Characterization of the Obsidian Used in the Chipped Stone Industry in Kendale Hecala

Kendale Hecala is located on the Ambar River in the Upper Tigris Basin, province of Diyarbakır in Southeast Anatolia. Various raw materials, including obsidian, radiolarite, chert, jasper, chalcedony, and quartzite, were used in the lithic industry. Obsidian artefacts constitute an average of 64% of the chipped stone assemblage. Technological analysis reveals that obsidian was brought to the settlement as nodules and chipped into various tools at the settlement. Understanding the operational sequence of the lithic industry, chaîne opératoire, including the distribution of raw material from source to site, is important to demonstrate the socio-cultural organization of the settlement in Southeastern Anatolia during the Ubaid period. In order to identify source varieties, the obsidian artefacts uncovered from Ubaid layers of Kendale Hecala were analyzed by macro-observations, and the characterization of archaeological samples was performed using a handheld XRF. Multivariate analysis of the data indicates the use of obsidian from different resources at the settlement, including Nemrut Dağ, Bingöl B, and Group 3d.

The Remaking and Unmaking of Multi-Ethnic Spaces. Diyarbakir and Southeast Anatolia in the 21st Century

Focusing on 21st century developments in southeast Anatolia, this article examines the circumstances of minority communities within the contexts of the shifting dynamics of Turkey’s national project. Until the early 20th century southeast Anatolia was an ethnic patchwork. The early republican era saw efforts to “Turkify” through the promulgation of a national identity project asserting ethnic unity. From the 1980s, conflict with the PKK gave urgency to the notion that uniformity was paramount for national cohesion. In this milieu, ethnic diversity was suspect. Circumstances changed with the AKP government’s 2002 ascendance and the earlier emergence of Kurdish municipal politicians. This article documents how thereafter the re-imagining of the national project away from an exclusive ethnic categorisation allowed acknowledgement and accommodation of ethnic and religious diversity across southeast Anatolia. The chapter analyses these events in light of a backlash by nationalist politicians, the 2015 re-ignition of the PKK conflict and the subsequent resurgence of nationalist rhetoric in the political arena. It appears a narrow, exclusive national identity is re-asserting itself. The article thus examines the extent to which the experience of south-eastern Anatolia represents the re-imagining of Turkey’s national project and the embrace of a previously denied multi-ethnic socio-political fabric.

Saturation and Sigma Measurements in Carbonate Formations with Multiple Pulsed Neutron Technologies: Case Study from Southeast Turkey

This paper describes the petrophysical analysis resulting from operation of two independent pulsed neutron logging tools in the same cased hole well. The well was primarily carbonate and included many different subsurface formations located in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey that included the Derdere, Karababa A, B, and C, Karaboğaz, Bozova, and Germav. Computing the mineralogy and saturation in these environments is challenging due to the complexity and low porosity of the formations that included mixed lithologies and organic shale. One of the objectives of this work was to demonstrate how the spectral data from the two tools was not only consistent, but that they could be combined to create an optimal petrophysical interpretation of the lithology, detailed mineralogy, porosity, and saturation of the formations within the well. Both tools employed a pulsed neutron generator capable of emitting 2 x 108 neutrons/second into the ambient formation. One was a 4-detector, 1-11/16-inch diameter reservoir evaluation tool, and the other was a single detector, 3-1/4-inch geochemical spectroscopy tool. In order to obtain the best possible results, a sound logging program was created that involved running the reservoir evaluation tool in 3 different modes of operation. This included the carbon/oxygen (C/O) mode, the sigma mode, and the gas mode. Stationary measurements were also obtained. The geochemical logging tool has only a single mode of operation. The resulting sigma measurements were in complete agreement. The sigma from the geochemical logging tool was corrected for the effects of diffusion. The advantage of the slim-hole reservoir evaluation tool is that the measurements from the 4th detector are diffusion-free. Data from the 1-11/16-inch reservoir evaluation tool from the gas mode did not reveal any bypassed gas zones in the well. Oil saturation was computed with the reservoir evaluation tool based upon three logging passes in the C/O mode. An important component of the interpretation was that it was supported by MCNP modeling that predicted the tool's response for hydrocarbon saturation. Although data from the geochemical spectroscopy tool was not used to determine saturation in this well, the resulting carbon concentration, that included kerogen as well as hydrocarbons, was completely consistent with the saturation computed from the reservoir evaluation tool.

Evaluation of Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus in Reference Center Hospital in Turkey's Southeast Anatolia Among Patients Referred for Major or Minimally Invasive Surgery: Last Decade Experience in a Previously High Prevalence Area

Background: There is a high worldwide prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections, among the significant causes of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV in a referral center hospital in Southeast Anatolia among patients that applied for major or minimally invasive surgery. Methods: In a tertiary referral state hospital for general purposes, patients undergoing surgical procedures and serologic examinations for HBV and HCV were included in the study between January 2011 and September 2020. Results: In the general population, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HBs were examined in 220,724 patients, and anti-HCV was examined in 186,017 patients. The mean age was 42.3 ± 20.2 years with a 51.8% male distribution. The frequency of positive HBsAg and anti-HCV in all patients was 9.4 and 0.9%, respectively. On the other hand, the frequency of positive HBsAg and anti-HCV was 4.2 and 0.7%, respectively, among patients admitted for a surgical procedure. The mean age was 46.1 ± 21.1 years with a slightly male predominance (54 vs. 46%). In this group, the frequency of positive HBsAg was higher in males (5.1%) while the lowest was in the 1 - 10 age range (0.4%) and the highest in the 41 - 50 age range (5.7%). Between 2011 and 2019, the prevalence of HBsAg positivity decreased from 6.4 to 4.0%, while anti-HCV positivity was similar in both genders, and its frequency increased with age. Conclusions: Between 2011 and 2020, the overall prevalence of HBV and HCV decreased in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey.

