. • Existing research does not address traditional farmers' priorities. • Individual efforts by innovative farmers are limited in transforming power relations. • Relational context where farmers and experts equally engage each other is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to explore the success factors and barriers to digital co-creation between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). The analysis is based on a qualitative approach, and particularly 80 semi-structured interviews with experts in digital co-creation from HEIs and NGOs from Poland, Germany, Turkey and Italy. The article identifies key success factors, including country's level of digitalization, individual's motivation to engage with digital platforms and methods, common goals, attitudes, and expectations. The study also highlights several barriers to successful digital co-creation, including variety of digital platforms, interpersonal connection, disengagement, and decreased attention spans. Among the success factors and barriers both external and internal factors were identified, all comprising a network of driving fosters and limitations to digital co-creation. Main of them include country's level of digitalization, motivation to engage with digital technology, digital literacy, incentives for engagement, shared goals and mutual understanding, variety of digital platforms, fear from losing interpersonal interactions, disengagement, and decreased attention span. The findings of this study will be of interest to HEIs, NGOs, policymakers, and other stakeholders involved in digital co-creation initiatives, providing insights on how to overcome barriers and optimize success factors to achieve effective and sustainable partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional method to authenticate users on mobile devices or applications requires usernames and passwords. This approach authenticates the user only at the entry point of an application without providing continuous authentication during the whole session. This paper explores the use of behavioral biometrics, which involves tracking the unique movements of a user while interacting with a device, for continuous authentication on a mobile banking application. As a methodology, we use binary classification and explore the performance of deep learning algorithms. A dataset is collected from 45 participants using a mobile banking application in Turkey. We train four different types of deep architectures, including Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), LSTM, bi-directional LSTM, and convolutional LSTM. The dataset includes data from both touch screens and motion sensors. The results of the experiments reveal that MLP and the convolutional-LSTM algorithms achieve the best performance on raw data from both motion sensors and touch screens. Accuracy rates are over 99.85%, and FAR, FRR, and EER are below 0.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the current energy mix and the power generation infrastructure of Turkey have been analyzed and two different hydrogen based alternative scenarios applied on Burdur TIMES energy model to foresee the economic and environmental results in the 2016–2031 time period. An improved RES was created to illustrate the current energy network of Burdur city and to determine the relationships between energy carriers and the respective technologies, and then this structure is specified by the relevant data, including fuel cell-powered land vehicle technologies integrated into the land transportation demand side. This paper analyses the feasibility of hydrogen as an alternative energy carrier in the fuel mix for electricity generation in Burdur City to achieve sustainable economic growth, to improve the energy security by minimizing respective environmental emissions and indicate the possible implications of the introduction of the hydrogen supply chain and respective fuel cell end-use technologies in a city level energy modelling perspective. Burdur is selected as the target city to implement the designated level of land transport passenger demand by hydrogen technologies; and after implementation of hydrogen cars in 2020; it has been evaluated that only 0.09 PJ of hydrogen car activity prevents a total of 43.44 kT CO 2 emission in Burdur, addressing the 8% of the total emission in the base scenario between the analysis time horizon. Finally, hydrogen has been evaluated as a clean, dependable option to diversify the energy mix on the current energy supply system of Burdur. • A reference energy system developed for Burdur City in Turkey. • Hydrogen chain supply specified into the reference energy system. • An integrated optimization model structured for the hydrogen supply chain. • A long-term urban bottom-up energy model created for hydrogen in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper examines asymmetric effects of MP shocks on economic activity in Turkey. • Using Markov Switching Model, the paper uses both business cycle and credit cycles. • Economic activity responds asymmetrically to MP shocks. • Shocks during contractions are more significant than shocks during expansions. • The asymmetric effect is stronger when credit cycles determine the state of economy. In this paper, we examine the asymmetric effects of monetary policy shocks on economic activity in Turkey. We use quarterly data for the gross domestic product (GDP) and industrial production along with their sub-sectors for the 2006Q1–2017Q4 period. We implement a Markov Switching Model to endogenously determine the states of the economy with two different variables: we first use real aggregate GDP data to determine the expansionary or contractionary business cycles and then we use credit data to determine expansionary or contractionary credit cycles. We find that the monetary policy shocks have stronger effects on both the GDP, industrial production and their sub-components during contractionary periods, while the results are much weaker for the expansionary periods. Moreover, the asymmetric effects become more apparent when we use credit cycles for the determination of economic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Calabrien pine (Pinus brutia) wood chips prior to kraft pulping were biologically pre-treated with selected white-rot fungi (Ceriporiopsis subvermispora ), which was recorded to be preferentially attacking the lignin component of the wood. The effects of this treatment on beating performance and physical strength of resultant papers were studied in detail. Bio-treated samples showed comparable and, in most cases, higher physico-mechanical properties than those obtained from untreated controls. Under the same beating conditions the bio-treated kraft pulp was noted to have the lower SR* indicating a lower degree of external fibrillation. The paper made from bio-treated kraft pulp has a higher density, tensile property, air permeability and swellability. Furthermore, remarkable energy savings up to 33 % were observed when beating bio-treated kraft pulp. This study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms taking place during bio-treatment and the modification processes of cell wall components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The massification project led to the formation of a university-industrial complex. • Massification is achieved through a state-led spatial fix in newly emerging urban centers. • The developmentalist project created a diversely skilled surplus population. • Youth is entrapped within production sites, debt relationships, and local economies. Turkish higher education has been massified in a fast-paced reform wave through widespread proliferation of public universities in less developed cities, accompanied with the state-led student loan expansion since the early 2000 s. From a geographical-historical materialist lens, this paper elucidates the duplicitous character of the massification project, arguing that rather than democratizing the access to higher education, this transformation prioritized the benefits of local capital accumulation in the newly emerging urban centers to the detriment of the educated youth, entrapping the latter in unemployment, underemployment, and indebtedness, rendering them a diversely skilled relative surplus population. Based on two-year long qualitative research, the paper identifies three intertwined youth enclosures that have functioned as constitutive mechanisms of a spatial fix, forming what this paper conceptualizes as the university-industrial complex : physical enclosure of the university youth in emerging production sites as disposable cheap labour force, temporal enclosure of the graduates in long-term debt relations with the state, and finally social enclosure of the youth for their reproduction in predatory local economies of non-metropolitan cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each city has a unique fabric corresponding to the dominant modes of production, legal control, and guidance systems in which it operates. Any periodic alteration in the settled mode of housing supply, in this sense, potentially results in an intrinsic change in 'typological diversity' and 'spatial continuity' within the collective fabric. If not coordinated by design and development control, the emergent variation in the housing typology may result in spatial fragmentation through the collective urban fabric. To test that point, the paper aims to reveal the subtle relationship between the two phenomena on a morphological basis. Through rapidly changing socio-economic dynamics in the last century, the cities of Turkey are subject to different housing production forms, therefore, offering a relevant context to examine the issue. Along with a planning system without effective development control tools to ensure spatial coherence responding to the dynamic nature of the housing sector, the residential fabric of Ankara comprises all the dominant housing typologies that emerged within different periods in Turkey. Accordingly, following a historical review of the housing supply forms in Turkey, the paper maps the emerging patterns of modern housing typologies through successive development zones of the city. It examines their internal typomorphological characteristics via a series of transects. Utilizing the GIS-based coherency analysis, the level of morphological continuity on each transect is calculated. Consequently, in light of the findings of the analysis, a critical perspective on housing production and development control creating different forms of spatial fragmentation through typological variation is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Firm size and technological change are closely related. • The concentration of the market structure explains most disparities in cross-country