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This study aims to determine the place of mediation skills in teaching Turkish as a foreign language in accordance with the opinions of the instructors. The research is a content analysis study made with the interview technique, one of the qualitative research methods. The study group for the research consists of 14 instructors who worked in Turkish Teaching Research and Application Centers. The data for the study were obtained from the Teaching Staff Interview Form on Mediation Skills in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language, which was created by the researchers and contains structured and semi-structured questions. At the end of the research, it was concluded that the instructors included mediation skills in the teaching of Turkish as a foreign language, but there was no standard and systematic teaching of mediation skills.

Pakistan, like many other countries of the world, has continually been criticized for its unproductive professional development (PD) policies and practices for teachers due to low student achievement in science disciplines. A good portion of science teachers (62%) in Pakistan was found to be uncomfortable in teaching the scientific concepts (National Education Assessment System [NEAS], 2014) and PD programs are failing to address this issue. There is a need to reconstruct the operationalized knowledge of PD for Pakistan to expand the ways of knowledge creation, examination, authentication, and distribution. This also implies the need to review the current western literature on PD designs and practices to explore the ways of addressing the issues of Pakistani PD programs. With this purpose in mind, the current study set out to search the comparative understanding of science teachers' PD learning and experiences in Pakistan. The study was carried out to review the literature on science teachers' PD learning and experiences in the Western context (The US and European countries) while comparing it with the situation of Pakistani science teachers' PD practices. This seeks to address the critical questions of how to increase the effectiveness in Pakistani PD practices.

The study explored the contribution of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) on students' attitudes towards learning Turkish. The study was carried out with 30 foreign students studying at Bartin University the Language Education and Instruction Application and Research Center in the 2018-2019 academic year. The data collection instrument used in this study was semi-structured interviews which were administered to thirty students and an attitude survey designed on a five-point Likert scale with 43 items. The analysis of the interviews indicated that the ELP can boost self-assessment and as a consequence, the students support having more positive attitudes towards learning Turkish. Additionally, it was declared that the students felt positive towards the ELP. And also according to the results of the questionnaires, they had positive attitudes towards learning Turkish since the purpose of their learning is to survive in Turkey and to pursue their education and career. Furthermore, the findings of the study indicated the students admitted that the ELP was a tool for self-assessment; however since the students were learning Turkish, they sometimes had some problems comprehending the sentences which later turned into an advantage giving them a chance to practice their Turkish.

Tidal forcing is a dominant physical forcing mechanism on the Northwest European Shelf (NWES) that regulates the mixing-stratification status of the water column and thus acts as a major control for biological productivity and air-sea CO2 exchange. Tides further influence the marine carbon cycle on the shelf by affecting benthic-pelagic coupling, vertical mixing and the large-scale residual circulation. The cumulative tidal impact on oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 on the NWES, however, remains largely unexplored. We use a coupled physical-biogeochemical ocean model to gain quantitative understanding of the tidal impacts on the air-sea CO2 exchange of the NWES by comparing hindcast simulations with and without tidal forcing. Our results show that tidal forcing weakens the annual oceanic CO2 uptake on the NWES by 0:15 Tmol C yr-1, corresponding to a ~13% stronger CO2 sink in the experiment without tidal forcing. The tide-induced increase in marine primary production demonstrated in earlier studies, which primarily enhances biological carbon fixation in shallow inner-shelf regions of the NWES, does not significantly affect net air-sea CO2 exchange. Instead, we find tidal mixing, tide-induced baroclinic circulation and the tidal impact on benthic-pelagic coupling to be dominant controls of air-sea CO2 exchange. Tidal mixing in the permanently mixed shelf regions accounts for the majority (~40%) of the weakening effect on CO2 uptake, while the modulation of water mass composition in the Celtic Sea by tide-induced baroclinic circulation reduces the uptake further (~33% of the difference in annual mean CO2 uptake). In terms of the shelf carbon budget, the tidal response of airsea CO2 exchange is primarily mediated by changes to the pelagic DIC reservoir (~73%; - 0:11 Tmol C yr-1). Tidal impacts on off-shelf carbon export to the North Atlantic only account for ~20% (- 0:03 Tmol C yr-1) of the tidal impact on shelf CO2 uptake, and changes in sedimentation of particulate organic carbon account for the remaining ~7% (- 0:01 Tmol C yr-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we provide further evidence about the influence of corruption on corporate investment. Using a large sample of the European region non-financial firms for the period 2011–2020, our results suggest that corruption in Europe negatively affects corporate investment, thus, supporting the 'sanding the wheel' hypothesis. This relationship is moderated by all six dimensions of the national culture proposed by Hofstede. Using appropriate panel data methodology, namely GMM estimations, we find that a higher degree of uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity, and