Category: Sci/Tech

Turkish Science Academy Fights Government Changes

The Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) is battling what it sees as a power grab by the Turkish government. On 27 August, the government issued a decree that would strip the academy of its autonomy by having other bodies appoint most of its members and making its presidency an appointed position. In response, members have threatened to resign en masse and start a new academy.

The changes, TÜBA President Yücel Kanpolat writes in an e-mail to ScienceInsider, are “destroying the most important aspect of this scientific institution.” In a statement issued last week, the academy said that “through this action TÜBA has been terminated as an Academy” and that “a new Turkish Academy of Sciences has been established under governmental management.”

In a letter sent to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan today, the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies says it’s “deeply distressed” by the decree and asks Erdoğan to “quickly reverse” it. “Any legitimate, respected national academy is self-governing,” the network writes.

The decree—issued just after the start of a 9-day holiday period—says that from now on, one-third of new academy members will be appointed by the government and one-third by the Council of Higher Education, a body that is also under the government’s control. The rest will be elected by sitting members. That change will almost triple, to 300 members, the current size of the organization. TÜBA’s president will no longer be elected by other academicians, but appointed by the government, and honorary members will lose their voting rights in the General Assembly.

Kanpolat says the government has offered no rationale for the sweeping changes, leading to speculation about its reasons. He believes the government isn’t trying to mute the academy’s positions on sensitive issues like evolution, which have clashed with Islamic groups’ views in the past. Instead, he says, the government is on a campaign “to penetrate into the independence of institutions. … TÜBA has been one of the last of those institutions.” (The independence of Turkey’s Scientific and Technological Research Council had already been “gutted”, says Taner Edis, a Turkish physicist at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.)

Ayse Erzan, a physicist at Istanbul Technical University and a TÜBA member, agrees. “I don’t think this has anything to do with science versus religion,” she says. Erzan believes it may be a “naïve” attempt to make Turkish science more “utilitarian.” The decree stipulates that TÜBA can start and run new research institutes, and Erzan suspects the government wants the academy to get more involved in applied research leading to technological innovation.

Kanpolat says that the government has the authority to change the academy’s structure because it is a publicly funded agency. Although the academy itself cannot appeal the decision, the changes could be challenged at Turkey’s Constitutional Court, the ultimate arbiter of Turkish laws, by political parties or members of parliament, he says.

For now, academy members are hoping to persuade the government to reconsider its decision. At meetings in Istanbul and Ankara last week, they discussed walking out en masse and founding a new academy, but decided to first alert Turkish President Abdullah Gül to the “possible detrimental effects of such a dual identity.” A new academy would be hampered by its lack of government funding, notes Erol Gelenbe, a computer scientist at Imperial College London and a TÜBA member.

Kanpolat’s 3-year tenure was scheduled to end in December, when the academy’s General Assembly would have chosen a successor. The decree has put an immediate end to his term but allows him to stay on until the government names a successor, and Kanpolat plans to do so. “I do not think I can leave the academy without leadership at such a time of uncertainty,” he says.

The Amsterdam-based European Federation of National Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) has not yet discussed the issue, says Executive Director Rüdinger Klein. “We would have to get a formal request from the Turkish Academy to get involved,” Klein says.

via Turkish Science Academy Fights Government Changes – ScienceInsider.

September 7, 2011
Turkey is Facebook world country No. 4

With its fourth position among The top 5 countries on the Facebook, Turkey is doing incredibly well in terms of Facebook country population reaching towards 30 million. With 76.8 million people in Turkey it means that 38.50% is using Facebook. What’s even more compelling is the number of online population, which exceeded 85% and makes Turkey one of the largest market for social media networking.

Based on the graph below, we can see fairly stable increase in the Facebook users; but what lies underneath this growth? Demographics from Turkey show, that almost one half of the country’s population is under the age of 29, which is the most prevalent age for Facebook fans. Because large portion (more that two quarters) is too young at the moment, we can assume the population of Facebook to grow on constant rate. This stable growth of approximately 1% is evident in our stats as well.

