Статті в журналах з теми "Physical geography – Turkey"

Having a long history of settlement, Anatolia has a distinctive role in settlement geography. Despite the fact that people may cause changes in physical environment in various other ways, the conversion of physical geographic expression into a cultural geographic expression had been realized most vigorously where people were settled in. Therefore, through history the settlements have been the focus of all branches of the social sciences and have been researched. Most especially, it has been at the core of history and geography and has become one of their most popular research topics. Being situated at the crossroads of three continents geographically, Turkey has attracted various civilizations since ancient times and increased the significance of settlements in here. Researches of settlements as a field of social studies have been one of the significant issues those should be handed down the rising generations. Increasing the academic knowledge level of social studies teacher candidates who are to pass these issues on rising genereations, constitutes our subject matter. For that purpose, an activity was organized within the context of a technical visit of 30 third grade students from Faculty of Education Department of Elementary School Division of Social Sciences Education, 10 of which were female and 20 male, within the scope of settlement geography, a sub-branch of Human and Economic Geography of Turkey, an excursion-observation activity at Konya (Çumra) Çatalhöyük, where we have grown wheat grass beforehand. Also the students were instructed via a descriptive study which was vocalized in order to emphasize the agricultural activities that have been initialized with the historical basis of Anatolia and human settlement in here. This study is based on phenomenology research design, among the qualitative research methods. The one-sample pretest-posttest method which includes the descriptive analysis was used in this study. 6 open ended questions were prepared for pretest and posttest. This study aimed at increasing the academic level of teacher candidates on Çatalhöyük, which is considerably important with regard to settlement geography in Anatolia and thus, making the accumulation of knowledge outlast as they pass it on the rising generations.

Affordable housing policies in Turkey have reached a new stage over the last decade in the context of the TOKİ model advocated by the government. Housing developed by TOKİ (the Public Housing Administration), the top official agency responsible for affordable housing policies in Turkey, has become so widespread in all cities of Turkey that it involves not only the construction sector but also trade associations and the public in general. In this article, following a general discussion of the demand and supply of housing in Turkey, we evaluate user satisfaction and the quality of TOKİ implementations since 2000 for low- and middle-income groups in Bursa, the fourth largest city in Turkey. Bursa sets an interesting example for the study because of the city's long-term prominence in commerce and its current status as an important industrial city. Massive migrations and unplanned urbanization have resulted in a need for housing for every income group in Bursa, especially for low- and middle-income groups. The emphasis in this study is that, in addition to quantity, quality should be considered in housing production. Furthermore, the implementation of TOKİ should be aimed at developing more habitable and higher-quality environments by considering all socio-cultural and physical factors. It is expected that these evaluations will lead to the development of a more comprehensive affordable housing policy in Turkey..

The main axes of this study, which is differentiated from contemporary architecture studies as the first academic work in the scope of post-occupancy evaluation floating spaces, are based on evaluating the spatial satisfaction and the meeting of these expectations by its users. A post-occupancy evaluation (POE) yielded a dataset of 117 yacht-users for whom demographic information, activities, and length-of-stay were recorded. This paper reports the study conducted on 78 yachts in Turkey, focusing particularly on the physical design features. The questionnaire is based on the observation and applied as post-occupancy evaluation on the examples of yachts from Turkey. It also questions the effect of the sea on the spatial perception and evaluates the user satisfaction of the interiors and exteriors of yacht spaces. Assessment on the physical design of yacht interiors from the perspective of the staff and the owner is the method to understand their expectation, preferences and experiences. In addition, the satisfaction of different user groups and general evaluation of spaces are explained within the graphics that include the data and analysis which are obtained from the interviews. Empirical results indicate that different user categories (owner and staff) that are presented in the scope of the post-occupancy evaluations (POE) have different satisfaction levels. Findings of this study demonstrate that the difference of satisfaction levels between the users caused different space needs and expectations from their spaces. Although floating spaces have unconventional environmental specifications from the terra architecture, high level of satisfaction in yachts shows that the floating spaces should be evaluated with the scope of their spatial characteristics, in consequence of the spatial perception on the sea and the psychological concepts. In conclusion, the management implications of the study are discussed.

The relationship between people and their home environment has always been an important research theme. Cooperative works of different disciplines and research areas, such as environmental psychology, social psychology, community psychology, home environment studies, urban planning and architecture have developed an understanding of relationships between quality and residential spaces. In this study an attempt has been made to analyze quality issues in housing environments by providing a general review related to quality housing research and by establishing a model that can be used to evaluate the concept of quality in housing. Focusing on a specific housing settlement as a case study, the goal here is to open a debate based on design concepts and their social and spatial consequences in architecture and to provide important data for future housing projects in Turkey. In the scope of the work, the Belerko Housing Settlement in the City of Trabzon has been selected as a research area. Aim of the study is to develop an understanding of the social, psychological and the physical characteristics that contribute to spatial quality in this specific housing environment.

This article discusses the relationship between conspiratorial thinking and physical space by focusing on the ways conspiracy theories regarding political violence shape and are shaped by the environments in which it is commemorated. Conspiratorial thinking features space as a significant element, but is taken to do so mainly figuratively. In blaming external powers and foreign actors for social ills, conspiracy theorists employ the spatial metaphor of inside versus outside. In perceiving discourses of transparency as the concealment rather than revelation of mechanisms of governance, conspiracy theorists engage the trope of a façade separating the space of power’s formulations from that of its operations. Studying the case of an arson attack dating from 1990s Turkey and its recent commemorations, this article argues that space mediates conspiracy theory not just figuratively but also physically and as such serves to catalyze two of its deadliest characteristics: anonymity and non-linear causality. Attending to this mediation requires a shift of focus from what conspiracy theory is to what it does as a spatial practice.

In history, spatial organizations for houses have been changed and improved depending on the natural conditions, well-being of people, utilization of resourses, population density, family structure and urbanization rate. It can be said the spatial organization of housing that they are both in a relationship with culture and they are a total configuration of social, demographical, psycological, human behaviorial and environmental structure. Any housing settlement in Turkish Islamic tradition is macro and micro scaled organization in which social relation and cultural characteristics of society that are necessary for physical environment and society reflect. Basic element of urban spatial organization in Turkish Islamic housing pattern is “the quarter”. (Quarter is called as “mahalle” in Turkish culture) The quarter contains functional and semantic characteristics which are common for most Islamic civilization and Turkish Islamic cities. In this study, what meaning does the quarter have as smallest spatial organization element in Anatolia will be examined. In additon what kind kind of evolutionary process does the quarter face in Turkish settlement.

AbstractIn this study, orcharding activity in the Isparta Province, Turkey, is analysed. Until a few years ago, the economy of Isparta was associated with hand carpet weaving, rose-growing and rose-oil extraction. However, over the last few years orcharding has attracted attention as the most important economic activity in Isparta. This is especially visible in the districts of Eğirdir, Gelendost, Senirkent and Yalvac where many kinds of fruits, specifically apples and cherries, are grown for the market. Physical geography features of Isparta have an important potential for developing orcharding. Suitable climatic conditions, fertile soils and fresh water resources, both surface and underground, are distinctive elements of this potential. In addition, irrigation projects, modern agricultural techniques, quality and resistible fruit types, appropriate fertilisation, pruning and disinfecting are human activities effecting the development of orcharding. Moreover, establishing modern and high capacity cold stores nearby the areas where fruits are grown is regarded an important factor increasing the value of Isparta fruits on the national and international markets. Thus, developing commercial orcharding in Isparta is gaining importance as a profitable activity as well as an opportunity for rural population for employment in fruit picking, storing, packaging and transporting. The emphasis of this study is put on current development of orcharding, distribution of apple, cherry, grape and other fruits production, reasons for this distribution and problems associated with orcharding in Isparta. Besides formal data collection, the findings obtained during field studies in Boğazova as well as on the Uluborlu-Senirkent and Gelendost Plains enable the authors to conclude that orcharding has become the most important rural activity in the region.