indulgence exacerbate the adverse effects of corruption on corporate investment while a higher degree of long-term orientation and individualism alleviates this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient planning of freight transportation requires a comprehensive look at wide range of factors in the operation and management of any transportation mode to achieve safe, fast, and environmentally suitable movement of goods. In this regard, a combination of transportation modes offers flexible and environmentally friendly alternatives to transport high volumes of goods over long distances. In order to reflect the advantages of each transportation mode, it is the challenge to develop models and algorithms in Transport Management System software packages. This paper discusses the principles of green logistics required in designing such models and algorithms which truly represent multiple modes and their characteristics. Thus, this research provides a unique practical contribution to green logistics literature by advancing our understanding of the multi-objective planning in intermodal freight transportation. Analysis based on a case study from hinterland intermodal transportation in Europe is therefore intended to make contributions to the literature about the potential benefits from combining economic and environmental criteria in transportation planning. An insight derived from the experiments conducted shows that there is no need to greatly compromise on transportation costs in order to achieve a significant reduction in carbon-related emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although—considering the risk–benefit ratio—botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) is unequivocally recommended to treat severe neurological diseases such as dystonia, this has not yet been determined for its endoscopic intragastric injection aimed at weight reduction in obesity. However, severe adverse effects of intragastric BoNT/A had not yet been reported, prompting some European countries to endorse its (off‐label) use and treat patients transnationally. We here present three cases of botulism after intragastric BoNT/A injections for obesity treatment in a Turkish hospital. Patients presented with cranial nerve affection, bulbar symptoms, and descending paresis, and benefited from treatment with BoNT antitoxin and pyridostigmine. We assume that iatrogenic botulism was induced by overdosing in combination with toxin spread via the highly vascularized gastric tissue. Of note, within a few weeks, more than 80 cases of iatrogenic botulism were reported across Europe after identical intragastric BoNT/A injections. These cases demonstrate the risks of BoNT/A injections if they are not applied within the limits of evidence‐based medicine. There is a need for international guidelines to define the indication and a safe dosing scheme, especially in the context of medical tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences is the property of Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Previous studies from western countries demonstrated the effectiveness of Teratology Information Service (TIS) counselling in reducing the teratogenic risk perception of pregnant women. Objective To assess whether TIS counselling would be effective in reducing the teratogenic risk perception of the Turkish pregnant women. Setting A TIS (Terafar) operating in a university hospital in Turkey. Methods A cross-sectional survey study. Pregnant women with non-teratogenic medication exposures were asked to assign scores on visual analogue scales (VAS) in response to the questions aiming to measure their teratogenic risk perception. The mean score before and after counselling were compared and the associations with maternal socio-demographic characteristics were analysed using SPSS (Version 20.0). Main outcome measures The differences in the mean scores of the perception regarding the baseline risk of pregnancy, own teratogenic risk and the likelihood of termination of pregnancy before and after counselling and their possible associations with maternal socio-demographic characteristics. Results 102 pregnant women participated in the study. The counselling significantly reduced the mean own teratogenic risk perception score and the mean score for the likelihood of termination of pregnancy whereas the mean baseline risk perception score was not significantly changed. Pregnancy week <8 and the exposed number of active ingredients <3 were significantly associated with the difference in the mean score for the likelihood of termination of pregnancy. Conclusions TIS counselling lowers the teratogenic risk perception of Turkish pregnant women and increases their likelihood to continue the pregnancy as it does in the western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Several genomic loci have been previously found to be associated with intervertebral disc degeneration, so far. Data are mostly derived from northern European countries whereas data derived from Southern European Ancestor are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between radiological disease severity of lumbar disc degeneration and certain genetic loci in a sample of participants from Southern Europe.Methods: Seventy-five patients with mild to severe lumbar disc degeneration and 25 healthy controls were enrolled into the study. In each subject, each lumbar intervertebral disc was separately examined to obtain a total radiological score for disease severity. In addition, single-nucleotide polymorphisms of predefined genetic samples were analyzed in all participants: COL1A1 Sp1, COL9a2 Trp2, COL9a3 Trp3, and VDR TaqI.Results: Degeneration scores were significantly worse in cases with COL1A1 Sp1, COL9a3 Trp3, and VDR TaqI mutations; however, COL9a2 Trp2 mutation was not associated with a difference in the severity of disc degeneration. In addition, subjects with mutation in more than one gene sample (n = 20) had significantly worse degeneration scores than the remaining study participants (n = 80) (17.70 ± 2.72 vs. 21.81 ± 1.81, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms occurring in COL1A1, COL9a3 and VDR genes