Economy in Turkey is growing fast. The economic growth accelerated to est. 6.7% (annual average real GDP growth for OECD countries 2011–2017) and with almost 25 million people in the workforce, there’s no dispute about the country’s Facebook growth potential. Speaking about technology, there are more than 46 million people using cell phones in homes and businesses, so targeting this country with technological advancements is safe bet for any Facebook page owner.

TOP 3 Facebook brands with biggest number of fans in Turkey are Avea with 1 430 851 fans, Turkcell with 1 078 269 fans, followed by Nike Football with 926 956 fans for the month of July 2011. Detailed overview of top Turkey brands with more compelling analytics can be found at

via Turkey is Facebook world country No. 4 – Socialbakers.

September 1, 2011
Turkey Avoiding Greenhouse Gas-Reduction Despite Rapid Increases in Emissions, New Report Finds

Greenhouse gas emissions from Turkey don’t just pose an abstract, future threat to the country — the same gases that contribute to climate change periodically envelop Istanbul in smog.

Turkey’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased by a whopping 98 percent in the last two decades, from 187 million tons of CO2 equivalent in 1990 to 370 million in 2009. That’s not as bad as India or China, where GHG emissions increased by 152 and 186 percent, respectively, in the same time period. But it’s a lot worse than the United States, where the increase was only 6 percent — or every country in the European Union, for that matter, where greenhouse gas emissions have all decreased since 1990.

What’s more, the Turkish government has resisted any binding solution to its skyrocketing GHG-emission rate. That, at least, is the conclusion of a new report by Bahçeşehir University Center for Economic and Social Research (BETAM) Research Fellow Barış Gençer Baykan.

Superficial international commitments

Though Turkey’s leaders ostensibly want the country to join the European Union, the government’s GHG emissions policy — or lack thereof — may be the clearest signal yet that Turkey’s government is not serious about bringing Turkey in line with EU standards.

Turkey ratified the Kyoto Protocol two years ago. Not only was Turkey one of the last countries to do so, its ratification was an empty gesture. Turkey is not bound by any of the pre-2012 Kyoto targets because it was not a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) when the protocol was first adopted.

And after the failure of recent talks in Bonn, Germany, to produce a legally binding successor to the 2008-2012 Kyoto Protocol emissions targets, it doesn’t look like external limits on Turkey’s GHG emissions will be imposed any time soon.

On the domestic front: lip service and inaction

Left to its own devices, it doesn’t seem likely that Turkey’s government will set emissions-reduction targets or impose the policies necessary to achieve them.

Baykan’s report pointed out that the biggest contributor to Turkey’s rising GHG emissions over the past twenty years has been the energy sector. The irresponsible construction of dirty-fuel power plants in various parts of the country has already spawned a grassroots protest movement throughout Turkey. In the Turkish Ministry of Energy’s strategic plan for energy independence, released last month, the ministry focused on increasing the number of domestic coal- and gas-fired power plants.

While some cleaner power plants are projected to come online in Turkey in the next few years, solely thanks to private investors, the government doesn’t offer the financial incentives necessary to jumpstart a widespread renewable energy industry in the country.

The government’s most recent opportunity to offer such incentives or set GHG emissions targets came in June, when the Ministry of Environment and Forestry released its 2011 Climate Change Action Plan. Like its predecessor, the document affirms the need to combat climate change, but shies from outlining any specific strategies for doing so.

Climate change policy not anti-competitive

In his report, Baykan found that government resistance to effective climate change policy appears to be rooted in economics — bad economics. “Leaders have said that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will hinder competitiveness,” he wrote in the report (in Turkish).

But, he pointed out, ”An energy system based on fossil fuels and the unsustainable use of natural resources will only increase the cost of the fight against climate change, and our eventual adaptation to it.”

via Turkey Avoiding Greenhouse Gas-Reduction Despite Rapid Increases in Emissions, New Report Finds | Green Prophet.

August 31, 2011
Image: Izmir Province in Turkey As Seen From Orbit

Image: Izmir Province in Turkey As Seen From Orbit

* Source: NASA HQ

* Posted Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Izmir Metropolitan Area, Izmir Province in Turkey is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 27 crew member on the International Space Station. The metropolis of Izmir is located in the western Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the country’s third largest city in terms of population and the second largest port city (after Istanbul).