Background: Within the 3Cs (closeness, commitment, and complementarity) theoretical framework of the quality of two-person relationships, a coach–athlete relationship quality questionnaire (CART-Q) was developed and validated to assess the nature of the coach–athlete relationship. In this study, a modified version of the CART-Q for physical education (PE) was adapted to assess the teacher–student relationship quality in the PE context in Turkey and Kuwait. The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity of the teacher–student relationship quality questionnaire (TSRQ-PE) within a sample of Turkish and Kuwaiti physical education teachers. Methods: Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was used to test the measurement of cultural invariance between these two groups. A total of 175 teachers from Turkey (n = 73) and Kuwait (n = 102) completed the TPRQ-PE. Results: MGCFA supported the factorial validity of the TPRQ-PE in a three first-order factor model across the two countries. Overall, these results add evidence to the psychometric properties of the TPRQ-PE and suggest that this instrument can be applied to measure the quality of the teacher–student relationship within Turkey and Kuwait, although caution may be required when applied to drawing comparisons between these two counties. Conclusions: The results of the present study could help physical educators and researchers in this field to understand the reasons and methods that lead to a quality teacher–student relationship.

The growing demand for municipal water due to population increase and urbanization impels water managers to reconsider the existing traditional supply-sided management approach. Strengthening of water demand management (WDM) policies by improving water use efficiency has been adopted as a key target in arid regions, in particular. Indeed, increasing the added value per m3 of water used is gaining importance, since it is a more environmentally-friendly strategy with regard to water resource management than expanding water infrastructure assets. Monitoring the water use efficiency index is the commonly applied method for assessing the performance of municipal water management that depends on physical (real) losses and non-physical (apparent) losses constituting non-revenue water (NRW). In this paper, the results of the study conducted in three medium-size urban settlements, namely Ordu, Çarşamba and Ceyhan, are presented. Field surveys and evaluation of the data relating to municipal customer service have been carried out. In the light of the findings covering a four-year period between 2004–2007, the origin and reasons for NRW, and the means and tools for reducing it in order to improve water use efficiency are discussed.

Crimes and Crime Dispersion in Urban Areas in Turkey Crime is a phenomenon that arises from the interaction between social, political, economic, physical, psychological circumstances and geographical factors. Since crime occurs in geographical locations, the relationship between crime and location is worth discussing characteristics of a location occur in differents ways. Not only natural geographical factors but also human geographical factors may lead to crime. In this study, the situation, distribution of crimes in the cities which are in the police service zone are dealt with. In addition to crime dispersion in the cities and crimes committed to people and property, crimes committed by month is also studied. In this context, it is seen that since city centres are composed of dense population and urban functions, they feed crime, social control weakens in those areas and they create opportunities for criminals. This causes weakness in society and social capital apart from economic losses in cities. The number of crime incidents, which was 229,513 in 1995, in Turkey, has risen to 785,510 in 2006 with a 3.4 fold increase. 41% of the crimes which were committed in the year of 2006 were against people, 59% were against property.

In the last few decades, the increasing urban population and heterogeneous quality, the expansion of urban areas, the intensification of developments within existing cities, the continued proliferation of the high rise and other intensive building types, the deterioration of both natural and cultural resources, and the results of the recent struggles for international capital as secure and favorite places has been threatening the image and identity of cities more than ever. In this context, the concepts of transformation and identity, which in turn reflect on urban sustainability, need to be rein-tegrated into the agenda of planners and designers. As cities are always changing and evolving in response to social, economic and political forces, the urban environment has to be considered in a time-based perspective identifying the changes in the local context. In line with these, this paper searches for urban identity in the case of samsun, a symbolic city which has played an important role on the development of modern Turkey, where transformations are dramatic. As the general understanding and the majority of the literature have been restricted to the perspective of form and other physical issues, and neglected to consider the social dimension of environment, which in turn brings about standardized ‘urban design guide' or ‘make-up' type solutions, this will enable the paper to have a holistic framework dealing with all aspects of transformation and provide the reader with a broad-based and innovative perspective towards the vision of cities with place identity.

In order to meet the housing need that emerged in Turkey after the devastating earthquake of 17th August 1999, new residential areas were established in various regions. This has led to the questioning of how social sustainability of new settlements can be achieved and to a search for solutions. In this context, participatory approaches are among the first to come to mind. This study starts from the hypothesis that enabling user participation in the construction process of the housing units would contribute to the social cohesion and satisfaction levels of the neighborhood in question. In the study, the impact of user participation on the social sustainability of the construction process of residential projects developed following a disaster has been tested. In this context, the research was conducted in Caritas houses built near Gümüşpınar Village in the Province of Düzce and Umcor houses constructed on the same land with user participation to meet the needs of the victims for shelter after the 17th August 1999 earthquake. The study is comprised of the observations, questionnaires and face-to-face interviews conducted after the literature review. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted to measure the satisfaction with the housing, the immediate housing environment and the neighborhood as well as the feeling of belonging were tested regarding the two settlements which differed in terms of their construction methods and physical characteristics despite having been constructed side by side by two different charities. The results of the Likert type questionnaires were evaluated with the “Independent samples T test” using the SPSS program. As a result of the research, it has been found that there is no significant relationship between user participation and the criteria of social sustainability; namely, satisfaction with the housing, satisfaction with the neighbors and that of the residence neighborhood. Another result of the research is that the physical and psychological comfort is of priority for the individuals compared to relationship with neighbors or participation in the establishment of their residential environment. Furthermore, the research findings also revealed that disagreements among users increased which had a negative impact on social cohesion in cases where the physical characteristics of the residential neighborhood and the housing did not satisfy the users.

In this study, a comparative evaluation of the statistical methods for daily streamflow estimation at ungauged basins is presented. The single donor station drainage area ratio (DAR) method, the multiple-donor stations drainage area ratio (MDAR) method, the inverse similarity weighted (ISW) method, and its variations with three different power parameters (1, 2, and 3) are applied to the two main subbasins of the Euphrates Basin in Turkey to estimate daily streamflow data. Each station in each basin is considered in turn as the target station where there are no streamflow data. The donor stations are selected based on the physical similarities between the donor and target stations. Then, streamflow data from the most physically similar donor station(s) is transferred to the target station using the statistical methods. In addition, the effect of data preprocessing on the estimation performance of the statistical methods is investigated. The preprocessing discussed in this study is streamflow data smoothing using the two-sided moving average (MA). Three statistical methods using the smoothed data by the MA, named as DAR-MA, MDAR-MA, and ISW-MA, are proposed. The estimation performance of the statistical methods is compared by using daily streamflow data with preprocessing and without preprocessing. The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), the ratio of the root mean square error (RMSE) to the standard deviation of the observed data (RSR), the percent bias (PBIAS), and the coefficient of determination (R2) are used to evaluate the performance of the statistical methods. The results show that MDAR and ISW give improved performances compared to DAR to estimate daily streamflow for 7 out of 8 target stations in the Middle Euphrates Basin and for 4 out of 7 target stations in the Upper Euphrates Basin. Higher NSE values for both MDAR and ISW are mostly obtained with the three most physically similar donor stations in the Middle Euphrates Basin and with the two most physically similar donor stations in the Upper Euphrates Basin. The best statistical method for each target station exhibits slightly greater NSE when the smoothed data by the MA is used for all target stations in the Middle Euphrates Basin and for 6 out of 7 target stations in the Upper Euphrates Basin.

