Browsing by WoS Q Quality "Q2"
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- ItemAssessing competition in the Turkish cement industry: insights from the boone indicator(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024-08) Yıldız, Hakan; Köprücü, Yılmaz; Şengül, Serkan; 355807Purpose – This paper investigates the degree of competitiveness within the Turkish cement industry, employing firm-level quarterly data spanning from 2008 to 2016. Design/methodology/approach – To assess the level and trajectory of competition among Turkish cement firms, we employ the Boone indicator (β) as formulated by Boone (2008). This indicator, rooted in the concept of relative profit differences (RPD), serves as a robust metric for gauging competitive dynamics. According to the ß indicator, firms exhibiting higher relative efficiency are expected to secure greater profits and market shares in a fiercely competitive market. Additionally, we utilize concentration indices for the purpose of revealing comparable findings. Findings – Empirical findings reveal that an enhancement in firms’ efficiency corresponds to a proportionally modest increase in either market share or profits, implying a lower degree of competition within the Turkish cement industry. Although the specific magnitudes of ß estimates exhibit temporal fluctuations, we may conclude that the Turkish cement industry does not conform to the ideals of perfect competition. The concentration indices calculated on the sample also support this result. Research limitations/implications – This research is limited to the Turkish cement companies over the period 2008–2016. Originality/value – The studies measuring the level of competition in the Turkish cement sector are generally based on concentration ratios. In this study, we assess the competition level by using a different methodology based on parametric procedures.
- ItemHope and psychological resilience in primary caregivers of patients with a chronic mental illness followed in a community mental health center(Elsevier, 2024-03) Erkuş, Şeyma; Babacan Gümüş, Aysun; 372023Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine hope and psychological resilience in primary caregivers of patients with a chronic mental illness. Design and methods: The descriptive study was conducted on 297 caregivers in community mental health centers in Turkey. Data were collected using the Introductory Information Form, Dispositional Hope Scale and the Resilience Scale for Adults. Findings: Hope and psychological resilience of primary caregivers of patients with a chronic mental illness were moderate. To sociodemographic and caregiver characteristics; caregivers who are over 40 years old, lost his/her spouse, low education level, housewife or retired, unemployed, who evaluated their incomes low, mother, living in the same house with the patient, caring for ten years or more, caring for another patient and not getting help in care had lower hope and resilience levels. Compared to patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, caregivers of patients with schizophrenia had lower hope and psychological resilience levels. Conclusions: Primary caregivers of patients with a chronic mental illness should be supported in terms of hope and psychological resilience.
- ItemPsychological impact of disaster relief operations: a study following consecutive earthquakes in Turkey(Cambridge University Press, 2024-05) İşeri, Ali; Baltacı, Recep; 135066Objective: This cross-sectional study investigates the immediate psychological effects of disaster relief operations on team members following 2 consecutive major earthquakes in Turkey. Methods: A total of 170 participants, including professional firefighters, search and rescue (SAR) workers, and volunteers, were surveyed approximately 1 month after the conclusion of active SAR operations. The study utilizes the DSM-V criteria and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) to assess symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among participants. Results: The findings reveal a point prevalence of 35.3% for probable PTSD, highlighting the substantial psychological impact on disaster relief teams. Factors such as age, residency in affected areas, and active SAR involvement significantly influenced probable PTSD rates. Interestingly, actively engaged SAR members had lower probable PTSD rates, possibly due to their training. Those who directly witnessed the earthquakes had higher scores, highlighting the impact of firsthand exposure. Additionally, individuals aged 50 and above displayed a higher mean total severity score compared to younger participants. Conclusions: This research contributes to understanding the mental well-being of disaster relief professionals. The study’s findings underscore the importance of timely mental health support and training for these responders, emphasizing the need for preparedness in disaster relief teams.
- ItemShort-term prognostic value of the culprit-SYNTAX score in patients with acute myocardial infarction(MDPI, 2023) Peker, Tezcan; Boyraz, Bedrettin; 313898Background: The SYNergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with TAXus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score is a scoring system that helps to decide on surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), and studies are showing the prognostic value of this scoring system in both MI and coronary artery disease patients undergoing PCI. In acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, the infarct-related artery and the complexity of the lesions are also important in terms of mortality and morbidity. Our study aimed to determine the prognostic value of the culprit vessel’s SYNTAX score (cul-SS) in patients presenting with MI. Methods: In our study, 1284 patients presenting with MI were analyzed retrospectively. The SYNTAX scores and cul-SS of the patients were calculated. In-hospital and 30-day deaths and major complications were accepted as primary outcomes. The SYNTAX scores and cul-SS were compared in terms of predicting primary outcomes. Conclusions: Major complications were observed in 36 (2.8%) patients, death in 42 (3.3%) patients, and stent thrombosis in 24 (1.9%) patients. The area under the curves for SYNTAX and cul-SS for predicting primary outcomes is 0.64 and 0.68 (p = 0.026), respectively. Cul-SS was as successful as the SYNTAX score in predicting stent thrombosis and was superior in predicting short-term death and major complications.
