Local demands and state policies: general councils (Meclis-i Umumi) in the Edirne and Ankara provinces (1867–1872)

By comparing the decisions of various meetings of the General Councils of Edirne and Ankara provinces from 1283 to 1288 (1867–1872 AD), this study analyses social and economic dynamics of both provinces, the state vocabulary for handling local demands, and the boundaries of responsibility for the state and the local actors in provincial administration. Instead of reading the Tanzimat as a top-down imposition, this article defines General Councils as sites of negotiations between state and local actors and instruments for local development. This article challenges the conventional view of provincial councils as weak and unable to implement various policies. It contributes to a new generation of studies that challenges the separation between state and social forces and looks at how both interacted in provincial administration.     

Examining the Impact of Early Childhood School Investments on Neighborhood Crime

This study tested the hypothesis that investments in early childhood schools have short-term crime reducing effects in neighborhoods. Time series data from the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, were analyzed to evaluate the effects of an early childhood school built in the neighborhood of Kendall-Whittier as part of a larger neighborhood revitalization plan, on violent and property crime. Results revealed that after controlling for city-wide crime trends and monthly fluctuations, violent crime declined significantly in Kendall-Whittier. Further analysis indicated that the possible crime-reducing effects of school investments on violent crime spread beyond Kendall-Whittier, and no displacement was found. The results for property crime were mixed. The study demonstrates the use of clustering analysis, a useful tool in neighborhood-level research to identify comparison neighborhoods. The findings shed light on the possibility that investments in early childhood schools can yield results in a shorter term than anticipated, making them a desirable component of urban revitalization.     

Radiographic evaluation of third molar development in relation to chronological age among Turkish children and youth

A sharp increase in forensic age estimation of living persons has been observed in recent years. However, ethnic populations residing in different countries have been insufficiently analyzed. According to 2004 data compiled by the Essen-based Turkey Research Center, there are 3.8 million Turkish people living abroad, and 3.2 million of them reside in European Union countries. Despite the high number of Turks living abroad, little is known about third-molar development for forensic application in this population. Hence, it was considered worthwhile to determine the developmental stages of the third molar in a group of Turkish population, to assess chronological age estimation based on the developmental stages, and to compare third molar development according to sex, age and location. Orthopantomograms of 1134 Turkish patients, ages 4-20 years were examined and third-molar developmental stages were evaluated based on Demirjian's classifications. Orthopantomograms were scored by two different observers, and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test used to test intra- and inter-observer reliability revealed a strong agreement between both intra- and inter-observer measurements. Linear regression analysis was performed to correlate third-molar development and chronological age, and further statistical analysis was performed to determine the relation between sex, age and location. Results showed a strong linear correlation between age and molar development (males: r(2)=0.57; females: r(2)=0.56). Mineralizations of left and right third molars were compared using Wilcoxon tests, and no statistical differences were found. No significant differences were found in third-molar development between males and females. Mandibular third molar crypt formation was observed in 2.4% of patients at age seven and maxillary third molar crypt formation was observed in 1.3% of patients at age seven. A strong correlation was found between third-molar development and chronological age. Among the Turkish population, third molar crypt formation is observable at as early as 7 years in both the mandible and maxilla. Agenesis can be determined conclusively if no radiolucent bud is present by age 14.     

The mechanism of injury of the abducens nerve in severe head trauma: a postmortem study

The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanism of injury of abducens nerve at petroclival region in severe head trauma. Twenty specimens provided from 10 autopsied cases due to severe head trauma were investigated macroscopically and histopathogically. The slices of the abducens nerve taken consecutively along its course at petroclival region were stained with Hematoxylline-Eosin and evaluated under light microscope. In addition, coexisting cervical injuries in these cases were assessed macroscopically. Edema and perineural hemorrhagia of abducens nerve were identified in all cases. Nerve injury was found more exaggerated at the sites of dural entry point and petrous apex than any other parts of the abducens nerve. Furthermore, microscopically, also remarkable perineural hemorrhage of the abducens nerve was observed at the site of its anastomoses with the sympathetic plexus on the lateral wall of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Abducens nerve is injured at the sites of dural entry point, petrous apex and lateral wall of the ICA, directly proportional with the severity of the trauma. This finding is also significant in verification of the severe head trauma.     