Drought is a natural phenomenon that has great impacts on the economy, society and environment. Therefore, the determination, monitoring and characterization of droughts are of great significance in water resources planning and management. The purpose of this study is to investigate the spatial drought characterizations of Seyhan River basin in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) was calculated from monthly precipitation data at 12-month time scale for 19 meteorological stations scattered over the river basin. Drought with the largest severity in each year is defined as the critical drought of the year. Frequency analysis was applied on the critical drought to determine the best-fit probability distribution function by utilizing the total probability theorem. The sole frequency analysis is insufficient in drought studies unless it is numerically related to other factors such as the severity, duration and intensity. Also, SPI is a technical tool and thus difficult to understand at first glance by end-users and decision-makers. Precipitation deficit defined as the difference between precipitation threshold at SPI = 0 and critical precipitation is therefore more preferable due to its usefulness and for being physically more meaningful to the users. Precipitation deficit is calculated and mapped for 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month drought durations and 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50- and 100-year return periods at 12-month time scale from the frequency analysis of the critical drought severity. The inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation technique is used for the spatial distribution of precipitation deficit over the Seyhan River basin. The spatial and temporal characteristics of drought suggest that the Seyhan River Basin in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey experiences quite mild and severe droughts in terms of precipitation deficit. The spatial distribution would alter greatly with increasing return period and drought duration. While the coastal part of the basin is vulnerable to droughts at all return periods and drought durations, the northern part of the basin would be expected to be less affected by the drought. Another result reached in this study is that it could be common for one point in the basin to suffer dry conditions, whilst surrounding points in the same basin experience normal or even humid conditions. This reinforces the importance of spatial analysis over the basin under investigation instead of the point-scale temporal analysis made in each of the meteorological stations. With the use of spatial mapping of drought, it is expected that the destructive and irreversible effects of hydrological droughts can be realized in a more physical sense.

This study applied Salama's (2006, 2007) framework for affordable housing research and compared house and neighborhood satisfaction and future house aspirations of low income residents' who are dwelling in two different types of affordable houses; social houses and gecekondus in Izmir, Turkey. The study applied survey technique and 54 residents (27 in social housing area and 27 in gecekondu area) were interviewed. The results showed that residents' family characteristics were different on some issues (education, employment, household size) and similar on others (homeownership, income, duration of residence, and life style). Physical conditions were poor in both areas, but were far worse in gecekondus. Residents' evaluations of the current house and the neighborhood confirmed this argument. Despite such differences in physical conditions, when residents' general satisfaction with the house and the neighborhood was compared, residents of the two areas gave similar positive responses. In fact, majority of both residents reported that the house and the neighborhood had a positive effect on their life. Moreover, both residents' aspirations for future house were similar and limited in two areas. The applied value of these results and areas for future research are discussed.

Growing tourist flows, which crowd ancient city centres, have modified their liveability and threatened conservation. They have increased the need for quiet places, primarily where green parks are missing. While previous studies have highlighted the possibility of reusing hidden sites of historical buildings, it is not clear if this scheme can also be applied in other contexts, and which physical or perceptual dimensions are mainly related to the restoration of these sites. If greenery and water elements induce positive effects on people’s well-being, we want to understand if the historical–artistic component can be just as important for people’s restorativeness. To this end, the physical and perceptual characteristics of 20 different sites in Naples and Istanbul were investigated through objective and subjective surveys. The results show that the sound levels inside sites cannot consistently account for the perception of the restorativeness in Italy and Turkey, while some sound level differences caused by outside noise could. Moreover, soundscape, appreciation, maintenance/management, and importance/relevance were the main perceptual dimensions describing these places. The importance/relevance dimension was strongly correlated with all the components of the restorativeness, especially with the fascination. These findings are consistent between the Italian and Turkish groups.

This study aims to determine how achievement goals, participation motivation and self-perception levels in physical activity environments relate to the flourishing of young adults. The general purpose of the study was also to examine differences in selected variables of young adults flourishing in physical activity environments. To achieve our aims, the recruited sample consisted of 580 young adult exercisers ranging in age from 18 to 40 years from fitness centers in Izmir, Turkey. Participants completed a personal information form, the Flourishing Scale, the 2 × 2 Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport (2 × 2 AGQ-S), the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS), and the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ). We examined correlations, regressions, and path models with our measured variables. Flourishing relates significantly (p < 0.001) and positively with global self-esteem, the mastery-approach goal, intrinsic motivation, and global physical self-concept. Our path model suggested that the mastery-approach goal, intrinsic motivation, and global self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between global physical self-concept and flourishing. Our findings help to inform alternative approaches for cultivating exercisers’ flourishing. However, knowledge on how to support and develop flourishing is still under-researched in sport and exercise settings.

Planning and design of university campuses is as important as the instructional philosophy of universities for determining academic and social development of university students. However, mainstream university campuses have often been designed with typical “normal” or “abled” users in mind and have neglected the needs of students with physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities. Universal design perspective with its equality, social inclusion and social justice agenda can be helpful in giving insights for inclusive educational environments. This study presents a research based design process conducted at a university campus in Turkey to create an inclusive educational environment for the students with disabilities, and to improve their participation in campus' academic and social life. For this purpose, existing campus spaces were evaluated for their inclusiveness both objectively through a checklist and subjectively through participatory workshops and meetings. The findings from both studies were used to identify the needs of the users with disabilities in the campus' settings. The results obtained from these studies were used to inform the implementations, and a holistic plan for creating an inclusive campus environment was developed. This study provides the implications for architectural and urban needs of users with physical, sensory, and vision disabilities or restraints in campus environments, develops methodology for future studies with similar context, and informs about the challenges and opportunities present in the process of creating inclusive university campus environments. .

AbstractIn this paper we focus on the Republican Mosque in Derinkuyu, Turkey, a Greek Orthodox church built in 1859 and transformed into a mosque in 1949 that still exhibits many obviously Christian structural features not found in most such converted churches. We utilize the concept ofreligioscape, defined as the distribution in spaces through time of the physical manifestations of specific religious traditions and of the populations that build them, to analyze the historical transformations of the building, and show that this incongruity marks a specific stage in the long-term competitive sharing of space by the two religiously defined communities concerned. This shared but contested space is larger than that of the building or even the town of Derinkuyu. We argue that syncretism without sharing correlates with a lack of need to show dominance symbolically, since the community that had lost the sacred building had been displaced as a group, and was no longer present to be impressed or intimidated.

This article explores the implications of monolithic notions of “East” and “West” for security within ethno-religiously diverse nation-states. It builds on literature within critical geopolitics by recognizing not only that homogeneous notions of the “West” and its “Others” were formed for the purpose of legitimizing ideological and physical contestations of geographical space, and that they continue to operate, but also that this has made nation-states substantially less secure at the intra-state level. Travel accounts by Western European and American travellers to Turkey from 1989 onwards are used as data to explore this. The content of these accounts mirrors the wider East–West discourse; considered together with Turkey's popularly described position “at the crossroads” of Europe and Asia, the texts lend themselves to salient discussion of identity, culture, and difference between the hegemonic “West” and its “Others.” The post-1989 decolonized, post-Cold War period enables us to work within a contemporary context in which the opening of geographical space has occurred, and allows us to test whether “Western” identity in its hegemonic form of Western Europe and the US has evolved to accommodate this new context.