The Izmir region has included urban areas for almost 3,500 years, and the ancient core of the metropolitan area was originally known as Smyrna. Due to its location on the Gulf of Izmir (lower left) with access to the Aegean Sea, Izmir (or Smyrna) has been an important Mediterranean Sea port for most of its history. This detailed photograph highlights the modern urban landscape of the Izmir metropolitan area. Today, the metropolitan area includes eleven districts, many of which were independent neighborhoods prior to agglomeration into “greater Izmir”. Densely built-up residential and commercial districts, characterized by gray to reddish gray rooftops occupy much of the central part of the image.

Larger structures with bright white rooftops are indicative of commercial/industrial areas near the Izmir Port at left. Two large sport complexes, the Ataturk Stadium and Sirinyer Hippodrome (horse racing track) are clearly visible at upper left and right respectively. Numerous vegetated parks (green) are located throughout the area. In addition to being a major trade center, greater Izmir is a hub for regional tourism. ISS027-E-033889 (16 May 2011) — high res (1.4 M) low res (86 K)

via Image: Izmir Province in Turkey As Seen From Orbit | SpaceRef – Your Space Reference.

August 31, 2011
Turkcell and Huawei Select NXP Technology to Launch First NFC-Enabled Smartphone in Turkey

Turkcell and Huawei Select NXP Technology to Launch First NFC-Enabled Smartphone in Turkey
T20 Smartphone Brings ‘Mobile Wallet’ to Turkish Consumers

EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS, Aug 30, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — NXP Semiconductors N.V. /quotes/zigman/119156/quotes/nls/nxpi NXPI -2.45% today announced that Turkcell /quotes/zigman/291809/quotes/nls/tkc TKC 0.00% (ise:TCELL), the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, has selected the PN544 near field communication (NFC) radio chip for Turkcell’s recently launched T20 smartphone. The T20 handset, manufactured by Huawei, is one of the world’s first commercially available low-cost Android NFC-enabled smartphones. This NFC-enabled mobile phone will allow consumers to perform a variety of secure contactless transactions from convenient payments, data sharing, public transport, event ticketing and access control, while providing a secure, flexible and interoperable canvass to create the next experience in mobile-on-the-go.

The Turkcell T20 is already pre-loaded with Turkcell Cep-T Cuezdan, a mobile wallet service from Turkcell developed by Turkcell Technology on Gingerbread 2.3.3 OS. Via the NFC-enabled phone, consumers can transform their physical wallet into a mobile one and provide an easy-to-use and secure mobile transaction environment for all the daily needs of Turkcell’s subscribers. Cep-T Cuezdan subscribers can also benefit from the discovery screen in the UI that allows them to know which cards they can include in their mobile wallet.

Offering secure data storage, payment and transaction, the T20 handset uses a secure element in the SIM card, which is connected to NXP’s NFC chip, PN544, via the single wire protocol (SWP). The resulting NFC solution enables secure wireless two-way communication between the T20 Smartphone and other phones, terminals or readers. NXP provides a fully compliant end-to-end NFC platform for handset manufacturers and operators enabling next-generation NFC devices and services. Complementing the secure NFC solutions, NXP offers a complete open source software stack for NFC which is fully integrated and validated on the Gingerbread Android(TM) platform.

“NFC technology is instrumental in helping us to achieve our ambition of increasing the penetration of mobile contactless innovations in the Turkish market,” said Cenk Bayrakdar, Chief New Technology Business Officer, Turkcell. “Working with NXP, we were able to build a feature-rich, interactive and flexible mobile wallet solution through the open source Android platform. This is our first commercial smartphone developed on Gingerbread 2.3.3 OS and we are extremely pleased to be first to market with this innovation in Turkey.”

“NFC offers a truly exciting technology that will enhance every aspect of the mobile experience for consumers. Working with NXP, we are able to quickly bring to market the latest NFC-enabled handsets and mobile devices on a global scale while maintaining low implementation and development costs,” said Anil Oeztekin, Turkcell sales director, Huawei Turkey Terminal Department.

