Search

Introduction: Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of overweight/obesity and factors that may be associated with obesity in preschool children. Materials and Methods: The study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. All children between the ages of 4 and 6 years attending relevant educational institutions were included in the study. The height, weight, waist circumference and hip circumference of 822 children were measured and 556 of the questionnaires were completed and included in the study. Our questionnaire included questions on socio-demographic characteristics and the Quality Index of the Mediterranean Diet in Children(KIDMED scale). The data were analyzed in the SPSS package, and logistic regression models were created with the variables found to be significant after univariate analysis. P≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the participants, 68(12.3%) were overweight and 28(5%) were obese. When analyzing the overweight/obesity status, it was observed that the frequency of being overweight/obese was higher in males(p=0.05), children whose mothers were obese(p

Amaç: Bu çalışma, bipolar bozukluk hastalarının başa çıkma stratejileri ile işlevsellik düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Yöntemler: Bu çalışma tanımlayıcı ve ilişki arayıcı bir çalışmadır. Çalışma, Mart 2017-Ocak 2018 tarihleri arasında Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi'ndeki bir hastanenin psikiyatri polikliniğine başvuran bipolar bozukluk tanılı hastalar ile yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Bu çalışmada FAST puanı ortalaması ile “duygulara odaklanma ve dışa vurma”, “madde kullanımı”, “kabullenme”, “yarışmacı etkinlikleri bastırma”, “dine yönelme”, “inkar”, “ davranışsal ilgiyi kesme, olumlu yeniden yorumlama, duygusal sosyal desteği kullanma ve planlama arasında pozitif yönde anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Hastaların kullandıkları başa çıkma stratejilerinin işlevsellik düzeylerinde etkili olduğu görülmüştür.

Abstract Background Acute hypoxic proximal tubule (PT) injury and subsequent maladaptive repair present high mortality and increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) - chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (hBMMSC-Exos) as potential cell therapeutics can be translated into clinics if drawbacks on safety and efficacy are clarified. Here, we determined the real-time effective dose and treatment window of allogeneic hBMMSC-Exos, evaluated their performance on the structural and functional integrity of 3D microfluidic acute hypoxic PT injury platform. Methods hBMMSC-Exos were isolated and characterized. Real-time impedance-based cell proliferation analysis (RTCA) determined the effective dose and treatment window for acute hypoxic PT injury. A 2-lane 3D gravity-driven microfluidic platform was set to mimic PT in vitro. ZO-1, acetylated α-tubulin immunolabelling, and permeability index assessed structural; cell proliferation by WST-1 measured functional integrity of PT. Results hBMMSC-Exos induced PT proliferation with ED50 of 172,582 µg/ml at the 26th hour. Hypoxia significantly decreased ZO-1, increased permeability index, and decreased cell proliferation rate on 24–48 h in the microfluidic platform. hBMMSC-Exos reinforced polarity by a 1.72-fold increase in ZO-1, restored permeability by 20/45-fold against 20/155 kDa dextran and increased epithelial proliferation 3-fold compared to control. Conclusions The real-time potency assay and 3D gravity-driven microfluidic acute hypoxic PT injury platform precisely demonstrated the therapeutic performance window of allogeneic hBMMSC-Exos on ischemic AKI based on structural and functional cellular data. The novel standardized, non-invasive two-step system validates the cell-based personalized theragnostic tool in a real-time physiological microenvironment prior to safe and efficient clinical usage in nephrology.

Purpose: This paper investigates the determinants of labor productivity of Turkish manufacturing sectors by taking into account both the global value chain (GVC) participation and the research and development (R&D) expenditure for the period of 1995-2018. Methodology: To analyze the determinants of labor productivity in Turkish manufacturing sectors, we specify the labor productivity model and estimate this empirical model by the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) methods. Findings: Our estimation results indicate that while simple forward GVC participation enhances the labor productivity of Turkish high-tech manufacturing sectors if they trade with developing countries, complex forward GVC participation increases productivity regardless of trading partners. For low-tech sectors, there is no significant impact of GVCs or R&D on productivity. There is no significant impact of backward GVC participation and sectoral R&D intensity on labor productivity. These significant results provide strong evidence for the importance of deeper involvement of high-tech sectors in GVCs for higher sectoral productivity. Given the strong heterogeneity in terms of sectors and trading partners, specific policies should be targeted to benefit from the productivity gains of the global value chains. Originality: This study contributes to the current studies by focusing on disaggregated measures of GVC participation indices and enlarges the empirical analysis by considering the heterogeneity in trading partners (developed and developing trading partners).

