An empirical investigation of advanced manufacturing technology investment patterns: Evidence from a developing country

Advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) investment patterns in developing countries is in need of further investigation, particularly in the light of the conflicting evidence from the literature. This paper provides new evidence on AMT investment patterns from the Turkish automotive industry and develops a taxonomy by exploring the relationships between AMT investment patterns, ownership structure, firm size and performance. Analysis of industry survey data suggests the existence of three groups with different AMT investment strategies. Results suggest that AMT investment patterns are not only significantly correlated with firm performance or ownership, but also reveals significant differences in manufacturing performance across investment patterns.     

Remittances and Energy Consumption: Evidence from Morocco

The main purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the co‐integration and causal relationship between international remittances and energy consumption in the context of Morocco. Previous empirical studies associated remittances with various macroeconomic and social variables. To our knowledge, this is the first study that examines the causality between remittances and energy consumption in Morocco. The study finds a long‐run equilibrium relationship between remittances and energy consumption. The results indicate that remittances influence energy consumption directly both in the short run and long run, and influence energy consumption indirectly through industrialization and economic growth in the long run.     

Stabilizing heteroscedasticity for butterfly-distributed residuals by the weighting absolute centered external variable

In the current study, a new method by the weighting absolute centered external variable (WCEV) was proposed to stabilize heteroscedasticity for butterfly-distributed residuals (BDRs). After giving brief information about heteroscedasticity and BDRs, WCEV was introduced. The WCEV and commonly used variance stabilizing methods are compared on a simple and a multiple regression model. The WCEV was also tested for other type of heteroscedasticity patterns. In addition to heteroscedasticity, other regression assumptions were checked for the WCEV.     

Does Stage of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Affect Female Sexual Functions? A Retrospective Study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pelvic organ prolapse stage on sexual function in women. Methods: Prolapse stages, muscle strength, sexual function, and pelvic floor symptoms were assessed by Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification, by vaginal pressure measurement, by the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ-12), and the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20), respectively. Results: There was no difference between pelvic floor muscle strength, PISQ-12 subscales and PISQ-12 total scores based on prolapse stages (p > 0.05). When the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory and PFDI-20 scores of the women with stage 3/4 prolapse were compared with Stage 1 and Stage 2, there was a difference found between them (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Sexual function and muscular strength were not affected by prolapse stages.     

Correcting double outward box distributed residuals by WCEV

Double outward box distributed residuals are another type of non monotonic heteroscedasticity that severely violates homoscedasticity assumption. In this study Çelik's (2015 Çelik, R. (2015). Stabilizing heteroscedasticity for butterfly-distributed residuals by the weighting absolute centered external variable. J. Appl. Stat. 42(4):705–721.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) WCEV is applied to double outward box distributed residuals to provide homoscedasticity for simple and multiple regression models.     

Simulation-based estimation of threshold moving average models with contemporaneous shock asymmetry and an application to Turkish business cycles

Persistence of shocks to economic time series may differ depending on the sign of the shock or on a threshold value. Threshold moving average (TMA) models, by explicitly taking into account threshold behavior, can help discriminate whether there exists persistence asymmetry. This article considers TMA models in which both contemporaneous and lagged asymmetric effects are both present and examines the properties of simulation-based efficient method of moments estimation using Monte Carlo simulation experiments. The model is applied to analyze the persistence properties of shocks to growth rates of gross domestic product and industrial production index in Turkish economy.     