“NXP co-invented NFC with the aim of putting the mobile phone at the center of the consumer’s world — the launch of the T20 is a significant achievement and truly supports our ambition to enable more and more NFC-based services around the world,” said Jeff Miles, vice president, mobile transactions, NXP Semiconductors. “We have created secure NFC solutions that can support a variety of mobile wallet applications to help mobile handset manufacturers, banks, retailers and network operators offer new services to diversify their business and provide added value to customers.”

NXP has demonstrated that customers can now build secure NFC-enabled mobile wallets using an embedded secure element, secure element in the SIM, or micro-SD based secure element. The company offers secure and flexible solutions for all configurations and use cases.

Links

— NXP portfolio for NFC
— NXP PN544 Product Sheet
— Additional information on near field communication (NFC)
— Turkcell T20 press release (July 7, 2011)

About Turkcell

Turkcell is the leading communications and technology company in Turkey with 34.1 million subscribers and a market share of approximately 54% as of June 30, 2011 (source:Operator’s announcements and excluding the impact of the change in prepaid churn periods in Q2 2011). Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its approximately 61.7 million subscribers as of June 30, 2011. The company covers approximately 85% of the Turkish population through its 3G and 99.07% through its 2G technology supported network. It has become one of the first among the global operators to have implemented HSDPA+ and achieved a 42.2 Mbps speed using the HSPA multi carrier solution. Turkcell reported a TRY2.3 billion (US$1.5 billion) net revenue with total assets of TRY15.5 billion (US$9.5 billion) as of June 30, 2011. It has been listed on the NYSE and the ISE since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more at www.turkcell.com.tr

About Huawei

Huawei Device is a global leader in providing smart devices that connect you with the world, simply. Huawei Device partners with 500 operators, including the world’s top 50 operators, across 140 countries. Huawei’s products and solutions have been deployed in over 100 countries and support the communications needs of one third of the world’s population. The company is committed to providing innovative and customized products, services and solutions to create long-term value and growth potential for its customers.

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors N.V. /quotes/zigman/119156/quotes/nls/nxpi NXPI -2.45% provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions that leverage its leading RF, Analog, Power Management, Interface, Security and Digital Processing expertise. These innovations are used in a wide range of automotive, identification, wireless infrastructure, lighting, industrial, mobile, consumer and computing applications. A global semiconductor company with operations in more than 25 countries, NXP posted revenue of $4.4 billion in 2010. For more information visit www.nxp.com .

Forward-looking Statements

This document includes forward-looking statements which include statements regarding NXP’s business strategy, financial condition, results of operations, and market data, as well as any other statements which are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. These factors, risks and uncertainties include the following: market demand and semiconductor industry conditions; the ability to successfully introduce new technologies and products; the end-market demand for the goods into which NXP’s products are incorporated; the ability to generate sufficient cash, raise sufficient capital or refinance corporate debt at or before maturity; the ability to meet the combination of corporate debt service, research and development and capital investment requirements; the ability to accurately estimate demand and match manufacturing production capacity accordingly or obtain supplies from third-party producers; the access to production capacity from third-party outsourcing partners; any events that might affect third-party business partners or NXP’s relationship with them; the ability to secure adequate and timely supply of equipment and materials from suppliers; the ability to avoid operational problems and product defects and, if such issues were to arise, to correct them quickly; the ability to form strategic partnerships and joint ventures and to successfully cooperate with alliance partners; the ability to win competitive bid selection processes to develop products for use in customers’ equipment and products; the ability to successfully establish a brand identity; the ability to successfully hire and retain key management and senior product architects; and, the ability to maintain good relationships with our suppliers. In addition, this document contains information concerning the semiconductor industry and NXP’s business segments generally, which is forward-looking in nature and is based on a variety of assumptions regarding the ways in which the semiconductor industry, NXP’s market segments and product areas may develop. NXP has based these assumptions on information currently available, if any one or more of these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual market results may differ from those predicted. While NXP does not know what impact any such differences may have on its business, if there are such differences, its future results of operations and its financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak to results only as of the date the statements were made. Except for any ongoing obligation to disclose material information as required by the United States federal securities laws, NXP does not have any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after we distribute this document, whether to reflect any future events or circumstances or otherwise. For a discussion of potential risks and uncertainties, please refer to the risk factors listed in our SEC filings. Copies of our SEC filings are available from on our Investor Relations website, www.nxp.com/investor or from the SEC website, www.sec.gov .