Objective: Anisakis simplex is a fish-borne zoonotic parasite. Although this parasite has been known since the 19th century, publications on anisakiasis have increased in recent years. Despite this, this subject has yet to be well studied by bibliometric analysis. This study was conducted to show the research points and trends of A. simplex. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was mined for articles on A. simplex. The VOSviewer software visually evaluated countries, institutions, authors, references, and keywords in this field. Results: A total of 1362 publications were included in this bibliometric analysis. The included publications were published between 1970 and 2022 from 79 countries, mainly from Spain (n=456, 33.48%). The most prolific year was 2020 (n=74). The research area that attracted the most publications was parasitology (n=452), while the most productive author in this area was Cuellar C (n=53). “Anisakis simplex”, “Anisakis” and “anisakiasis” were the most used three keywords. Conclusion: The number of publications on anisakiasis has been increasing over time, suggesting that A. simplex is becoming an increasingly important disease worldwide. Research cooperation should be established between researchers from developed and developing countries to determine effective control strategies for anisakiasis.

In this paper, we aim to overcome the problem given by Abkar et al. [Abstr. Appl. Anal., 2013 (2013), 189567], and so to obtain real generalizations of fixed point results in the literature. In this direction, we introduce a new class of functions, which include $ \mathcal{R} $-functions. Thus, we present a new type of $ \mathcal{R} $ -contraction and weaken $ \mathcal{R} $-contractions that have often been studied recently. We also give a new definition of the $ P $-property. Hence, we obtain some best proximity point results, including fixed point results for the new kind of $ \mathcal{R} $-contractions. Then, we provide an example to show the effectiveness of our results. Finally, inspired by a nice and interesting technique, we investigate the existence of a best proximity point of the homotopic mappings with the help of our main result.

In this paper, we elucidate a pivotal fixed point theorem for $ P $-contraction mappings defined on $ M $-metric spaces, offering a novel perspective on the interplay between mappings and the underlying space structure. This theorem's significance becomes evident when compared with earlier results, underscoring its potential to enhance our understanding of fixed point theory in $ M $-metric spaces and its broader applications.

Abstract This manuscript aims to present new results about the generalized F-contraction of Hardy–Rogers-type mappings in a complete vector-valued metric space, and to demonstrate the fixed-point theorems for single and pairs of generalized F-contractions of Hardy–Rogers-type mappings. The established results represent a significant development of numerous previously published findings and results in the existing body of literature. Furthermore, to ensure the practicality and effectiveness of our findings across other fields, we provide an application that demonstrates a unique solution for the semilinear operator system within the Banach space.

Plants produce secondary metabolites for defense against herbivorous insects. In this study, the effects of different concentrations of quinine, nicotine, and tannic acid on food consumption and pupal parameters of the larva of a severe pest, Malacosoma neustria L. (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), were investigated in 2007. Artificial diets containing 0.125%, 0.25%, and 0.5% concentrations of quinine or nicotine were prepared. In addition, diets containing 1.25%, 2.5%, and 5% tannin and a control diet without secondary metabolite were prepared. The feeding experiments revealed that the food consumption and pupal parameters of male and female larvae were different, and all parameters of female individuals were higher than those of male larvae. It has been determined that tannins cause more reductions in food consumption and pupal parameters than alkaloids in male and female individuals. We observed an increase in male larvae's pupal mass with increased concentration of nicotine to 0.5%. Nicotine did not cause a decrease in pupal parameters of larvae compared to quinine. In addition, all parameters of female individuals decreased with the addition of secondary metabolite. Although food consumption in alkaloid-containing diets was less than in the control group, there was a positive relationship between food consumption and pupal lipid and protein content. However, quinine had a more significant effect on triggering protein storage than nicotine. In diets containing tannins, more lipids were stored. A decrease was observed in the food consumption and pupal parameters of all individuals in the tannin-containing diets compared to the other diets.

It is crucial to understand the experiences of academics in their early years to learn their perspectives, thoughts, and actions. In this comparative research, the authors aim to explore how informal mentoring works in Kazakhstani and Turkish higher education and wish to contribute to implementing a formal faculty mentoring program at the university as a means for young academics’ professional growth and career development. This comparative study sheds light on the similarities and differences in the practice of mentoring within two distinct contexts. It revealed commonalities in terms of the current state of mentoring and the challenges faced by mentees.