Cases of Lower Extremity and Perianal Burns at the Burn Center in the Southeast Anatolia of Turkey

Introduction: In this study, the aim is to discuss the cases of lower extremity and perianal burns at the burn center in the southeast Anatolia of Turkey. Material and methods: A 4-year retrospective study was conducted on 775 patients who had been admitted to Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital Burn Centre with lower extremity and perianal burn injuries between January 2016 and January 2020. Results: Of the patients, 427 were male and 348 were female. Scald burns are most commonly affect the perianal and lower extremities. The right lower extremity was affected in 602 (77.7%) patients, the left lower extremity was affected in 574 (74.1%) patients and the perineum was affected in 70 (9.0%) patients. Most burn injuries occur in individuals between 0 to 4 years old, and the rate of burn injuries gradually decreases in individuals outside of this age range. No patient underwent colostomy for perianal burns. Conclusion: Early, aggressive and extensive debridement, in addition to adequate antimicrobial therapy, should be performed as the basis of treatment.

Floristic composition in the ruderal areas of Southeast Anatolia, Turkey

Survey on the floral diversity is an important activity to evaluate the existing flora. This study was carried out from 2018 to 2020 to investigate the flora existing in the roadside and ruderal areas between Şanlıurfa and Bozova, nearby Euphrates river. A total of 200 taxa belonging to 138 genera and 41 families were determined. 9 of these taxa are endemic to Turkey. Among the plants identified, there are 5 geophytes, 1 parasite and 14 cultivated plants. The families with the most taxa are Fabaceae (47), Asteraceae (30), Lamiaceae (15), Poaceae (13) and Brassicaceae (7). The genera with the dominant taxa are; Astragalus (7), Medicago (7), Trigonella (7), Vicia (5) and Trifolium (5). In distribution of plants in the study area, the Irano-Turanian elements (38%, 75 taxa) ranks first, Mediterranean elements second (15%, 30 taxa) and Euro-Siberian elements third (1%, 3). The botanical- and vernacular names and habit categories of the recorded plant taxa are cited systematically. Threats to these plants and possible conservation strategies are also discussed briefly. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 28(1): 241-256, 2021 (June)

The Iron Age I–II Transition in the Northern Levant: An Emerging Consensus?

The development of a refined, and widely accepted, chronological and cultural sequence has eluded the study of the Iron Age Northern Levant, despite more than a century of archaeological exploration and research. The renewed investigations at Tell Tayinat (ancient Kunulua), capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Palastin/Walastin and scene of large-scale excavations by the Syrian-Hittite Expedition in the 1930s, have resulted in a tightly constructed stratigraphic and chronological cultural sequence, or “local history,” for this period. This refined “Amuq Sequence” indicates a number of culturally and historically significant transitions, including the transition from the Iron Age I to the Iron Age II, ca. 900 BCE, and it offers the prospect of forging a consensus regarding the cultural and chronological periodization of the broader Iron Age Northern Levant and Southeast Anatolia.

A meta-analysis study on colistin resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii species in Turkey

Aim: Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial infectious agent that may be resistant to several antimicrobial drugs, including colistin. Colistin is a crucial antimicrobial agent in resistant A. baumannii infections. Colistin resistance varies between countries and regions worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the studies on colistin resistance of A. baumannii strains in different regions of Turkey, show the increasing colistin resistance in years, and discuss the solution suggestions. Methods: The online electronic database was searched for studies evaluating the antibacterial efficacy of colistin combined with other antibiotics or alone in clinical samples of patients with A. baumannii infection. Results: In our study, colistin susceptibility was found to be between 81.8%-100% in Turkey. The lowest susceptibility to colistin for A. baumannii strains was reported in the Aegean Region (81.8-100%), followed by Black Sea (82.4-100%), Southeast Anatolia (94-96%), Central Anatolia (95.8-100), Marmara (96.8-100%), Mediterranean (98-100%), respectively, and the highest susceptibility was found in Eastern Anatolia Region (98.6-100%). According to the studies, a partial decrease in colistin sensitivity was found in some regions over the years and more decrease in others, but this decrease was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). The cities with the lowest colistin susceptibility were reported as İzmir 81.8%, Samsun 82.4%, Diyarbakır 94%, Düzce 94.1% and Ankara 95.8%. Conclusion: Colistin is still the most effective antimicrobial drug in A. baumannii infections. Our study concluded that there were some differences between regions and even within the same region in colistin susceptibility of A. baumannii in Turkey, and resistance development has increased over the years.