Determination of morphine in postmortem rabbit bone marrow and comparison with blood morphine concentrations

The aim of this study is to predict how long after time of death a buried body could be analyzed for opiates in soft tissues and to show the accessibility and suitability of bone marrow as a useful toxicological specimen from buried bodies. Morphine solutions were injected in nine albino rabbits. Doses ranged from 0.3 to 1.1 mg/kg with 0.1 mg/kg increments. One hour after the injections, the rabbits were sacrificed. Blood, urine and bone marrow samples were collected for analysis. After the whole bodies were buried, femur bone marrow specimens were collected on the seventh and fourteenth days. CEDIA was used to monitor morphine contents of the collected samples. All experimental cases showed that the increase in the given morphine doses correlated with the increase in blood and bone marrow morphine concentrations. High morphine concentrations were detected in urine samples, but there was no correlation between the urine and blood or urine and bone marrow morphine concentrations. Statistically meaningful increases in bone marrow morphine concentrations were found parallel to increase of blood morphine concentrations. Seventh and fourteenth day postmortem morphine concentrations also followed this correlation. Morphine concentrations in bone marrow at 7 and 14 day postmortem decreased consistently when compared with bone marrow morphine concentrations collected immediately after death. We conclude that in sudden death when other specimens are unavailable due to degradation, bone marrow can be a most useful specimen. Further experimental research in this area is required to validate bone marrow as an alternative tissue.     

An Evaluation of Childhood Deaths in Turkey Due to Yellow Phosphorus in Firecrackers

Yellow phosphorus (YP) is a powerful protoplasmic poison used in the manufacturing of matches, pest poisons, firecrackers, firework cracker, lights for watches, military ammunition, and agriculture fertilizer. YP is extremely flammable and toxic and easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we examined childhood deaths from 1997 to 2012 resulting from the ingestion of firecrackers. The patients ranged from 2 to 15 years of age and were admitted to the hospital with a variety of symptoms. Those that presented with nausea, vomiting, and hypotension rapidly deteriorated and entered a coma. An autopsy was performed in all but one of the 16 cases reviewed. Macroscopically, the livers had a yellowish discoloration with petechial bleeding. Histopathologic examination revealed acute toxic hepatitis. In conclusion, these firecrackers are found in corner shops throughout Turkey, may cause death in children with little warning, and should be banned to prevent further deaths.     

A Future of “Happiness”: Can Markets Be Co-evolved?

The downturn of the markets in the recent global economic crisis points to a need to question the current dynamics of the market system, a decade after the turn of the millennium. The inequalities with regard to the consumption of resources across world markets, the declared low satisfaction rates over what is offered in the marketplace, and the increasing skepticism with marketing practices are all more pronounced than ever. It is becoming evident that consumer marketing fails in constructing a happier society. Consumers, producers, and governments as the three main market stakeholders, share responsibility for the undesired consequences. This article provides a critical perspective on the contemporary paradigm that dominates marketing thought in relation to the central role and the evolving meaning of consumption in the market economy that is favored by most governments. The core position of the article is that determining happiness as the ultimate end requires a shift to a new societal orientation for all stakeholders of the market system.     

Transnational networks and kin states: the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, 1878–1940

This paper focuses on the development of national identity and the formation of political organizations in the Turkish minority in the early years of the formation of the Bulgarian state from 1878 to the 1940s. It studies transnational aspects of nationalism, which is usually considered territorially bounded, by studying the impact of connections between the Turkish minority and the Ottoman Empire and later with Turkey. In addition to studying inter-state relations and their reflection in the legal and political sphere, this paper studies the flow of ideas across borders, transnational networks among political activists, and the resulting cleavage formation. Findings show that transnational connections and actors played dual roles. The circulation of political activists, contributed to the formation of national organizations which played a crucial role in (re)formulating national identity. Transnational connections increased political activity in the name of the Turkish minority. Through these organizations the community was able to make collective demands from the Bulgarian state. However, transnational connections carried debates and divisions in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey to the Turkish minority in Bulgaria. By dividing the community, they decreased the capacity for collective action.     

Preadolescents' Perceptions of Females' Body Size and Shape: Evolutionary and Social Learning Perspectives

One hundred and sixty-five Mexican American and Euro-American preadolescents' and their parents' perceptions of healthy and attractive female body sizes and shapes were examined in this study. Participants' perceptions of healthy and attractive female figures were assessed using a pictorial measure that systematically manipulated 3 levels of body size and 4 levels of body shape (i.e., waist-to-hip ratio; WHR). All participants tended to perceive females' with small WHRs as most healthy and attractive looking, while preadolescents expressed a preference for thinner female figures than did adults. Results further suggest that Euro-American and Mexican American participants report similar preferences for females' body sizes and shapes. However, little agreement was found between preadolescents' and their parents' preferences. Principles of evolutionary theory and social learning theory are used to interpret these findings, and implications for preadolescents' perceptions of their own developing bodies, body image, and related eating behaviors are discussed.