In this study, firstly, the balance between the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the weighted mean of vectors (INFO) algorithm was developed using the fitness–distance balance (FDB) method. Then, the FDB-INFO algorithm was developed with a hyper-heuristic method to create the beginning optimal population by using Linear Population Reduction Success History-based Adaptive Differential Evolution (LSHADE) and a novel Hyper-FDB-INFO algorithm was presented. Finally, the developed Hyper-FDB-INFO algorithm was applied to solve the optimal placement and sizing of FACTS devices for the optimal power flow (OPF) problem incorporating wind energy sources. Moreover, determining the placement and sizing of FACTS devices is an additional problem to minimize the total cost of generation and reducing the power losses of the power system. The experimental results showed that the Hyper-FDB-INFO algorithm is a more effective solver than the SHADE-SF, INFO, FDB-INFO and Hyper-INFO algorithms for wind power and FACTS devices integrating the OPF problem.

This study aims to develop a scale that will determine the factors causing professional obsolescence in the field of education. In this context, the Professional Obsolescence Scale (POS) has been developed to determine the professional and organizational obsolescence of primary, secondary and high school administrators. In this scale development process, steps were followed in line with the suggestions of Crocker and Algina (2006) and Cronbach (1984). Firstly, 63 items were prepared and 991 school principals participated the study. R (version 4.0.1) software was used to analyze the data. Item and test parameters and information functions have been estimated using Samejima's Graded Response Model based on Item Response Theory. Principal Axis Analysis was performed for the construct validity of the scale, and four-dimensions structure with 47 items has been obtained. These dimensions are named as "Being Open to Professional Development", "Job-Ability Harmony in Profession", "Organizational Support in Professional Development", "Professional Burnout". The scores obtained from each dimension are evaluated within themselves. It has been observed that each dimension fulfills the conditions of unidimensionality, local independence, model-data fit and parameter invariance. According to the Classical Test Theory, Cronbach Alpha coefficients are between 0.807 and 0.945. The Stratified Alpha coefficient calculated for the whole scale is 0.94. According to the Item Response Theory, the marginal reliability coefficients were between 0.857 and 0.936 and the empirical reliability coefficients were found between 0.854 and 0.938.

The research is aimed to explore the effect of STEM education on the motivations and epistemological beliefs related to science among talented and gifted students. A mixed research method was employed in collecting the data of the research. The sample of the research consisted of 20 5th and 6th grade students who were diagnosed to be talented. Before the activities, the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire and the Motivation Scale for Science Learning were applied to the students. The reflective journals were asked to fill in reflective journals after each activity and individual interviews were conducted after all activities were completed. A significant difference was found between the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire and the Motivation Scale for Science Learning pre-test and post-test scores at the end of the research. With the conducted interviews and results from the journals, positive changes were observed in students' self-confidence, motivation, and attitudes towards science lessons in training.

In this study, the effect of human relations and communication lessons on eloquent speaking skills was examined by using the pretest-posttest control group model. 96 students studying at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University School of Physical Education and Sports participated in the research voluntarily in the spring semester of 2020-2021. The data were collected during the oral presentations made in the human relations and communication lesson with the Rating Scale to Assess Speaking Skills for Turkish Native Speakers developed by Bozkurt and Arica-Akkök (2019). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the level of speaking skills of physical education teacher candidates before and after speaking practices, and their standard deviation and arithmetic mean scores were examined. Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test was applied to determine whether there was a significant difference in speaking skill scores before and after the lesson. According to the research findings; while the pretest averages of the experimental group students were lower than the control group, their posttest averages were higher than the control group. It was determined that there was a significant difference between the scores of the students participating in the study before and after the experiment from the speaking skills observation form, and when the mean rank and totals of the difference scores were taken into account, it was seen that this difference was in favor of the positive ranks, that is, the posttest score. It was determined that there was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores obtained from the speaking skills observation form of the students participating in the study in the control group.

The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of teachers towards using digital games in social studies courses. The sample of the study was consisted of social studies teachers and primary school teachers who attend social studies course in secondary schools affiliated to Van District National Education Directorate. Total 192 teachers voluntarily participated in the study. In the study, the Digital Games Utilization Scale (DGUS) was used to collect quantitative data. The data was analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 package program. For the analysis of quantitative data, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test and One Way ANOVA tests were performed. As a result of the research and based on the findings obtained by using DGUS, it has been determined that there is no significant difference in terms of subdimensions of DGUS (attitudes related to the use of digital games in the courses, attitudes related to the negative aspects of digital games, attitudes related to the positive aspects of digital games, attitudes related to the impact of digital games on learning in the classroom on the part of students) and variables such as teachers' age groups, professional seniority, educational status and gender.