seem to be associated with the development of lumbar disc degeneration in this cohort, possibly with even more pronounced association when multiple mutations are present in the same individual. By further prospective twin studies in associated genes and analyses of their relationship with environmental factors in an internationally sampled large cohort will make a more clear-minded conclusion about their association with disc degeneration, which would yield better appreciation and clinical planning of some predisposed people for these pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early and reliable screening for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) symptoms in at-risk populations is important and a crucial first stage in effective OD management. The Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) is a commonly utilized screening and outcome measure. To date, studies using classic test theory methodologies report good psychometric properties, but the EAT-10 has not been evaluated using item response theory (e.g., Rasch analysis). The aim of this multisite study was to evaluate the internal consistency and structural validity and conduct a preliminary investigation of the cross-cultural validity of the EAT-10; floor and ceiling effects were also checked. Participants involved 636 patients deemed at risk of OD, from outpatient clinics in Spain, Turkey, Sweden, and Italy. The EAT-10 and videofluoroscopic and/or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing were used to confirm OD diagnosis. Patients with esophageal dysphagia were excluded to ensure a homogenous sample. Rasch analysis was used to investigate person and item fit statistics, response scale, dimensionality of the scale, differential item functioning (DIF), and floor and ceiling effect. The results indicate that the EAT-10 has significant weaknesses in structural validity and internal consistency. There are both item redundancy and lack of easy and difficult items. The thresholds of the rating scale categories were disordered and gender, confirmed OD, and language, and comorbid diagnosis showed DIF on a number of items. DIF analysis of language showed preliminary evidence of problems with cross-cultural validation, and the measure showed a clear floor effect. The authors recommend redevelopment of the EAT-10 using Rasch analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political parties worldwide seek to work with bureaucrats who are close to their programs, willing to cooperate, and concerted. On the other hand, there is a huge body of literature which argues that bureaucracy should be separate from politics and that it has to consist of public servants who are technically knowledgeable, expert, and also politically neutral. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe suffered from highly politicized public administrations under one-party regimes, and have struggled to separate their bureaucracies from politics since early 1990s. In view of the relation between politics and bureaucracy from the perspective of (de)politization, this paper looks into the changes that Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) have gone through after the institutionalization of multi-party regimes and tries to provide some generalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ips sexdentatus (Boerner) and I. typographus (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are considered to be important destructive pests of coniferous forests in Europe and Asia. In this study, the efficacy of Beauveria pseudobassiana strain ARSEF 9271 isolated from Dendroctonus micans (Kugelann) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was evaluated against I. sexdentatus and I. typographus adults. Insects were treated with different conidial concentrations of the fungus to determine the virulence. A conidial suspension of 1 108 conidia mL-1 caused 100% mortality in both I. sexdentatus and I. typographus within 5 and 7 days, respectively. Additionally, 100% mycosis was obtained in the concentration-response experiments for both insects. LC50 values of the fungus were calculated as 3.94 104 conidia mL-1 and 1.32 104 conidia mL-1 for I. sexdentatus and I. typographus, respectively. I. sexdentatus and I. typographus adults were also inoculated with a conidial suspension of 1 106 conidia mL-1 at inoculation rates of 0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% to determine the horizontal transmission of the fungus. Mortality values from horizontal transmission experiments were determined as 100% at all rates after 15 days at 20 °C under laboratory conditions. Our results indicate that B. pseudobassiana ARSEF 9271 is a promising microbial control agent against the tested Ips species and can horizontally spread among a population of both I. sexdentatus and I. typographus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Administrative Sciences / Yonetim Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Universitesi, Terzioglu Kampusu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe (OCRL) is a rare X-linked multi-systemic disorder, almost always characterized by the triad of congenital cataract, cognitive and behavioral impairment and a proximal tubulopathy. Methods: Twenty-eight novel patients with suspected Lowe syndrome were studied. Results: All patients carried OCRL gene defects with mutational hot spots at CpG dinucleotides. Mutations previously unknown in Lowe syndrome were observed in ten of the 28 patients, and carriership was identified in 30.4 % of the mothers investigated. Mapping the exact breakpoints of a complete OCRL gene deletion revealed involvement of several flanking repeat elements. We noted a similar pattern of documented clinically relevant symptoms, and even though the patient cohort comprised relatively young patients, 32 % of these patients already showed advanced chronic kidney disease. Thrombocytopenia was seen in several patients, and hyperosmia and/or hyperacusis were reported recurrently. A p.Asp523Asn mutation in a Polish patient, associated with the typical cerebrorenal spectrum but with late cataract (10 year), was also evident in two milder