Erzincan Tulum cheese with its characteristic taste and aroma is one of the most preferred traditional cheese varieties are those from Turkey. Physical, chemical and microbiological changes that occur during ripening give the cheese characteristics. The characteristics of the Erzincan Tulum cheese are closely related to the geography in where it is produced and the human factors affecting each stage of the production method. However, the lack of a standard in production has prevented Erzincan Tulum cheese from achieving the economic value it deserves and could not provide sufficient contribution to the socio-economic development of the region. The most important reasons for this are the inadequacy of legislation and supervision, the lack of awareness of the Geographical Indication (GI) registration in the producer, and the fact that the institutions and organizations that register have not used GIs effectively, besides the technological reasons such as variety, quantity and microbiological quality of rennet used in cheese production, variability in milk quality, ripening conditions and durations vary, and the absence of a standard packaging material. In this review, the findings obtained from the researches related to technology, legislation, marketing and registration of Erzincan Tulum cheese which has a significant potential in terms of contribution to the economy of the region and country in which it is produced, are evaluated.

The aging population and their expectations have become a growing concern in Turkey as in other countries. This study aims to investigate interactions/relationships between the needs, demands and expectations of Turkish elderly and inclusive urban design principles. It tries to answer the research question: how the inclusive urban life could improve elderly life and contribute to achieve an active aging process. An exploratory study was conducted with a total of 100 randomly selected elderly between the ages 65-95 (45 female and 55 male) from the City Centre of Ankara. A survey instrument based on the ‘streets for life’ concept (Burton & Mitchell 2006) was developed to gather data. The participants were asked to identify how important inclusive urban design features were in understanding, using and navigating within an urban environment. The findings of the study suggest that an inclusive open environment allows elderly people to feel safer, and thus encourage more regular use of urban space. Overall the results highlight two important insights, first that accessibility is inevitable for increasing the chance of the aging population to participate in the mainstream of community life and second, plain and simple signage is necessary to achieve more liveable urban environments. The study concludes the most important physical requirements and social requirements for elderly people.

Today central neighborhoods of Istanbul like other cities of Turkey has entered a critical stage in urban preservation and urban regeneration issues. This discussion rather than being an academic argument, it exposes many contradictions about the real life especially in central neighborhoods. The reason for being dilemma for these settings, first, these neighborhoods are typical dilapidated historical environment and they may need urgent decisions for preservation and conservation, second, “the urban transformation law” that we faced for historical environments which is passed from the Turkish Parliament in 2006, coded as 5366. This paper elaborates two set of aspects about the real situation of central neighborhoods. First set is based on the physical and social aspects of the historical environment before the urban regeneration project, the second set of aspects will be related to the aspects of the implementation of the project. The aspects in general sense present insufficiencies in physical and social contexts. These aspects can also be observed in central neighborhoods of Istanbul, like Tarlabasi, Fener, Balat and Zeyrek. The realities which we observed in these neighborhoods force us to conclude that we should rapidly regenerate these neighborhoods that they perceived as the edge of the threshold of “ghetto”. The paper presents contradictions about the aspects of the dilapidated environment, and it also predicts possible aspects in new urban regeneration projects that they might be emerged after application of the new law. The insufficiencies stated in new projects bring out a classical question “does the law coded 5366 efficiently change or regenerate the dilapidated central neighborhoods?”. Will we have better living conditions in central neighborhoods after the implementation of the law coded 5366 ? The paper ends with the discussion on complicated aspects of the central neighborhoods regarding the issues of new living conditions, the implementation of new law and monetary based opportunities for new land or property developers. The paper draws the attention to unseen qualities of the central neighborhoods and it evaluates ongoing manipulations and legal implementations for building blocks based on short term speculations.

For all its geographical, cultural and political uniqueness, the definition of the Caucasus as a region is problematic. Geographers, geologists, political scientists, anthropologists and historians—all have disagreements between themselves and each other about such issues as what constitutes its borders, and what are the features of both its homogeneity and heterogeneity. Often, the use by representatives of one discipline of the conclusions and terminology from other disciplines in order to substantiate their positions complicates the problem even further. In any case, in general geographical terms the Caucasus is the territory between the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas, extending from the Kuma-Manych depression in the north to Georgia's and Armenia's borders with Turkey, and Azerbaijan's borders with Iran in the south. In physical-geological terms the Caucasus is predominantly a mountainous region which is shaped by the trajectories of the two mountain ranges, namely the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. The trajectory of the Greater Caucasus represents a diagonal stretching from the north-west to the southeast, while the trajectory of the Lesser Caucasus forms an ellipsoidal bow. At the Suram Passage the Lesser and Greater Caucasus practically merge. The Caucasus mountain range is divided lengthwise into the western Caucasus which stretches to Elbrus; the central Caucasus, which is between the Elbrus and Kazbek mountains; and the eastern Caucasus, which is to the east of the Kazbek.

Abstract This article introduces the special issue 'Field as Archive / Archive as Field': a set of critical reflections on archival research and fieldwork in academic studies focused on space. The special issue asks, how might the experience of carrying out research in the archive and the field, with all its contingencies and errancies, be taken seriously as empirical material in its own right? In other words, rather than reducing the research process to an empirically insignificant instrument through which to access useable data, how could scholars and practitioners of architecture treat this work as the very stuff of the histories, theories, criticisms, and/or practices they produce? In raising these questions that remain relatively underexplored, especially in architectural research, this special issue works from the contemporary historical juncture that is marked by an increasing visibility of rhetorical and physical hostility throughout social and political affairs. Probing how this historical juncture might impact and be impacted by spatial research, contributors to the special issue explore these impacts through the markedly urban and architectural registers in which they take place, including heritage, infrastructure, displacement, housing, and protest. They, moreover, do so through a variety of contexts relevant to the journal's scope: Egypt, Zanzibar, Turkey, Greece, Iran, and Israel/Palestine.

Twenty five years after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union and the reemergence of the Central Asian Republics as independent States, this region continues to be the scene of rivalries amongst the big powers (Russia, China, the European Union, USA, India, Japan, Turkey and Iran) competing in a sort of a “new Grand Game” to increase their geopolitical and economic influence in the region. Its geography, diverse and rich natural resources, like oil and gas, explain the ongoing hidden rivalries. Despite its common historical and cultural past, Central Asia constitutes a heterogeneous region with a multiethnic and multi-linguistic composition and a low degree of physical, economic and trade integration. The lack of mutual trust, the persisting tension over borders and the use and sharing of natural resources, as well as different levels of economic performance have so far jeopardized the development of genuine regional cooperation. Against this background, the idea behind the Chinese OBOR Initiative to develop rapid transportation, if well implemented, could theoretically, by improving interregional connectivity, develop the Central Asia regional market and foster intergovernmental cooperation and people-to-people contacts within the region. In this context, could we expect that the ambitious Chinese OBOR Initiative will boost geopolitical stability and promote shared economic and trade benefits in Central Asia? What are the conditions for that need to be fulfilled?The author analyzes in depth certain crucial political, economic and institutional requirements for the successful implementation of the OBOR Strategy and concludes, however, that three years after the launching of this crucial instrument of the Chinese “globalization without democracy” model, its implementation faces major problems and thus raises more doubts than certainties.

Varosha (Famagusta) was one of the richest districts, and best known holiday destination of the region during the 1970's. However, due to the war in 1974, half of Varosha was closed to residents and the other half became a bordered city. The demographic structure, in addition to the physical and cultural structures of the city was therefore completely altered. Postwar displacement and re-settlement in Varosha is the focus of this paper. The main aim is to discuss the lifestyle in Varosha from a cultural perspective using memories from former and current inhabitants. To achieve this, a set of semi-structured interviews were conducted in which two main questions were posed during the interviews: 1) What was the lifestyle in Varosha before 1974? and 2) What was the lifestyle in Varosha after 1974? these questions were intended to shed some light on the post-war landscape of Varosha. For this purpose, researchers followed a chronological order: life before 1974; interview group a, six Greek Cypriots who were former inhabitants of Varosha. Life after 1974: interview group B, six turkish Cypriots who were displaced and settled in Varosha; and interview group C, six immigrant/settlers turks from turkey, who volunteered to move to Cyprus and settle in Varosha. The snowball method has been used to identify former and current residents of Varosha. The findings are based on interviews with the former, displaced and re-settled Varoshian residents. The interviews revealed how displacement affected the city and the former and current inhabitants. Analysis of the findings were categorized under three headings: 1) displacement from/to Varosha; 2) belonging and identity; 3) life style and culture of each group. The categorization is used to describe how displacement affected the city and its citizens. In other words, this research targets to describe pre- and post-war life (styles) in Varosha.