- ItemThe effect of being married on heart rate variability, an indicator of autonomic dysfunction: A retrospective study(Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2023) Akgümüş, Alkame; Balun, Ahmet; Peker, Tezcan; Boyraz, Bedrettin; 313898Heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive assessment that reflects the autonomic functions of the heart and is known to be impaired in many diseases. In our study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between HRV and being married. The study included 104 patients, between the aged 20 to 40 years were included in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups as 53 healthy married (group 1) and 51 healthy unmarried (group 2). 24-hour rhythm Holter recordings were performed on all married and unmarried patients. Group 1 had a mean age of 32 ± 5 years and 47.2% men, and group 2 had a mean age of 30 ± 5 years and 54.9% men. Standard deviation of normal to normal (SDNN) was 150 ± 40 versus 128 ± 30 (P = .003), SDNN index was 66 ± 20 versus 56 ± 12 (P = .004), the square root of the mean of the squares of the differences of the adjacent root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) was 37 ± 10 versus 30 ± 10 (P < .001), percentage of successive R-R intervals that differ by more than 50 milliseconds (PNN50) was 13.5 ± 7 versus 8.5 ± 7 (P = .001), HF was 450 ± 270 versus 225 ± 130 (P < .001) found to be significantly less in the group 2. LF/HF ratio was 1.68 ± 0.65 versus 3.31 ± 1.56 (P < .001) found to be significantly higher in the group 2. In our study, it is possible to say that the sympathetic system effect on the heart was more dominant and the HRV was lower in the unmarried group.
- ItemThe effect of different bed head angles on the hemodynamic parameters of intensive care patients lying in the supine position: a quasi-experimental study(Wiley, 2024-02) Yiğit Avcı, Şenay; Yılmaz, Dilek; 397256Aims: The aim of this study was to research the effect of different bed head angles on the hemodynamic parameters of intensive care patients lying in the supine position. Methods: This study was a non-randomized and non-controlled, quasiexperimental repeated measures study. The study was conducted with 50 intensive care patients aged 18 and over in a general surgery intensive care unit in Turkey. With each patient in the supine position, the bed head was raised to an angle of 0°, 20°, 30°, and 45° without a pillow, and the hemodynamic parameters of central venous pressure, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation were recorded after 0 and 10 min. Results: It was found that the mean central venous pressure value measured at min 0 and 10 was higher when the intensive care patients' bed head angle was raised to 45° than when the bed head was at an angle of 0° or 20° (p < .05). It was found that the patients' other hemodynamic parameters were not affected by different bed head angles. Conclusions: It was concluded as a result of this research that in intensive care patients in the supine position, only central venous pressure was affected by bed head angle, and that central venous pressure measurement can be reliably made at a bed head angle of 30°.
- ItemThe role of advanced glycation end-product levels measured by skin autofluorescence in the development of mitral annular calcification(MDPI, 2023) Boyraz, Bedrettin; Peker, Tezcan; 313898As a person ages, mitral annular calcification develops in the mitral annulus with increasing frequency. Lipid deposition, inflammation, and aging-related degeneration have been cited as potential causes of this pathophysiology, though there is currently no conclusive evidence to support this. AGEs accumulate in tissues due to the glycation of proteins and lipids, increasing the release of proinflammatory cytokines secondary to oxidative stress through the AGE receptor. The AGE levels increase in diabetic microvascular complications and degenerative aortic valve disease. Our study was planned prospectively as a case–control study involving 94 MAC-positive patients and 94 MAC-negative patients. The demographics, echocardiographic data and AGE levels of the patients were measured and recorded using the skin autofluorescence method. AGE levels were significantly higher in the MAC-positive patient group (3.2 vs. 2.7; p < 0.001). The AGE levels were observed as an independent predictor of MAC development in a regression analysis (OR: 8.05, 95% CI: 3.74–17.33, p < 0.001). In a ROC-curve analysis, the AUC was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72–0.85). At a cut-off value of 2.7, 79.7% sensitivity and 69.1% specificity were observed. AGE levels can be used to cheaply, easily and non-invasively identify patients at risk of developing MAC.