productivity. • The shift from small to large size classes has a strong role for enhancing productivity in developed countries. • 71% of Germany and Turkey's productivity differential are explained by misallocation. This paper investigates the extent to which the distribution of firm sizes affects growth and productivity. The empirical analysis is underpinned by a multilevel database comprising information on manufacturing sectors of 35 countries disaggregated in five firm size classes. Three complementary strategies to assess the relationship are implemented. The first, a country-level counterfactual analysis, measures the hypothetical impact of a firm reallocation to reflect a benchmark market structure. It is followed by a decomposition exercise that illustrates the impact of both the structural and technological components on the annual productivity growth between 1991 and 2007. Finally, different econometric models are estimated to assess the statistical significance of changes in the firm size distribution on growth and the role of the concentration of the market structure in explaining the cross-country productivity discrepancies. The results suggest that the firm size is a key driver the development process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey has changed the essentials of its energy markets more than a decade ago. It was mainly a transition from a state-led model to a free-market one. Although some levels of progress is observable; security of supply, particularly in times of short term supply disruption had not been widely tested. Harsh winter conditions set a litmus test for Turkish energy markets. Basing on the this test, this paper provides an analysis of to what extent Turkey is open to the risks of energy supply security; and discusses possible measures to relieve future supply disruption risks. Energy policy-making should consider the fact that electricity and gas markets are highly intertwined in Turkey; and security of supply measures could have cross-market implications, paper concludes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new field, petrographic, geochemical, Sr Nd isotopic and geochronological data from Kestanbol Magmatic Complex (KMC) in the western Anatolia. Zircon U Pb ages from the KMC were in the range 21.91 Ma and 21.52 Ma, indicating Miocene emplacement. 40Ar/39Ar dating results of biotites from the same samples show a narrow range of ages between 20.0 and 22.7 and a weighted mean of 21.41 ± 0.40 Ma, and those of hornblende analysis yield ages between 21.52 and 31.19 Ma with a weighted mean of 22.70 ± 0.99 Ma, are interpreted as the cooling age of the KMC. The average (U-Th/He) ages from the KMC yielded an average of 21.5 Ma and 19.8 Ma. These new age data indicate rapid cooling following the emplacement of the KMC at ∼21 Ma. We suggest that the cooling was due to rapid uplift in the western Anatolia. The studied monzonitic, syenitic and alkaline subvolcanic rocks of the northern KMC are characterized by high K 2 O (4.34–10.7 wt%), low to moderate SiO 2 (50.0–69.9 wt%), and P 2 O 5 (0.03–1.07 wt%). They have moderate initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.707245–0.707875) and high initial 143Nd/144Nd (0.512441–0.512508) ratios, consistent with some crustal contamination. The studied rocks are enriched in Th (up to 204 ppm), U (up to 54.9 ppm), REE (up to 565.9 ppm) and, some LILE's including K (up to 8.85%), Rb (up to 447.1 ppm), Sr (up to 2053 ppm) and Ba (up to 2578 ppm). The geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the magmatic evolution of KMC is dominated by events including post-collisional tectonics, flux induced partial melting, fractional crystallization. The enrichments of incompatible elements are mostly caused by the fractional crystallization and K-metasomatism that affected the earlier magmatic phases during the cooling of the complex. • Kestanbol Magmatic Complex (KMC) is emplaced during a post-collisional regime. • The KMC is a product of partial melting and fractional crystallization processes. • The Northern KMC rocks are enriched in Th-U ± REE that caused by a K-metasomatism. • The thermochronology show that KMC emplaced in Miocene and cooled rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) humanoid bots/robots (AIHB/R), which integrate AI with robot technology to emulate human traits, has swiftly evolved and found applications in several sectors like healthcare, education, home support, industrial production, and entertainment. AIHB/R's decision-making process has become more complex due to incorporating AI, a fascinating element affecting public perceptions and attitudes towards these robots. This paper investigates this topic in the Turkish context based on data collected from 485 adults. A general finding is that participants have positive perceptions and attitudes towards (AIHB/R) and some concerns. We found significant gender differences between male and female participants regarding the use of AIHB/R in care and treatment services (CTS), administration and justice (AJ), and in the future (FC). No gender difference was found when using religious practice (RP). The educational level statistically correlated significantly with the total scale scores and the four sub-domains. CTS has a positive and moderately significant effect on accepting AIHB/R applications. The R2 value for this domain showed the highest explanatory