Interior design is a process which collaborates different approaches, strategies, methodologies and practices. This study is a social responsibility project which had been conducted under the supervision of the author and the authorities of The Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV). The purpose of this project is to investigate how effective the integration of knowledge-based sessions and research-project development phases, while trying to increase students’ motivation. The project had been rejenerated twice, in 2014 and 2015 spring terms, during which the visual research method was photographing, computer modelling, interviews with authorities and children. In regard to the mission of the foundation, twenty-eight interior design students (in 2014 spring term) and seventeen students (in 2015 spring term) developed concept sheets, prepared design proposals, presented and submitted them to the authorities. This paper is a brief discussion and evaluation on the design process which may help to provide a base for similar social responsibility projects. Design proposals in the study may also help to identify new research questions such as whether/how changes in social, physical and cognitive concerns may influence the psychological reactions to educational activity centers and how such impacts may help enhance the affective quality in designs where necessary. In the project, each project team was asked to develop a concept map and to identify the most important words. It was recorded that all groups used “children” as the main keyword in their concept maps. Hence, the most frequently referred terms in the concept maps were grouped, analysed and interpreted, which can also be defined as the “concept map” of the project. Another concrete outcome of the study was the encouragement of students, they got involved in the design process equally. They were honoured by “TEGV social responsibility certificates” which supported their awareness and motivation to the design process as well.

Recent events in Western Attica in Greece (24 deaths in November 2017), in the Balearic Islands (13 deaths in October 2018), and in southern France (15 deaths in October 2018) show that flood-related mortality remains a major concern in Mediterranean countries facing flash floods. Over the past several years, many initiatives have arisen to create databases on flood-related mortality. An international initiative started in 2011 pooling regional and national databases on flood mortality from region and/or countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The MEditerranean Flood Fatality Database (MEFF DB) brings together, in 2018, six Mediterranean regions/countries: Catalonia (Spain), Balearic Islands (Spain), Southern France, Calabria (Italy), Greece, and Turkey, and covers the period 1980–2018. MEFF DB is on progress and, every year, new data are included, but for this study, we kept only the preliminary data that were geolocated and validated on 31st of December 2018. This research introduces a new step in the analysis of flood-related mortality and follows the statistical description of the MEFF DB already published. The goals of this paper are to draw the spatial distribution of flood mortality through a geographical information system (GIS) at different spatial scales: country, NUTS 3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. Level 3) regions, catchment areas, and grid. A fatality rate (F: number of deaths/year/million of inhabitants) is created to help this analysis. Then, we try to relate mortality to basic (human or physical) drivers such as population density, rainfall seasonality, or rainfall frequency across the Mediterranean Basin. The mapping of F shows a negative mortality gradient between the western and the eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea. The south of France appears to be the most affected region. The maps also highlight the seasonality of flood-related deaths with the same west–east gradient. It confirms that flood mortality follows the climatological seasonal patterns across the Mediterranean Basin. Flood-related fatalities mainly occur during the early fall season in the western part of the Mediterranean area, while the Easter Basin is affected later, in November or during the winter season. Eastern Turkey introduces another pattern, as mortality is more severe in summer. Mortality maps are then compared with factors that potentially contribute to the occurrence of flood fatalities, such as precipitation intensity (rainfall hazard), to explain geographical differences in the fatality rate. The density of a fatal event is correlated to the population density and the rainfall frequency. Conversely, the average number of deaths per event depends on other factors such as prevention or crisis management.

Lake Sapanca is the drinking water source of the Sakarya province of Turkey. Intensive urbanization in the region is the main obstacle to implementing appropriate physical planning and measures to adapt to rapid change. The monitoring of the water quality parameters in the planning and management of the lakes is significant. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a mathematical representation of the human brain’s functioning, was employed to estimate the Lake’s Dissolved Oxygen (DO) concentration. pH, Magnesium (Mg), Temperature (Temp), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Orthophosphate (o-PO4), Nitrite Nitrogen (NO2-N), and Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3-N) were used as independent parameters. The successful ANN model gives better results compared to the traditional multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. The developed model can be used for forecast purposes to complete the missing data in the future and support the decision process for pollution reduction through sustainable environmental management. The eutrophication threat for Lake Sapanca has been revealed. The main objective is to create the scientific infrastructure that will draw attention to the rapid urbanization problem with ANN and eutrophication models’ outputs. It has been understood that the protection of the water budget of Lake Sapanca is the primary solution method in terms of ecological sustainability to eliminate the existing pollution.

Geographical features of a place have an important effect on distribution, location, aglomeration and a variety of industrial activities. Social and economical features, along with natural geographic features such as geology, geomorphology, climate, natural vegetation, soil properties and hydrographic features also have a significant effect on industry. This study aims at determining how physical geographic features affect categories of industrial activities in Sanliurfa. For this purpose, firstly, physical geographic features of Sanliurfa and statistical data on agricultural and industrial activities in Sanliurfa were obtained. Then, effects of these physical features on other economic activities and the influence of those features on the distribution of industrial plants and industrial activities were analysed in terms of distribution, relation and casuality principles. Geological formations in Sanliurfa province occured in Neogene and also in Quaternary. These formations mostly consist of Neogene limestone, Quaternary basaltic volcanic rocks and alluvial soils. Geomorfically Sanliurfa is a slightly hilly place with plateaus and plains. The main river in Sanliurfa is the Euphrates – the biggest river of Turkey. Naural vegatation of Sanliurfa consists of steppe. These physical geographic fetaures of Sanliurfa cause intensive agricultural activites all across the province. Sanliurfa province covers 18,584 km² and 60% of this area is convenient for agriculture. As a consequence, the majority of manucturing industry in Sanliurfa is agro-based, such as food, textile, mill and apparel industries. While these categories constitute 65.43% of all industrial enterprises, the share of enterprises involving stone, clay, glass, and concrete industry is 11%, and lumber and wood industry share is only 2%.

The current age of artificial intelligence, along with the advent of robots, portends increased use of innovative technologies in the tourism industry, with higher levels of service innovation than in many other industries. In addition, factors such as an approaching worldwide pandemic have limited the amount of physical contact that people can have. So as a result, the use of service robots in service areas, such as tourism, has recently become controversial. In this study, accommodation customers’ perceptions of advantages and disadvantages about robots and the effect of the perceived value of their intention to use them were investigated. Within the scope of the research, data were collected from 1408 people living in various cities in Turkey through an online survey. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. As a result of the analyses, it was found that the perception of advantage and the perceived value affect the intention to use service robots positively and significantly. It has been determined that the perception of disadvantage affects the intention to use service robots negatively and significantly. The research results show that the accommodation companies should be innovative and rapidly transition to robotization, as in the manufacturing industry. Advanced technological innovation applications, such as service robots, will play an essential role in the revival of the tourism industry, especially during the global epidemic.