Although corpora and corpus linguistics have been applied for quite long in foreign and second language settings, there is still limited understanding about how EFL learners use corpus tools along with dictionaries to enhance their collocation knowledge. This study aims to gain insight into the effectiveness of corpus-based pedagogy in comparison with the conventional vocabulary teaching methods, particularly using dictionaries. The study was conducted with two non-English major advanced groups of L2 learners at a public university. The experimental group studied 16 pre-selected formal academic words and their strong and weak collocations with corpus (COCA, the corpus of contemporary American English), while the comparison group studied the same collocations using advanced learner's dictionaries. The instruments for collecting data included the Oxford placement test, pretest, posttest, and exercises devised for particular teaching points of collocations. Results of Repeated Measures ANOVA tests showed no significant difference between the two experimental groups. However, the corpus-based approach showed more impact on the reception of strong collocations acquired by the corpus group at a slightly better performance rate, as evidenced by the group's mean scores (Corpus =45.91, Dictionary= 44.06). Interestingly, the acquisition of weak collocations was better for the dictionary use group (Corpus=54.08, Dictionary= 57.18). The paper thus offers some implications for teaching and assessing collocation knowledge and makes suggestions that EFL practitioners should create variations in instructional methodologies through gaining awareness of the increasing availability of innovative technologies. Further research on collocations' assessment has also been suggested.

Purpose: The present study aims to examine the opinions of preschool and classroom teachers about the use of music in mathematics teaching. Research Methods: This research was conducted using a case study method and the data were obtained through semi-structured face-to-face interviews consisting of open-ended questions. In this study, 30 teachers, of whom 15 were classroom teachers and 15 were preschool teachers participated. The obtained data were analysed using a content analysis method. Findings: Findings obtained in this study showed that students' attitudes towards mathematics were high. However, teachers faced difficulties in teaching abstract topics in maths and they suggested that music could have positive effects on mathematics lessons. Results indicated that most teachers used music in mathematics lessons yet did not consider themselves competent to utilize music in mathematics lessons. Implications for Research and Practice: Findings obtained in this study suggest that the use of music in mathematics teaching has positive contributions concerning motivation, permanence, participation in class and the elimination of prejudices and negative attitudes towards the lesson. It is suggested that courses, in-service training and seminars for the use of music in mathematics courses can be organized. Finally, mathematics teaching activities with music can be designed and applied, and whether these activities affect students' attitudes and achievement can be investigated by experimental methods.

This study aims to examine teachers' and students' views of learning-teaching on Turkish Language and Literature course. Also, this study aims to determine the prior learning-teaching strategies of teachers and students. It was designed by qualitative research approach, phenomenology design. In the study, there are two participant groups; teachers and students. In sampling for both teachers and students, convenient sampling of purposive sampling type was used. Semi-structured interview questions were used as a data collection tool. Accordingly, content analysis was deemed proper to analyze the data. As a result, teachers' and students' views on learning and teaching are compatible with each other in a general framework such as self-study, students' involvement, active lesson process, teaching the lesson as art and especially the importance of reading habit. However; in the learning-teaching process, teachers' most strong emphasis was on individual differences, different/active methods implementations during the lesson and; whereas students' emphasis was on learning strategies such as memorizing, coding, doing research, observing and teachers' interest in them. It can be seen in the findings that teachers tend to teach the course by enabling learners to participate and students would like to have an active lesson process. Teachers and students share a similar idea on the fact that the Turkish Language and Literature course is an art; so, the learning-teaching process should be formed accordingly. According to the findings teachers' and students check the understanding by productivity and test results. Conclusively, teachers and students are keen on an active teaching environment; reading habit is one of the most important skill as the course's attainment, however exam pressure can limit their actions.

The purpose of this study was to understand Turkish early childhood teachers' views and practices of parent involvement (PI). Qualitative research design was utilized for this research by asking five open-ended research questions to one hundred female teachers who work in the public preschools. The results of the study indicated that teachers apply various forms of parental involvement considering Epstein (1995) six type of parent involvement model. The findings suggest that while volunteering in the classroom was the most common PI, on the other hand decision making was one of the least PI form that teachers used. The results highlighted that teachers' aims to involve parents are relevant to their thinking of beneficial outcomes for children, families, and teachers. Majority of teachers think that parental involvement is very high in their classrooms and they have significant role in that because they are very intent in informing parents, or organizing the activities. According to the teachers, some of the obstacles of parental involvement are; families education level, having multiple children in the family, fathers' absence in classroom activities, parents unwillingness to do the homework, parents not participating in seminars, lack of space and crowded classrooms.