power of the model with 0.829. • I made the suggested corrections in the abstract. • I shortened the literature section and tried to relate it to the hypotheses of the study. • I added more results for the reliability and validity of the survey. • I tried to discuss the results of the study in more detail, focusing on the importance of the study for the Turkish context and the global community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the use of deep learning methods in railway defect detection has expanded rapidly due to the technology's ability to improve accuracy and efficiency in fault diagnosis. However, modeling deep learning applications requires a large amount of data, and the labeling process for such datasets demands significant manpower. To address this gap this paper introduces a semi-supervised learning approach using a student–teacher model with YOLOv4 for automatically labeling images, aiming to reduce the manual effort required for image classification. We also present a novel dataset generated from images provided by the TCDD (The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey), which includes five distinct railway defects. Results of the experiments on the same test dataset show that the proposed student–teacher model not only improves YOLOv4's detection performance according to several decision metrics but also extends the training set with high-confidence pseudo-labeled images. • A novel dataset is generated for five common railway defects. • Student–teacher model effectively generates accurate labels for railway defects. • Automated image labeling process via student–teacher model minimizes manual effort. • Significant increase is achieved in mAP and F1-score in defect detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Facial reconstruction is the approximation of an antemortem face from human skeletal remains. Since the nineteenth century, several methods have been developed for reconstruction of the face; all of them require the measurement of average tissue thicknesses at various points on the face. To our knowledge, there are no publications on soft tissue thickness in the Turkish population. In addition, there are few publications on the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in measuring soft tissue thickness for forensic sciences. The aim of this study was to create a reference database of facial tissue thickness in the Turkish population, and to present data illustrating the successful use of MRI for this purpose. The study included 161 patients (79 males and 82 females) between the ages of 18 and 78 who had undergone brain MRI in our radiology clinic, and showed no sign of maxillofacial pathology. Measurements were taken at 9 points at the midline; glabella, nasion, end of nasals, mid-philtrum, upper lip margin, lower lip margin, chin-lip fold, mental eminence, and beneath chin points. The mean values for these points in the patient sample population were determined, and differences related to age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. The values were then compared to the findings of the Manhein study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mobile broadband (MBB) services are rapidly growing, causing a massive increase in mobile data traffic growth. This surge in data traffic is due to several factors (such as the massive increase of subscribers, mobile applications, etc.) which have led to the need for more bandwidth. Mobile service providers are constantly improving their network efficiency by upgrading current networks and investing in newer mobile network generations. However, these improvements will not be enough to accommodate the future spectrum demands. This paper proposes a time series forecasting model to analyze future spectrum demands based on the spectrum efficiency growth of MBB networks. This model depends on two key input data: the average spectrum efficiency per site and the number of sites per technology. The model is used to predict the spectrum efficiency growth of three countries (Turkey, Malaysia, and Oman) from 2015 to 2025. The proposed model is compared with various traditional statistical models such as the Moving Average (MA), Auto-Regression (AR), Autoregressive–Moving-Average (ARMA), and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA). The forecasted results indicate that the average spectrum efficiency and growth will continue to rise multiple times by 2025 compared to 2015. The data from this prediction model can be used as input data to forecast the required spectrum needed in future for any specific country. This study further contributes to the network planning of future mobile networks for Fifth Generation (5G) and Sixth Generation (6G) technology. The proposed model obtains higher accuracy (by 90%) compared to other models. The proposed model is also applicable to any country, especially when new wireless communication technologies emerge in future. It is customizable and scalable since spectrum regulators can add additional metrics that positively contribute towards accurately estimating future spectrum efficiency growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an in-depth study of the literature, as well as some other sources of information, geographical distribution maps of the various taxa of the European freshwater planarian genus Crenobia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) are