This research solicits the opinions of the residents of the Keçiören district of Ankara, Turkey, in order to learn their preferences about their local postmodern environment where the municipality forces all contractors and architects to adhere to strict planning laws requiring Turkish folk and Islamic architectural references. The Municipality of Keçiören, as an agent of civil power, manages the architectural and urban transformation of the area from a district formerly composed of squatter housing to one comprised of, in the words of Robert Venturi, “decorated sheds,” in an effort to create a different looking environment rich in nostalgia and excitement. In this research, a total of 7 different sets of apartment façades were analyzed, with each set comprising three examples each of minimum complexity (representing the former condition of the district), intermediate complexity (representing “high” architecture designed by an architect, which does not exist in the district) and maximum complexity (representing the present postmodern condition of the district). The main hypothesis of the study was that preference rates would be high for intermediately altered “high style” houses by showing the existence of a U-shaped relationship between preference and complexity. That is, façades representing an intermediate level of complexity would be favored over less complex and more complex façades. It was also assumed that there would be a difference in the ratings of different age groups. A questionnaire was carried out with 50 adults (aged 30-45) and 50 high school students (aged 18-20) of Keçiören, who were asked to rate a total of 21 photographs from 7 apartment complexes with the help of a five-point semantic differential scales under three headings: preference, complexity and impressiveness. The results proved the existence of a U-shaped relationship between preference and complexity. On the other hand, younger respondents, compared to older respondents, gave more favorable ratings to the physical qualities of the photographed buildings.

The wave of popular unrest in the Arab world reached Syria in March 2011, and what started as peaceful demonstrations with simple demands of justice and freedom turned into a brutal armed conflict and a full-scale civil war. Over seven years of conflict resulted in the deaths of over half a million Syrians, the forced displacement of millions more, and a huge loss of the country's social and physical structures. What began as another Arab Spring movement against a dictatorial regime has turned into a proxy war that has attracted the interests of the world and regional powers. The paper discusses Syria's political history and investigates the motives for the Syrian uprising and argues that it is related to socio-economic deprivations rather than sectarianism. The work underlines the interests of the countries involved in the Syrian conflict focusing on Russia, USA, Iran, and Turkey, as well as their contribution to the future reconstruction of the country. Over the past few years, the Syrian regime and its allies targeted many cities and destroyed opposition-held neighborhoods. The work considers if this destruction was part of an overall strategy adopted by the al-Assad regime to terrorize those who opposed it and change Syria demographically, examining the new laws issued by the government to transfer public properties into the hands of its loyal businessmen factions, as in the case of the reconstruction project in the city of Homs. Seven years of war exhausted Syria's financial stocks, and the country (and in turn the regime) is suffering the consequences of military spending. But like any other war, destruction is also a great opportunity to generate money through reconstruction and growth. It is a “win-win situation”; the regime will use the fund designated for reviving the country to its own benefit, gaining future profits. Already invested in the conflict, involved countries will be part of the reconstruction process to secure their presence and control in Syria. United Nations agencies like UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) are working closely with the Syrian regime and its governmental representatives. This research examines their involvement and how their ‘humanitarian mission' is being exploited to prop up the al-Assad regime.

Containerization in logistics enables the products to be transported quickly within the standard conditions; however, heavy cargoes with non-standard size are still a big problem in shipment processes. This problem examines within the scope of project logistics. Project logistics are defined as the realization of the transportation of non-standard bulky and heavy materials, which cannot be transported by the standard container, in specific time period and without any damage. According to objectives of 2023, Turkey Government has committed to improve logistics infrastructure, regulations and operations in parallel with global business supply chain. Project logistics are high value-added operations in logistic sector, due to one-time logistics operation with its unique tools and methods. Turkey’ geographic advantages could be used to foster project logistics, but they are affected from external environmental factors and facing many problems as other countries. In this study, the challenges facing companies during their project logistics operations will be analyzed. In-depth interviews will be conducted with company’ executives whom are operating on project logistics in Turkey. According to field study, the main problems of project logistics operations are subtitled as physical infrastructure, legal regulations, education and economic problems. Also, in order for the sector to work effectively, main four problems must be eliminated and state-private sector coordination must be ensured.

Abstract The Eastern broad toothed field mouse, Apodemus mystacinus, is a rodent species distributed in Turkey, the Middle East, and a few Aegean Islands. The aim of this study is to analyse the phylogeographic structure of A. mystacinus and possible causes of its differentiation, on the basis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences using a large number of new samples from Turkey. In this context, partial mitochondrial sequences of cytochrome b (Cytb), control region (D-loop) and a nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) gene were used to reveal the geographical differentiation among A. mystacinus populations and the validity of its subspecies. The estimated divergence times revealed that the first separation of A. mystacinus into three distinct groups (subspecies of A. mystacinus: A. m. mystacinus, A. m. smyrnensis, and A. m. euxinus) begun 0.641 Mya. The possible physical barriers in Anatolia such as high mountains and rivers could interrupt the gene flow between A. mystacinus populations. The results of the present study indicated that A. mystacinus might have used the high rocky areas along the Anatolian Diagonal as a dispersal way. Moreover, mitochondrial data in this study suggested for the first time that A. m. rhodius is synonymous with the nominative subspecies A. m. mystacinus.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Although Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was a national hero with his intrepid and enlightened attempts to establish modern Turkey from the remnants of Ottoman heritage, he had been suffering from lifelong “kidney disease” that appeared with intermittent flank pain and fever without an identified source. However, we think that this physical pain that he endured only increased his motivation to focus on his military and political aims. <b><i>Methods &amp; Results:</i></b> In this historical review article, we have focused on his personal medical life and specifically his “kidneys” from the beginning of the complaint till his death through European medical and political history with geographic locations and speculated upon it via past, near past, and recent medical literature. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the great military and political leader for his country, had always suffered from uro/nephrological problems throughout his life. We think that this was one of the reasons that urology has been privileged and thus to be the oldest separated medical surgical branch in Turkey and to some significant extent with European urological history.

In the year 2000, a team from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) developed the “Urban m3 - Respect for Life Project”, which was aimed at providing shelter for those people who were left homeless as a consequence of the earthquake in 1999, in the districts of Arizli-Kocaeli in Turkey. This earthquake had a catastrophic effect on one of the most densely populated and industrial regions of Turkey whose population accounts about 20 percent of Turkey's total population. In addition to providing shelter, the major objective of this project was to re-establish those humanistic and natural values that had been lost or obscured in respect of the traditional, Turkish life-style and culture, as a result of the rapid urban-isation which took place after the 1950s. In 2000, research was conducted to evaluate the prospective residents' preferences in respect of their future housing and its environment needs. For this purpose, 400 people, who had been living in temporary housing in the area affected by the earthquake, were the target group of an in-depth survey. The main objective of the study was to determine whether the prospective residents' perceptions and evaluations matched the project designed by the ITU's team. It was assumed within the project planning and design that people would prefer the socially, and physically rich environment offered by the project. Based on the research findings, the ideology, philosophy and concepts underlying the “Urban m3 - Respect for Life Project” could be evaluated as an altenative design approach, which provides not only environmental protection and disaster mitigation, but also a high level of socio-cultural satisfaction. Thus, the paper suggests strategies for improved post-disaster (re-)construction.

Background: In recent years, interest in the effects of vitamin D on human health and the immune system has increased. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship of vitamin D with asthma severity, attacks, and clinical and functional parameters in adult patients with asthma who were living in different geographic regions in Turkey. Methods: A total of 384 patients with stable asthma and 87 control subjects were included. A physical examination and a pulmonary function test were performed, and routine blood analyses and vitamin D levels were evaluated. Asthma Control Test was applied. The number of exacerbations in the previous year, asthma therapy, and medication adherence were recorded. Results: In our study, vitamin D levels were below the target values in both patients with asthma (median [minimum-maximum] 16.0 ng/mL [3.5‐48 ng/ml]) and control subjects (median [minimum-maximum] 20.0 ng/mL [5.8‐58.79 ng/mL]). However, it was lower in the patients with asthma than in the control subjects (p = 0.001). There was a negative relationship between the levels of vitamin D and the severity of asthma (Kendall τ = −0.146; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the patients with severe asthma were received The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) step 5 treatment showed significantly lower vitamin D compared with the patients who received GINA step 4 treatment (p = 0.037). Vitamin D levels correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration (FEV1), and peak expiratory flow (r, 0.221‐0.236; p ≤ 0.001). In addition, a positive relationship was found between Asthma Control Test and vitamin D (r = 0.229; p = 0.001). However, body mass index (BMI), asthma exacerbation, and hospitalization were inversely related to vitamin D (r, 0.198‐0.233; p = 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that FVC (p = 0.002), FEV1 (p = 0.033), and BMI (p = 0.037) were independent determinants associated with vitamin D. Conclusion: This study suggested a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in adults with asthma living in different geographic areas in Turkey. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with asthma severity, poor control, and lower lung function.