The Levels of Cortisol,Oxidative Stress,and DNA Damage in the Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Preliminary Study

In this study we aimed to investigate serum cortisol, oxidative stress, and DNA damage in children who are sexual abuse victims. The study included 38 children who sustained child sexual abuse and 38 age- and gender-matched children who did not have a history of trauma. Cortisol levels reflecting the status of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, anti-oxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, natural anti-oxidant coenzyme Q, and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine as the indicator of DNA damage were analyzed in serum samples using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in the child sexual abuse group compared to the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of oxidative stress and DNA damage. Cortisol and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine levels decreased as the time elapsed since the sexual abuse increased. Coenzyme Q level was lower in victims who sustained multiple assaults than in the victims of a single assault. Cortisol and superoxide dismutase levels were lower in the victims of familial sexual abuse. Decreases in cortisol and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine levels as time elapsed may be an adaptation to the toxic effects of high cortisol levels over a prolonged period of time. Child sexual abuse did not result in oxidative stress and DNA damage; however, some features of sexual abuse raised the level of oxidative stress.     

Relation of infants' and mothers' pointing to infants' vocabulary measured directly and with parental reports

Infants' and parents' pointing gestures predict infants' concurrent and prospective language development. Most studies have measured vocabulary size using parental reports. However, parents tend to underestimate or overestimate infants' vocabulary necessitating the use of direct measures alongside parent reports. The present study examined whether mothers' index-finger pointing, and infants' whole-hand and index-finger pointing at 14 months associate with infants' receptive and expressive vocabulary based on parental reports and directly measured lexical processing efficiency (LPE) concurrently at 14 months and prospectively at 18 months. We used the decorated room paradigm to measure pointing frequency, the Turkish communicative development inventory I to measure infants' receptive vocabulary, Turkish communicative development inventory II to measure their expressive vocabulary, and the Looking-While-Listening (LWL) task to measure LPE. At 14 months, 34 mother-infant dyads, and at 18 months, 30 dyads were included in the analyses. We found that only infants' index-finger pointing frequency at 14 months predicted their LPE (both reaction time and accuracy) prospectively at 18 months but not concurrently at 14 months. Neither maternal pointing nor infants' pointing predicted their receptive and expressive vocabulary based on indirect measurement. The results extend the evidence on the relation between index-finger pointing and language development to a more direct measure of vocabulary.     

Logistic Regression Analysis of the Outlook of People in Turkey Regarding the Principles of Secularism and Republic for the New Constitution to be Prepared

This paper studies demands and expectations of people about the content of the new constitution supposed to be prepared after the parliamentary election of June, 2011 in Turkey. For that purpose, a survey was applied across the country to 6,810 people with different ethnic identities, religious faiths and political tendencies. Economic and social conditions of the respondents were studied and subsequently their tendencies regarding two of the most frequently discussed topics of the country namely Secularism and Republic were explored. For that purpose, statistical technics and the logistic regression technic were used. We interestingly found out that the two principles mentioned above have been substantially accepted by different parts of the society and there are no considerable negative reactions regarding those issues. It was found out in this study that almost all parts of the Turkish society accept some fundamental principles of the regime like Republic and Secularism as well as the Presidency of Religious Affairs. It appears that in Turkey basic differences regarding perspectives on political and social values arise rather from sectarian identities.     

The relationship between vitamin D level and erectile dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Recent studies have suggested that a relationship could exist between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency and erectile dysfunction (ED). The present study evaluated the relationship between 25(OH)D levels and ED in male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The study included 98 patients with type 2?DM aged between 18–80 years. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) Questionnaire was administered. The patients were divided into three groups according to IIEF-5 scoring: IIEF-5 score between 5–10, severe ED; IIEF-5 score between 11–20, moderate ED; IIEF-5 score between 21–25, no ED. Biochemical parameters, 25(OH)D and hormonal analysis tests were obtained in all patients. All parameters were compared between these three groups. Of 98 patients included in the study, 32 had severe ED, 45 had moderate ED and 21 had no ED. The mean age was 55.12?±?9.39 years and the mean 25(OH)D level was 13.69?±?8.15?ng/ml. When the three groups were compared, 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in patients with the IIEF-5 score between 5–10 (p?=?0.020). There was a moderate positive relationship between IIEF-5 score and 25(OH)D level (r?=?0.21, p?=?0.038). The patients with severe ED have considerably lower 25(OH)D levels.