affected Italian brothers with ocular involvement of similar progression. Conclusions: We have identified clinical features in 28 patients with suspected Lowe syndrome that had not been recognized in Lowe syndrome prior to our study. We also provide further evidence that OCRL mutations cause a phenotypic continuum with selective and/or time-dependent organ involvement. At least some of these mutants might exhibit a genotype-phenotype correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Among seafoods mussels are the most common ones that are mostly raw consumed raw. Bacterial contamination in foods that cause food poisoning are is known to be due to mainly storage and processhig conditions. Due to mussels' die taly specifications, them filter water and take in its toxic substances and microbial contaminants. Mussel bacterial load prior to consumption is important to demonstrate pollution levels of the hunting regions. Material and Method. In this study, black mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) hunted from seven different stations on two coasts of Dardanelles two coast (Asia: Çardak, Yapıldak, Sançay; Europe: Kilitbahii Eceabat, Çambumu, Gelibolu) were analyzed microbiologically in the months of February and June. Mussel samples were examined for total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), coliform group bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. Results: The mean colony count from all stations was; 54x105±1.6x106 cfu/g LAMB, 1.0x105±2. 6x105 cfu/g coliform group bacteria, 2.6x105±1.4x106 cfu/g E. coli, 2.2x105±1.3x105 cfu/g S. aureus respectively Salmonella spp. were not detected in any mussel samples examined. Black mussels hunted in June had significantly higher microbiological contamination for all bacteria than mussels hunted in February (p<0.0001). When we investigated two coasts as Anatolia (Çardak, Yapıldak, Sançay) and Europe (Kilitbahir, Eceabat, Çamburnu, Gelibolu) in two different periods; contamination on Europe coast was significantly higher for TAMB at february (p=0.01), at the same time S. aureus contamination was significantly higher at Anatolia coast (p=0.02). TAMB (p=0.004) and E.coli (p=0.005) count in samples on Anatolian coast were found to be significantly higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with rock scripts, figures (petroglyphs) and writings which we have been considering for last twenty years. The scientists refer the beginning of age to the discovery of scripts. However it is proved claim that the pictures and figures started to be carved on rocks back in 14th millenium BC. Pictures carved on rocks are able to be interpreted into certain explanations as scripts and human history of 15 thousand years is available to our perception. Rock pictures and figures with turkic features are regularly encountered in most parts of Asia and Europe and north part of Africa. They possess similarities with toponyms, architectural and other cultural components. While considering all the cultural components it becomes obvious that the turks have been existing on earth for 15 thousand years with magnificent culture. The paper touches upon issues regarding the ancience of rock petrogylphs and figures with turkic features and their located areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are the most common congenital anomalies, and most cases occur in the low-risk population. The majority of babies with congenital heart disease are born to mothers with no identifiable high-risk factors and so will not be detected unless there is widespread screening of the low-risk population. Congenital heart disease is eight times more common than trisomy 21 and four times more common than neural tube defects, the two conditions for which universal screening programs are in place. But, most of the countries in Europe do not perform routine fetal cardiac screening. Staff performing routine obstetric ultrasound scans should learn a simple technique for examining the fetal heart and to use this in all patients. The aim of this review is to discuss the diagnostic efficacy of the first-trimester and second trimester fetal cardiac screening as a routine measure in an unselected 'low-risk' population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reported prevalence of autoantibodies (AAB) (ANA, SMA, LKM, SLA) after pediatric liver transplantation (pLTX) varies considerably from 26–75%, but their clinical impact on outcome is uncertain. We aimed to study the prevalence of AAB after pLTX, their association with donor-, transplant-, and recipient-characteristics, and their relation to outcome. In our multicenter retrospective study, we aimed to clarify conflicting results from earlier studies. Six ERN TransplantChild centers reported data on 242 patients, of whom 61% were AAB positive. Prevalence varied across these centers. Independent of the interval between pLTX and AAB analysis, a one-hour increase in CIT resulted in an odds ratio (OR) of 1.37 (95% CI 1.11–1.69) for SMA positivity and an OR of 1.42 (95%CI 1.18–1.72) for ANA positivity. Steroid-free immunosuppression (IS) versus steroid-including IS (OR 5.28; 95% CI 1.45–19.28) was a risk factor for SMA positivity. Liver enzymes were not associated with ANA or SMA positivity. We did not observe an association of rejection activity index with ANA or SMA. However, the liver fibrosis score in follow-up biopsies was associated with ANA titer and donor age. In conclusion, this first multicenter study on AAB after pLTX showed high AAB prevalence and varied widely between centers. Longer CIT and prednisolone-free-IS were associated with AAB positivity, whereas AAB were not indicative of rejection, but instead were associated with graft fibrosis. The detection of AAB may be a marker of liver fibrosis and may be taken into consideration when indications for liver biopsy and immunosuppressive regimes, or reduction of immunosuppression in long-term follow-up, are being discussed. Prospective immunological profiling of pLTX patients, including AAB, is important to further improve our understanding of transplant immunology and silent graft fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]