Image Available:

SOURCE: NXP Semiconductors

Copyright 2011 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

August 31, 2011
Turkish doctors call the tune with traditional musical cures

Istanbul hospital revives complementary therapy for a range of illnesses by playing ancient Arabesque scales and patterns

Constanze Letsch in Istanbul

Anaesthetist Dr Erol Can (left), playing a yayli tanbur, an Ottoman violin with Professor Bingur Sönmez holding a flute. Doctors in the Istanbul hospital are reviving ancient musical therapy for a variety of illnesses. Photograph: Jonathan Lewis

Mahur makam – a rousing music mode, used as treatment for depression Link to this audio

Standing by the bed of a Cypriot patient who has just undergone vascular surgery, Dr Bingür Sönmez consults a screen monitoring pulse and blood pressure.

Then a colleague pulls out a flute and starts playing a popular Turkish tune.

If that appears an unusual approach to modern medicine, then it is. But according to doctors at the reassuringly modern Memorial hospital in Istanbul, it is producing results.

Here, Sönmez and his colleague, Dr Erol Can, are reviving traditional Islamic music therapy, a form of medical treatment that is almost 1,000 years old.

And they are convinced that, if used as a complementary therapy, ancient Arabesque scales and modes can produce significant psychological and physiological outcomes.

Can, chief anaesthetist in the intensive care unit of the department, says that he discovered music therapy when he worked in a Sofia hospital in his native Bulgaria.

Hicaz makam – beneficial when dieting Link to this audio

“Back then I used a tape recorder and headphones.” When he emigrated to Turkey in 1996, he gradually started to replace recorded music with live instruments.

Segah makam – to help the patient relax and help against insomnia and sleeping disorders Link to this audio

“I learned to play the ney flute in order to play the kind of music that was used in traditional music therapy hundreds of years ago, making use of the psychological and physiological effects of the makam.”

The makam – from the Arab word maqam – is a musical mode unique to classic Arabic and Turkish music. It defines the pitches, patterns and development of a musical piece. The term refers to a very wide variety of different tone scales that must be largely learned by ear.

Saba makam – for meditation Link to this audio

“There is a different makam for every illness, every health problem,” Sönmez says. “There are makamlar that agitate, and there are makamlar that relax.” Playing a few notes on his ney, Can adds: “The so-called rast makami has a positive effect if a patient suffers from anorexia, whereas the hicaz makami should be played if a patient needs to be kept on a diet.”

He laughs. “A restaurant that plays music in the hicaz mode would probably go out of business after a while, because it keeps customers from eating!”

“We are not doing anything new, and we are not reinventing the wheel,” Sönmez says with a shrug. “The positive effects of music therapy have been known for well over 900 years.”

The use of makam was integrated into medieval Islamic medicine as early as the 9th century, when scholar and philosopher Al Farabi discussed and catalogued the effect of different musical modes on body and psyche.

As Can plays Akdeniz Geceleri, a popular Turkish song, to the Cypriot patient, she tries gently to sing along, visibly relaxing.

Sönmez stresses that music is no substitute for conventional medical treatment. “We don’t use music as an alternative to modern medical methods”, he says. “It’s complementary treatment. Without having to prescribe additional drugs, five to 10 minutes of a certain musical piece lowers the heart rate and blood pressure.

“Medieval hospitals were built around a courtyard with a fountain. The sound of the water, the colours of glass windows, the intensity of the light, the types of flowers and plants – all of it was part of the complementary treatment of patients,” Sönmez explains. “We are thinking of changing the light in the intensive care unit to pink,” he adds with a smile. “Pink light has a soothing effect.”

There are signs that the medical pipers may inspire others to follow suit. “We have been using makam for five years in our department,” Can says.

“Now colleagues started to consult us, a surgeon from the paediatric ward now takes ney lessons from me.

“And sometimes, we play for our colleagues who are on a break. That way, everybody is cared for.”

via Turkish doctors call the tune with traditional musical cures | World news | The Guardian.

August 29, 2011