provided, which document their records and distributional ranges in a detail that was previously unavailable. The genus Crenobia ranges across Northern, Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe, including several islands in the Mediterranean region, but is absent from a major part of the Iberian Peninsula; it is distributed also in Turkey. The chromosome portrait of Crenobia is complex, as it exhibits chromosome numbers that are multiples of 7, such as 28, 35, 42, 56, and 63. Sexually reproducing populations are tetraploid or hexaploid, while asexually reproducing populations exhibit high chromosome numbers. All taxa of Crenobia are stenothermic, cold-loving species. Although historical biogeographic scenarios interpreting the taxonomic diversification of the genus as being the result of the vicissitudes of the Last Ice Age are still captivating, it may be the case that the genus already diversified 6-20 million years ago. The paper sketches in some detail the anatomy of the copulatory complex of the various taxa. Previously, it went unnoticed that in two of the taxa (Crenobia alpina and C. anophthalma) the two sperm ducts have different, asymmetrical trajectories. Further, it was largely undocumented that in several taxa the sperm ducts exhibit a pronounced recurvature, as well as a dorsal loop before entering the penis papilla. Neither did previous studies document that in C. montenigrina the mouth opening is not located at the most posterior end of the pharyngeal pocket, but has shifted anteriad for some distance. Polypharyngy is a stable, species-specific character, with C. montenigrina usually exhibiting 11-17 pharynges, while C. anophthalma has never more than three pharynges. Different views have been expressed on the taxonomic status of several geographic and anatomical forms of Crenobia. It is shown here that Crenobia comprises five, well-defined full species, viz., C. alpina , C. corsica , C. montenigrina , C. anophthalma , and C. bathycola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To review the robustness of hydronephrosis literature with the application of fragility index (FI) and fragility quotient (FQ) calculations.Methods: A literature review was conducted using Pubmed, Medline, and Ovid for "hydronephrosis" and associated terms and we included all studies with at least 2 groups being compared. FI was calculated by populating study results into a 2-by-2 contingency table and generating a P value using Fisher's exact test. Next, events were manually added to the group with the fewest events, while removing a nonevent from the same group and Fisher's exact test repeated until the P value was >.05. FQ was calculated by dividing FI by the total sample size.Results: The 130 included articles were published between 1986 and 2018 in 32 journals. Median citation count was 14 (0-252), 30% were RCTs and most papers originated in the United States (28%), Turkey(10%), and Canada(9%). Median FI was 2 (1-112), FQ was 0.023 (0.0010-0.55), and 60 papers (46%) had a FI of 1, indicating extremely fragile results. There was a significant difference in the FI between observational studies and RCTs (10 ± 17 vs 4 ± 5; P = .02); however, there was no difference in FQ (0.032 ± 0.030 vs 0.053 ± 0.080; P = .09) between them.Conclusion: Nearly half of studies in hydronephrosis literature reporting significant results are extremely fragile, requiring addition of only a couple of events in 1 treatment arm to significantly modify the results. As such, objective reporting of robustness of results should include FI and FQ which may help diminish over-reliance on P values as the main indicator of clinical significance in comparative studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to offer a framework for the gradual transition to cycling as a sustainable mode of transport in developing megacities having low or non-existent cycling modal share. By drawing on multi-level perspective, the paper first establishes a socio-technical transition framework incorporating the multi-actor, multi-level and multi-dimensional aspects of the cycling systems. The paper then argues that the transition to cycling is contingent on integrating the multiple dimensions of the cycling socio-technical system. A case study of cycling in Istanbul, a rapidly growing developing megacity in Turkey with a population of nearly 15 million people, is given to illustrate how the proposed framework can be applied. The paper concludes that significant progress towards the introduction of cycling in Istanbul depends on integrating a variety of socio-technical elements including infrastructure, technology, policies and regulations, culture and social meanings. This perspective informs the analysis of the socio-technical transition to cycling for the cities aiming to introduce cycling for the first time. The paper contributes to both sustainable urban mobility and socio-technical transition literature by developing a novel framework for cycling systems. • Proposes a socio-technical transition framework for the adoption of cycling in developing megacities • Adapts the multi-level perspective (MLP) approach for cycling systems • Provides a multi-level, multi-dimensional and multi-actor analysis of the cycling systems • Gives an empirical application of the proposed framework for Istanbul's urban mobility [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]