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This study aims to investigate the relationships between parent and child characteristics and co-caring relationships with the child's preschool teacher, including endorsement, support, undermining, and agreement. A survey research design was adopted for this study. The study's data were collected from 243 mothers and 238 fathers selected from preschools in Antalya, Turkey, through a demographic information form and the Co-caring Relationship Questionnaire. Independent sample t-tests, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and simple linear regression analyses were conducted. The results of the analyses indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between mothers and fathers in relation to their child's teacher in terms of endorsement, support, and undermining. On the other hand, the co-caring relationships of parents with their child's teacher did not differ based on the child's gender or parents' educational level. Lastly, the results revealed that parents' age significantly predicted the endorsement of parents for teachers' caregiving.

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of coherence and cohesion in the oral texts of children between the ages of 60 to 72 months. In the study, a survey method in a quantitative research approach was adopted, and a total of 110 preschoolers were included as participants. The data of the study were obtained from the oral texts taken from the conversations during the interviews with the children. Oral texts consisting of at least eight sentences were analyzed by using the Text Evaluation Form and a rubric. The coherence- and cohesion-related qualities of the spoken texts were evaluated by two experts. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were calculated as frequencies and percentages to present the levels of the oral texts in terms of cohesion and coherence. In addition, independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance were computed as inferential statistics to determine whether scores for cohesion and coherence differed significantly based on the child's gender, socioeconomic status, and the duration of the early childhood education. First, the results of the analyses revealed that the oral texts were acceptable and sufficient with respect to the means of cohesion, whereas they were inadequate and unacceptable in terms of coherence. Second, it was found that the cohesion device that children were the most successful was the ellipsis. Third, the results also indicated that the levels of cohesion of the oral texts displayed a significant difference regarding gender and SES, while they did not differ depending on the duration of preschool education. Moreover, the levels of coherence showed no significant difference in terms of gender, SES, and the duration of early childhood education. In conclusion, in the study, it was determined that the oral texts of the children were more appropriate to the standard language in terms of cohesion compared to coherence.

The current study aimed to examine Turkish early childhood education curriculum prepared for 36-72 month children relative to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. To that end, 240 developmental features, 65 objectives, and 230 indicators under developmental fields in the curriculum and 40 sample activities in a teacher activity book were analyzed by adopting content analysis. The data were analyzed in the light of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" developed by the Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards within the National Research Council. Analyses revealed that the curriculum and teacher activity book included core ideas and concepts related to STEM education and it had most of the characteristics of STEM education. Finding out the existence of STEM education-related aspects of the early childhood education curriculum inspires conducting further studies that will help early childhood educators', academicians', and policy makers' focus on integrating and implementing STEM education practices not only in Turkey but also in countries adopting similar early childhood education curriculums.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between contextual and demographic factors influencing parental involvement in education and the levels of parent involvement in education, specifically addressing the possible mediating roles of parental role activity and self-efficacy beliefs for helping the child succeed in school. A total of 1,402 parents of preschoolers between 36 and 72 months in Turkey voluntarily participated in the study. Using a correlational research design, a model was tested via path analysis to inspect the associations among study variables. In general, the study results revealed that role activity and self-efficacy beliefs either fully or partially mediated the relationships between contextual variables and parent involvement in education, meaning the existence of relationships, either in total or in part, depends on parents' role activity and self-efficacy beliefs. Overall, the study concluded that parents' role activity and self-efficacy beliefs are two essential factors associated with parent involvement level because they enhance the relationship of the contextual factors with parent involvement, even they activate the relationship between some contextual factors and parent involvement level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this systematic review was (1) to synthesize findings from studies that provided programming experiences through robotics for children, between the ages of zero and eight, and for pre- or in-service teachers, of early childhood education and (2) to reveal the possible contributions of robotics programming for the integration of technology and engineering in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. As a result of search and review processes, 23 research studies were included in the study. These studies were synthesized depending on some common characteristics, such as how they use educational robotics, initial results, subjects and the potential contributions of educational robotics to STEM education, in terms of technology and engineering, were discussed, and some educational implications were also provided. This review revealed that computer programming through robotics can be a promising educational tool and application for the integration of technology and engineering in early childhood STEM education.