Aim of the study: Thrace Region is the most important geographical regions of Turkey in terms of agricultural and industrial production. Meriç – Ergene River Basin is the main watershed of this significant region and there are many streams feeding the basin. In the current research, water qualities of fluvial ecosystems of Thrace Region were evaluated by using some ecological and statistical indicators. Material and methods: For each water sample, 27 physical and chemical limnological parameters (EC, TDS, turbidity, NO3, NO2, SO4, F, COD, BOD5, As, Se, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb, B, Na, Mg, Cr, Mn, Al, K, Ca, Fe, Ni) were analysed and all the investigated parameter values were used to develop the Water Quality Index (WQI). Furthermore, Cluster Analysis (CA) were applied to detected data in order to classify the investigated locations and also Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to provide a visual summary of contamination levels in the basin components. Results and conclusions: The results show quite high WQI coefficients of COD (20.773), Se (9.667) and BOD5 (9.216) parameters in fluvial components of Thrace Region. The WQI values of the fluvial habitats of Thrace Region ranged from 33.91 – 329.84 and Çorlu Stream and Ergene River were determined as the most contaminated fluvial ecosystems. According to the results of applied CA, 2 statistically significant clusters were formed, which were named as “High Contaminated Zones” and “Low Contaminated Zones”.

Forest fire is one of the high-risk natural disasters in the north-western Anatolia section of Turkey. This paper suggests a new approach based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for the development of forest fire-risk model. The proposed approach includes human factors as well as environmental factors. In this context, the 12 variables defined under anthropogenic and physical factors in the proposed model are the slope, elevation, aspect, vegetation type, crown closure, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), distance to road, settlement, and agricultural areas, population density, previous fires, and Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI). For each variable, a layer was created in the GIS database environment. GIS-layers were classified, considering the risk of potentially generating forest-fire of the relevant variables. In addition, to generate risk maps, the weights used in these GIS-layers were obtained by applying the AHP technique. One of the major results of the study shows that the rates of “extreme”, “very high”, “high”, and “moderate” risk areas are 3.87%, 63.46%, 32.13% and 0.53%, respectively. Another important result is that there are not observed the so called “no risk" and "low risk" classes in the region. The results let us to make a conclusion that the natural and human factors having significant contributions the region to be fire-prone. Yet, these results also indicate that rather than emphasizing forest-fire preparedness and mitigation, policy-makers manage forest-fires through reactive, crisis-oriented approaches. In contrast to crisis-based management plans, this study suggests that risk-based preventive plans should be developed and implemented.

Backround: Clinical manifestations and prognosis of sarcoidosis are heterogenous and the prevalence varies depending on the country, area and race evaluated. Also the organs involved and courses of the disease differ greatly between countries, areas, races and individuals. Aims: To investigate the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical presentation and symptoms and to determine the severity and prognosis of sarcoidosis in Turkey as a referral center. Methods: Between January and July 2003 we retrospectively evaluated the outcome of the patients with sarcoidosis whose first clinical visits were between 1965 and 2003 in the multidisciplinary referral setting RS at Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty of the University of Istanbul. Data collected about each patient included sociodemographic characteristics, clinical presentation, symptoms, date of diagnosis, date and age of onset, method and stage of disease at the date of diagnosis and at the date of last evaluation; the mortality and survival rate were calculated. One hundred and sixty six consecutive patients whose first clinical visits were between 1965 and 2003 in the multidisciplinary RS at Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty were enrolled. We contacted every patient in our cohort by telephone calls or home visits. All those contacted were called back to outpatient clinic for a formal evaluation between June and September 2003. A formal physical examination and thorax radiography were performed in patients who came to the hospital. Their radiological stage, signs, symptoms and associated extrapulmonary manifestations were recorded. Results: At the initial presentation, the mean age of diagnosis was 40.3 years. The 31–40 age group is the group with the highest number of patients. Coughing was the most frequent symptom and erythema nodosum was the most frequent sign in both sexes. Thirty eight percent of patients had extrathoracic involvement. The most frequent extrapulmonary site of involvement was skin. The mortality rate was 11.6% (10.8% in females and 13% in males). Comorbidity was 3% (5 females, 1 male). Females, youngs and patients without extrathoracic involvement had higher survival rates. Conclusion: Clinical characteristics, course and prognosis of sarcoidosis vary in different studies. The results may vary accordingly to ethnic, geographic, social and economic conditions.

Uncontrolled and continuous urbanization is an important problem in the metropolitan cities of developing countries. Urbanization progress that occurs due to population expansion and migration results in important changes in the land cover characteristics of a city. These changes mostly affect natural habitats and the ecosystem in a negative manner. Hence, urbanization-related changes should be monitored regularly, and land cover maps should be updated to reflect the current situation. This research presents a comparative evaluation of two classification algorithms, pixel-based support vector machine (SVM) classification and decision-tree-oriented geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) classification, in producing a dynamic land cover map of the Istanbul metropolitan city in Turkey between 2013 and 2017 using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) multi-temporal satellite images. Additionally, the efficiencies of the two data dimension reduction methods are evaluated as part of this research. For dimension reduction, built-up index (BUI) and principal component analysis (PCA) data were calculated for five images during the mentioned period, and the classification algorithms were applied on data stacks for each dimension reduction method. The classification results indicate that the GEOBIA classification of the BUI data set provided the highest accuracy, with a 91.60% overall accuracy and 0.91 kappa value. This combination was followed by the GEOBIA classification of the PCA data set, which highlights the overall efficiency of the GEOBIA over the SVM method. On the other hand, the BUI data set provided more reliable and consistent results for urban expansion classes due to representing physical responses of the surface when compared to the data set of the PCA, which is a spectral transformation method.

Hydrologic models are important tools for the successful management of water resources. In this study, a semi-distributed soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model is used to simulate streamflow at the headwater of Çarşamba River, located at the Konya Closed Basin, Turkey. For that, first a sequential uncertainty fitting-2 (SUFI-2) algorithm is employed to calibrate the SWAT model. The SWAT model results are also compared with the results of the radial-based neural network (RBNN) and support vector machines (SVM). The SWAT model performed well at the calibration stage i.e., determination coefficient (R2) = 0.787 and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) = 0.779, and relatively lower values at the validation stage i.e., R2 = 0.508 and NSE = 0.502. Besides, the data-driven models were more successful than the SWAT model. Obviously, the physically-based SWAT model offers significant advantages such as performing a spatial analysis of the results, creating a streamflow model taking into account the environmental impacts. Also, we show that SWAT offers the ability to produce consistent solutions under varying scenarios whereas it requires a large number of inputs as compared to the data-driven models.