Teacher education is an important component of the education system and aims to improve the teaching skills of prospective teachers. The teaching skills of pre-service teachers are closely related to their professional qualifications. The present study attempts to develop a valid, reliable, multidimensional measurement tool for assessing the perceptions of pre-service teachers about their professional qualifications. The study was designed in survey model and 247 pre-service teachers participated in the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed for data analysis. Research results reveal that the developed "Professional Qualification Scale for Pre-service Teachers" is a valid and reliable tool with 0,94 Cronbach alpha value to measure the perception of the pre-service teachers about their competencies. It examines teacher qualifications under 6 dimensions as: Following and Assessing Teaching and Development, Program and Content Knowledge, Personal and Professional Values, School-Family Relations, Professional Development and School Environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out in late 2019 and which we are still facing today, has caused an extraordinary disruption of many systems globally, including educational ones, and affected the lives of many students and families. Various measures were abruptly taken in order to ensure that students, teachers, and school principals continued their educational processes safely and also to lessen the crisis situation and chaos. One of these measures was country-wide school closures, and along with Turkey, most countries chose to close schools and make a quick transition to remote learning. During those weeks, several policy responses aimed at making sure that students attended online classes regularly and that they felt well. In the meantime, diverse stakeholders of educational systems (students, teachers, educational leaders etc.) have learned some lessons from this situation. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the lessons that Turkish school principals learned during the school closure period in Turkey. Within the scope of maximum diversity sampling, a purposeful sampling method, a sampling frame was established, and 105 school principals working in primary, secondary, and high schools in different provinces participated in the study. In the study, in which a qualitative online survey method was used, a Google drive form with open-ended questions was employed. Based on the findings obtained in the study, main themes have been created. These are personal, organizational, and educational lessons learned.

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is an approach that combines content and language objectives. Despite substantial expansion over the past two decades, its successful adoption raises several challenges for teachers. Teachers turn to information and communication technologies (ICT) to solve their problems. This study aims to investigate technology acceptance and use of English language teachers adopting the CLIL approach in Turkey, and to identify the difficulties they encounter while integrating technology into practice. The study is explanatory in research design and employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989) as a framework. A 27-item Likert-type questionnaire was used to gather data from 61 teachers practicing in private and public schools. The results showed a statistically significant difference in technology integration intention and use behaviors of teachers. The qualitative data suggested that among the difficulties faced by CLIL teachers were facilitating environments, managerial assistance, and teacher technology awareness.

Higher education institutions consider student satisfaction to be one of the main factors in determining the quality of their online learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable, valid, and practical instrument to measure online students' satisfaction as well as to explore the psychometric and theoretical concerns surrounding the construct validity of existing satisfaction scales. The study was carried out in 2017-2018 fall and spring with participants consisting of freshmen who took the online course in a state university (N[subscript fall]=1585; N[subscript spring]=1206). In this study exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (Study 1-N[subscript EFA]=921) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (Study 1-N[subscript CFA]=664; Study 1-N[subscript CFA]=1206) were performed to assess the construct validity of the scale's measures. As proof of validity, the effect of gender on satisfaction was examined, for which independent sample t-test was performed. For the criterion validity, the relationship between computer and internet self-efficacy and satisfaction scores of the learners was examined. The finalized version of satisfaction scale, consisting of eight items, demonstrated that the scale is suitable for general use. Suggestions for future researchers and practitioners are proposed.

This study examined the development process of graphic symbol-based animations for enhancing literacy skills of deaf or hard of hearing students (D/HH). Participants of the study consisted of two teachers and seven students studying in the third and fourth grade in a primary school for hard of hearing. As a result of the studies conducted throughout the fall and spring semesters, animation environments based on graphic symbols were developed. Within the framework of the design-based research methodology, development studies were followed by revisions. Revision studies were conducted in line with the data obtained from the interviews and observation notes that continued throughout the practices. A content analysis was utilized to examine the data obtained through interview and observation. It has been determined that; in the animations each sentence should be presented clearly and it may be paused if necessary, minor details and the dormant objects in the background should be removed, animations of actions should be standardized, and fonts in animations should match the writing style used by the students in the animations. As a result of the study, a design guide for graphic symbols-based animations for D/HH were developed for the researchers in line with the acquired results.