Background and Aim: The structure and function of the left heart cavity have important prognostic value in heart diseases, and heart rate (HR) control is an important treatment goal. In this study, we investigated the effects of HR on left heart structure and function in hypertensive patients with normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center, prospective, observational (case-control) study. A total of 153 patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their HR (70 beats/min and below and above 70 beats/min). LV and atrial strain analyses were performed during echocardiographic evaluation. Results: Patients with a resting HR of 70 beats/min or less were included in group 1 (64.2±4.5) and patients with a resting HR above 70 beats/min were included in group 2 (79.1±6.8). There is a significant difference between group 1 and group 2 in left atrial maximum volume (60.8±15.5 mL vs. 52.9±16.3 mL P = 0.007), left atrial minimum volume (28.8±9.5 vs. 22.6±7.9 P < 0.001), left atrial emptying fraction (52.8±8.5% vs. 56.1±8.5% P = 0.035), left atrial expansion index (1.19±0.44 vs. 1.36±0.47 P = 0.044), pLASRcd (-1.3±0.38 vs. -1.5±0.61 P = 0.031), and global longitudinal strain (-19.3±3 vs. -18.2±2.7 P = 0.07). In the multivariable regression analysis, beta-bloker [odds ratio (OR): 0.291, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.105-0.810, P = 0.018], mean high diastolic blood pressure (OR: 1.054, 95% CI 1.009-1.101, P = 0.018), left atrial minimum volume (OR: 0.870, 95% Cl 0.809-0.938, P < 0.001), S' (OR: 10.6, 95% CI 1.1-104, P = 0.041), left atrial expansion index (OR: 0.870, 95% CI 0.809-0.930, P < 0.033) were determined as independent predictors of high resting HR. Conclusion: HR control is an important goal in patients with hypertension who have preserved LV systolic function. Mortality and morbidity can also be improved by HR control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of maternal ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels on pregnancy-related complications, fetal growth, and development over time. Materials and Methods: The prospective longitudinal and single-center study included 43 pregnant women ages 18 to 43. Routine pregnancy follow-up began at the first antenatal examination for all pregnant women before 14 weeks gestation, with IMA levels measured during the first, second, and third trimesters. The albumin cobalt binding test was used to determine the amount of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA). The patients' medical, sociodemographic, and nutritional data were analyzed. The primary outcome was to investigate how changes in maternal ischemia affected albumin levels during pregnancy and the relationship between these changes and newborn weight. Results: This study included 43 cases with a mean age of 28.5 ± 5.2 years and a mean gestation period of 39.2 ± 1.3 weeks. The mean IMA levels for cases in the first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester were 0.53 ± 0.06, 0.64 ± 0.11, and 0.64 ± 0.06, respectively. The second and third trimesters showed significantly higher levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) than the first trimester (p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in IMA levels between the second and third trimesters (p = 1.000; p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between fetal birth and percentage changes in IMA measurements between the first and second trimesters, the first and third trimesters, or the second and third trimesters (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study determined that maternal ischemia-modified albumin levels during pregnancy did not correlate with fetal birth weight. Our findings revealed that age, sociodemographic changes, BMI, weight gain, and pregnancy complications had no effect on the change in IMA levels during pregnancy. We believe that this result will serve as a benchmark for future studies on IMA levels during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of MN Cardiology / MN Kardiyoloji is the property of Medical Network 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 and Objectives: This study aims to compare the neuromuscular structure of the vagina in women with posterior vaginal wall prolapse with the neuromuscular structure of the vagina in women without prolapse, to determine the difference, and to demonstrate the role of neuromuscular structure in the physiopathology of prolapse. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, women aged between 40 and 75 years who had not undergone any vaginal surgery and had not undergone any abdominal prolapse surgery were included. Thirty-one women diagnosed with rectocele on examination were included in the study group. Thirty-one patients who underwent vaginal intervention and hysterectomy for reasons other than rectocele (colposcopy, conization, etc.) without anterior or posterior wall prolapse were included in the control group. Biopsy material was obtained from the epithelium of the posterior wall of the vagina, including the fascia that fits the Ap point. Immunohistochemical staining with Protein Gene Product 9.5 and smooth muscle α-actin was performed in the pathology laboratory. The epithelial thickness measurement and smooth muscle density parameters obtained with these immunohistochemical stainings were compared between the two groups. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 23 package program. p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: In the control group, muscle thickness and the number of nerves per mm2 of fascia were statistically significantly higher than in the study group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: We found that smooth muscle tissue and the number of nerves per mm2 of fascia were decreased in posterior vaginal wall prolapse compared to the general population. Based on the correlation coefficients, age was the parameter that most affected the degree of prolapse, followed by parity, number of live births, and number of vaginal deliveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Few studies have shown that certain myocardial repolarization markers from surface electrocardiogram (ECG) are associated with ascending aortic (AA) dilatation (AAD). We aimed to investigate the association between 12-lead surface ECG markers and AAD. Material and Methods: Consecutive patients without active complaints, who were admitted to the outpatient clinic for routine control, were included in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed to measure AA diameter. ECG markers, including QRS duration, TP-e interval, QTc interval, and frontal QRS-T angle were calculated. Patients were divided into two groups based on their AA diameter: those with an AA diameter ≥40 mm [AAD (+)] and those with an AA diameter <40 mm [AAD (-)]. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the two groups using a p value <0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Among the 251 patients, 31 (12.3%) had AAD. Patients with AAD had a significantly higher rate of coronary artery disease (CAD) history. Fragmented QRS, pathological Qwaves, longer P-maximum, P-minimum, P-dispersion, QRS duration, Tp-e duration, R peak time, and increased frontal QRS-T angle were more common in the AAD(+) group (all p<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between the frontal QRS-T angle and AAD (R=0.379, p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, AAD showed an independent association with the frontal QRS-T angle (OR: 3.886, 95% CI: 1.270-11.893, p=0.017) and history of CAD (OR: 10.689, 95% CI: 2.151- 53.121, p=0.004). Conclusion: AAD was independently associated with a CAD history and frontal QRS-T angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Education for Life / Yaşadıkça Eğitim Dergisi is the property of Istanbul Kultur Universitesi 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.)