The term "topography" implies the study of numerous landforms that exist on or below the Earth and a detailed knowledge of topography is required to understand the most Earth processes. In the oceans, sea floor topography refers the geographic features of the sea floor including the configuration of a surface and the position of its natural and man-made features; and detailed nautical charts are fundamental for many sciences such as physical oceanography, biology and marine geology. <br><br> The hydrographic offices, which use the Multi Beam Echo sounder (MBE) system for the establishment of nautical charts, have their own set of accuracy standards for hydrographic surveys, which generally comply with the standards defined by the International Hydrographic Organization. MBE systems include multiple measurement systems such as sonar head, positioning system, motion sensor that work in a synchronized manner. Before the measurements, the "Patch Test" is required to eliminate the systematic errors due to instrumental synchronization and installation. In this test, signal delay test (latency), <i>Y</i>-axis rotation (roll), <i>X</i>-axis rotation (pitch), <i>Z</i>-axis rotation (yaw) errors are calculated. Besides, the effects of the sound velocity measurement through water column and the sea level changes need to be taken into consideration especially in the multi-temporal data analysis and 3D modeling. <br><br> In this paper, the seafloor of the Anamur -TRNC Drinking Water Pipeline route in the "Northern Cyprus Water Project" is selected as a study area. This project, a unique in the world, is an international water diversion project designed to supply water for drinking and irrigation from southern Turkey to Northern Cyprus via pipeline under Mediterranean Sea. Multi temporal multi beam echo sounder measurements are used in the change analysis and surface modeling and the efficiency of this system is outlined together with its limitations.

Introduction Nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination while sleeping after a certain age, usually five years, when children should have established bladder control. The prevalence has been found to be up to 20% in five year old children, and it is considered the most common urological childhood complication. Material and Methods This study was conducted on Makassed School children aged 5–18 years. This was a two-step study, the first step was a questionnaire distributed to the children to be answered by their parents. The second step included individually meeting with every child who met the inclusion criteria and his/her parents and physically examining the child. Results 11,440 questionnaires were distributed to school children aged 5–18 years, to be answered by their parents. Of the 7270 parents who responded back, 6620 reported no enuresis, 90 (1.25%) reported only diurnal enuresis, 107 (1.5%) reported diurnal and nocturnal enuresis, and 453 parents reported their child having nocturnal enuresis only. The data collected was analyzed according to age, sex, area, body mass index (BMI), and the PMQOL-SF score. The prevalence of mono-symptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE) in Lebanon was found to be 5.3%. The results showed that the prevalence of MNE is inversely proportional to age. The prevalence of male to female ratio was 1.4:1. As for the prevalence according to different geographic areas, the results have shown that the North had the majority of cases with 7.6% prevalence. Results showed that 82.4% of children had a score more than 50, and only 28% of parents had a score above 50. Discussion The prevalence of nocturnal enuresis in Lebanon is lower than that in neighboring countries such as Turkey 8 and Saudi Arabia, 9 but higher than that in Italy 10 and Hong Kong. Our study has managed to show the same results, with a peak in incidence at seven years then dropping back to 0% at the age of 16. Our study has shown a male to female predominance but the male to female ratio was 1.4:1, a value lower than that described in earlier studies. Our study has shown that more than 80% of children were psychologically affected whereas only less than 30% of parents were affected. Conclusion To our knowledge, this was the first study in Lebanon conducted to determine the prevalence of MNE. The relatively low prevalence rate found may be because of differences in genetic predisposition, psychosocial or environmental conditions, and traditional and cultural backgrounds. No relation was found between obesity and nocturnal enuresis. The psychological impact on children is significant but that on the parents is minimal.

Abstract Leukemia constitutes 25–30% of all pediatric malignancy cases. The epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of this group of patients are important not only for determination of the prognostic factors, but also the risk factors. In this study, 683 patients under 16 years of age who were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) between January 1980-July 2003 in Hacettepe University, Pediatric Hematolgy Division are analyzed retrospectively. Besides the epidemiologic characteristics including age, sex, geographic distiribution; the type of disease, clinical presentation, physical examination and laboratory findings on admission and the survival and prognosis relationships are also evaluated in order to determine the disease properties of our country. ALL patients have recieved St. Jude Total XI until 1997, and after 1997 they are treated by St. Jude Total XIII protocol. AML patients have been treated by AML 1995 and AML 1998 protocols. The study group includes 548 (80.2%) ALL and 135 (19.8%) AML cases. Two thirds of the all acute leukemia cases are males in both ALL and AML cases. The median age at diagnosis is 62 months for ALL and 108 months for AML patients. ALL is more common among 1–5 year old group; AML is more common among adolescent age group. The incidence of hematologic malignancies increases suddenly in 1997 and 1998 and then showes a decline later. The hematologic malignancy cases who have been admitted to our clinic is most commonly living in the northern and southeastern parts of Turkey. 50% of ALL and AML patients presents with the complaints of fever and pallor. Bone pain is significantly more common in ALL patients. Median time between onset of syptoms and diagnosis is 30 days for both ALL and AML patients. Lymphadenopathy is present in almost half of ALL and AML patients at diagnosis. Hepatomegaly (72.4% vs 50.4%) and splenomegaly (53.8% vs 36.3%) are more commonly observed in ALL then AML patients (p<0.001). The central nervous system (CNS) involvement is present in 5.8% of ALL and 5.9% of AML patients. There is no statisticaly significant difference between ALL and AML patients in terms of bone, mediastinial and CNS involvements. The most common cytogenetical abnormality in ALL patients is hypodiploidy. 25.4% of ALL and 43.7% of AML patients have relapsed subsequently. The most common type of relaps is seen in bone marrow in both ALL and AML cases, however CNS relaps is seen more commonly among ALL patients (31% vs 4%). Fatality rates of ALL and AML are 20.1% and 56.3%, respectively. The fatality rate of AML is significantly higher than ALL. The CNS involvement at diagnosis and sex have no influnce on the fatality rates; on the other hand the presence of relaps for ALL and AML groups and L3 subtype, being less then 1 year old at diagnosis for ALL cases have a negative effect on fatality rates. Also the fatality rates of ALL patients who have been diagnosed before 1997 and recieved St. Jude Total XI protocol has higher fatality rates then who have been diagnosed after 1997 and recieved St. Jude Total XIII (23.3% vs 14.1%). The collection of the cancer data throughout the country is crucial for the determination of the distribution and risk factors of our country. The best way of cancer data collection is development of cancer recording systems and analyzing these data for the determination of distribution and risk factors of patients with hematologic malignancies.

Rapid urbanization rates impact significantly on the nature of Land Cover patterns of the environment, which has been evident in the depletion of vegetal reserves and in general modifying the human climatic systems (Henderson, et al., 2017; Kumar, Masago, Mishra, & Fukushi, 2018; Luo and Lau, 2017). This study explores remote sensing classification technique and other auxiliary data to determine LULCC for a period of 50 years (1967-2016). The LULCC types identified were quantitatively evaluated using the change detection approach from results of maximum likelihood classification algorithm in GIS. Accuracy assessment results were evaluated and found to be between 56 to 98 percent of the LULC classification. The change detection analysis revealed change in the LULC types in Minna from 1976 to 2016. Built-up area increases from 74.82ha in 1976 to 116.58ha in 2016. Farmlands increased from 2.23 ha to 46.45ha and bared surface increases from 120.00ha to 161.31ha between 1976 to 2016 resulting to decline in vegetation, water body, and wetlands. The Decade of rapid urbanization was found to coincide with the period of increased Public Private Partnership Agreement (PPPA). Increase in farmlands was due to the adoption of urban agriculture which has influence on food security and the environmental sustainability. The observed increase in built up areas, farmlands and bare surfaces has substantially led to reduction in vegetation and water bodies. The oscillatory nature of water bodies LULCC which was not particularly consistent with the rates of urbanization also suggests that beyond the urbanization process, other factors may influence the LULCC of water bodies in urban settlements. Keywords: Minna, Niger State, Remote Sensing, Land Surface Characteristics References Akinrinmade, A., Ibrahim, K., & Abdurrahman, A. (2012). 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