Bone age assessment: the applicability of the Greulich-Pyle method in eastern Turkish children

The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the Greulich-Pyle (GP) method is adequate for Turkish children. A group of 767 individuals (425 girls and 342 boys) between 7 and 17 years were studied. Bone age (BA) from plain radiographs of left hands and wrists by GP standards was estimated. The total mean differences between BA and chronological age (CA) for girls and boys were found to be 0.20 and -0.13 years, respectively. There were significant differences between BA and CA in age groups 7-, 8-, 10-, 11-, 12-, 13-, 15-, and 16-year-olds for girls and 7-, 10-, and 12-year-olds for boys. The results of this study suggest that the mean differences between BA and CA are low enough to be of no practical significance, and thus, for the time being unless any other methods will be proved more useful, this method could be used in all age groups.     

Facts,Preferences, and Doctrine: An Empirical Analysis of Proportionality Judgment

Legal proportionality is one of the most important principles for adjudicating among conflicting values. However, rather little is known about the factors that play a role in the formation of proportionality judgments. This research presents the first empirical analysis in this regard, relying on a sample of 331 legal experts (lawyers and legal academics). The policy domain addressed by the experiment is the antiterrorist military practice of targeted killings, which has been the subject of a legal debate. Our experimental findings suggest that proportionality judgments are receptive to normatively relevant facts. We also find strong correlational evidence for the effect of ideological preferences on such judgments. These results are consistent for two proportionality doctrines. We suggest that proportionality judgment is anchored jointly in the experts’ policy preferences and the facts of the case. We outline the implications of the findings for the psychological and legal literature.     

Dental age assessment: the applicability of Demirjian method in eastern Turkish children

In the literature, little is known about the applicability of this method in Turkish children. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the reliability of Demirjian method of age estimation when used for eastern Turkish children. A retrospective study was performed on a sample of panoramic radiographs taken from 807 healthy eastern Turkish children. The stages of dental maturity of the mandibular left seven permanent teeth for each subject using the eight radiographic dental maturity stages demonstrated by Demirjian were evaluated. A paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. The mean difference between the chronological and dental ages ranged from 0.2 to 1.9 years in girls and from 0.4 to 1.3 years in boys. The differences between the chronological and dental ages were statistically significant in all age groups. The applicability of Demirjian method is not suitable for eastern Turkish population.     

A Forensic and Medical Evaluation of Dog Bites in a Province of Western Turkey

The aim was to evaluate the demographic data of dog‐bite cases organized from criminal and forensic reports. This study evaluated 328 cases admitted to the Director of Forensic Medicine, Eskisehir, as a result of dog bites between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010. It was found that those in the age‐group of 0–18 were most frequently exposed to dog bites (48.5%). Injuries to the lower extremity, upper extremity, and chest/abdomen/back were more frequent in men (72.6%, 76.4%, and 66.1%, respectively), while injuries to the head/neck/face were more frequent in women (52.3%) (p < 0.01). While most of those wounded in the upper extremity, the head/neck/face, and the chest/abdomen/back were in the child age‐group, most of those wounded in the lower extremity were in the adult age‐group (p < 0.001). Teaching children, in particular, how to behave around dogs would be useful in reducing the incidence of bite.     

Explaining Self‐Interested Behavior of Public‐Spirited Policy Makers

Public choice theory (PCT) has had a powerful influence on political science and, to a lesser extent, public administration. Based on the premise that public officials are rational maximizers of their own utility, PCT has a quite successful record of correctly predicting governmental decisions and policies. This success is puzzling in light of behavioral findings showing that officials do not necessarily seek to maximize their own utility. Drawing on recent advances in behavioral ethics, this article offers a new behavioral foundation for PCT's predictions by delineating the psychological processes that lead well‐intentioned people to violate moral and social norms. It reviews the relevant findings of behavioral ethics, analyzes their theoretical and policy implications for officials' decision making, and sets an agenda for future research.     

Morphologic analysis of third-molar mineralization for eastern Turkish children and youth

To date, there has been no chronological age estimation according to third-molar mineralization in eastern Turkish children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the development of the mandibular third molar and its relationship to chronological age in subjects aged 7-22 years according to Demirjian's stages. The final sample consisted of 1348 [622 males (mean age, 12.72 ± 3.14) and 726 females (mean age, 12.92 ± 2.89)] conventional orthopantomograms from eastern Turkish youths. An independent t-test was performed to evaluate the difference between sexes. Regression analysis was performed to obtain regression formulae for dental age calculation with chronological age. In males, there was a difference between males and females only at stage C (p = 0.03); females were advanced 0.37 years compared with males at the stage C. Third-molar development among eastern Turkish children and youths occurs at a more advanced age than other populations for almost all stages.     

Is the Assessment of Dental Age by the Nolla Method Valid for Eastern Turkish Children?

The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the Nolla method is appropriate for Turkish children for the determination of the dental age (DA). A group of 719 children between the ages of 6 and 18 years were included in the study. DAs from orthopantograms by the Nolla method were estimated. The results obtained were compared with chronologic age (CA). Paired t and the Wilcoxon tests were performed. Both genders were underestimated in dental maturity when compared with the reference samples in total (-0.3 years) (p<0.01). The differences in girls were statistically significant in total and in all groups except for 7-7.9. The differences in boys between the CAs and DAs were not statistically significant in total and in all groups except for 7-7.9 and 8-8.9. Although the accuracy of this method was suitable for boys, according to our findings, it was not suitable for girls.     

Cattle‐Caused Fatalities in a Province of Western Turkey: 1996–2010 Autopsy Results

Cattle‐caused injuries and deaths are much more than predicted. The aim of this research is to determine the prevalence of cattle‐caused fatalities and the factors affecting it in a province of western Turkey. The court files on cattle‐caused fatalities during a 15‐year period between 1996 and 2010 were explored. The proportion of forensic‐qualified deaths from the total of 3753 was 0.9% (35/3753). Most of the cases were between the ages of 18 and 65 (60%). Most deaths occurred in the spring and summer months compared with autumn and winter months (9 and 22 vs. 3 and 1, respectively). The mortality rate was much higher in men compared with women (94.3% and 5.7%, respectively). The majority of deaths were caused by injuries on the chest (71.4%). The reason for most deaths was due to hemopneumothorax and lung injury (71.4%). Predicting the behavior of cattle may not always be possible, as such, it is advisable that one wears protective equipment when dealing with cattle.