Search

In today's technologies, in line with the needs of the age, social platforms have taken their place in education with increasing importance day by day. Especially in the pandemic process, which requires distance education, the tendency to social media has increased. Therefore, the attitudes of secondary school students towards the use of YouTube for learning purposes have gained importance. For this reason, it is aimed to develop the YouTube Usage Scale (YUS), which can be used to determine secondary school students' attitudes toward YouTube use. Thus, in the study, it was foreseen to determine the behavioral intentions of secondary school students to use YouTube as a Learning Resource and to reveal the factors affecting this behavioral intention. The research population consists of all secondary school students studying in the Malazgirt district of Mus province, located in the eastern part of Turkey, in the 2018-2019 academic year. The sample of the study is represented by 644 students selected by the random sampling method. The content validity of the YUS was provided by expert opinion. The construct validity was validated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). For content validity, a 47-item draft YUS was submitted to the opinion of a group of 14 experts in the field. The content validity of the 42-item YUS was ensured. In the construct validity studies of YUS, EFA was performed with a total of 644 secondary school students studying in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades. CFA was carried out with the participation of 311 secondary school students excluding the EFA sample group. EFA showed that YUS consisted of 4 sub-dimensions and 25 items. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.91 in the reliability analysis of YUS. Also, in reliability studies, it was determined that the subscales had summability and no response bias. The fit-order between the four-factor structure determined as a result of EFA and the sample data was examined using the AMOS 24.0 program within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). First- and second-order confirmatory analysis models were used in the data-model fit calculations. As a result of the study, the validity and reliability of the 24-items YUS scale were produced. Thus, the structures explaining the behavioral factors of secondary school students were defined, and the relationship of these structures with other factors was determined.

Textbooks play an undeniable role in education and training. The selection of textbooks, which are crucial materials for both teachers and learners in the teaching-learning process, requires careful consideration of specific criteria. Textbooks wield an effect on intrinsic motivation factors like interest, desire, and curiosity. They also impact academic achievement directly. Considering that a contemporary foreign language textbook should include important elements of other cultures and provide valuable cultural information, it's vital to consider cultural elements while selecting these textbooks. Hence, this study selected two textbooks that follow the communicative parametric method, devised primarily for foreign language education for adults, particularly in integration courses. This study analyzed and compared the textbook "Schritte" for foreigners who want to learn German and the textbook "Yeni Hitit" for foreigners who want to learn Turkish in terms of cultural elements. The study focuses on investigating and elaborating on cultural elements in these textbooks. To achieve these objectives, qualitative research was used in compliance with the criteria of validity and reliability of the research. The research showed that both textbooks adequately included cultural elements and provided the target language-target culture context. Both textbooks were found to present features specific to the countries in which they were written. Furthermore, these textbooks highlight the distinctions that exist in terms of characteristics among different groups of people and cultures. It has been concluded that these books are shaped to provide tolerance and empathy towards other cultures, emphasizing the differences in the characteristics of other cultures, and providing the opportunity to learn the culture of the learned language as well as learning a foreign language.

This research determined the stages of kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala L.) seed development in Samsun province, Turkey, between 2002 and 2003. Plants of inbred kale lines (55TE07, 55TK09, 52PE09, 61ÇY01 and 67DE01) were grown. On the basis of seed and embryo colour, seed morphology (seed length, seed width and embryo length), seed development can be divided into 7 discrete but contiguous stages. The germination rate of inbred lines was at its maximum, or near to its maximum, until the seed moisture declined to 50%. Germination rates reached a maximum level at 65 days after pollination (DAP). It was concluded that kale seeds should be harvested when pods became brown in stage 7 (65 DAP). This study will be used for comparisons with seed development in other Brassica species.

Abstract Fault structure reconstruction is an important aspect of magnetic prospecting as it contributes to understanding tectonic history, hazard assessment, and infrastructure planning. Metaheuristics have proven useful in estimating fault structure parameters from geophysical anomalies. Recently, a modified version of the Backtracking Search Optimization Algorithm (BSA), named mBSA, has been proposed that combines mutation steps of BSA and Differential Evolution (DE) algorithms to achieve a better balance between exploration and exploitation. Here, we present imBSA as an efficient approach that builds on the improvements of mBSA. It uses an adaptive amplitude control factor in the mutation step derived from a normally distributed random number obtained via an exponential function. The performances of these approaches were tested on some widely used benchmark functions such as Rosenbrock, Rastrigin, Griewank, and Himmelblau. Synthetic magnetic fault anomalies were evaluated with and without noise, as well as three real anomalies from the Dehri (India), Perth Basin, and Lachlan Fold Belt (Australia). Prior to the optimizations, the solvability of the model parameters was examined using some error topography images. The obtained solutions in the synthetic cases were evaluated using principal component analysis. In addition, a novel visualization option for high‐dimensional optimization problems was introduced. The experiments showed that imBSA has a faster convergence rate and better optimization statistics compared to BSA and mBSA. Therefore, it is believed to be an efficient and good alternative tool to widely used metaheuristics such as Particle Swarm Optimization and DE in explaining geophysical anomalies and optimization problems in other geoscientific disciplines.

A growing body of literature suggests that religiosity is linked to regulatory virtues, such as self-control and patience, but most of this literature has been on Christian populations and has only focused on a single and more adaptive dimensions of religiosity, such as religious practices and beliefs. The current study sought to expand this literature by examining how the belief (e.g., religious struggles with doubts), belonging (e.g., religious identity), and bonding (e.g., anxious and avoidant attachment to Allah) dimensions of religion are uniquely associated with the behaving (e.g., inhibitory control, initiatory control, and patience) dimension of religion among a sample of Muslim American adolescents. Two-hundred forty-eight 13-18-year-old Muslims living across the United States filled out a cross-sectional survey online. Path analyses revealed that religious commitment and avoidant attachment to Allah were linked to initiatory self-control and patience, but not inhibitory self-control. In contrast, religious struggles and anxious attachment to Allah were linked to inhibitory self-control, but not initiatory self-control and patience. Finally, religious identity was not linked to self-control or patience when accounting for these other dimensions of religiosity. Our findings suggested that some dimensions of religiosity might indeed promote regulatory virtues, but other dimensions may undermine self-control and patience, which have important implications for theory and interventions targeted to promote regulatory virtues among youth.

In this study, nonlinear isoparametric shell elements with variable edge order and moving nodes from CBAL4M to CBAL12M were developed and integrated into FINITE. Specific mapping and surfaces for two-dimensional isoparametric shell elements, shape functions, and their derivatives are presented. The advantage of the developed shell element is that it can represent not only the smeared reinforcement on the wall and slab but also the discrete special reinforcement that is important for crack propagation in the nonlinear simulation of RC structures. With the advantage of movable nodes, the discrete reinforcement can be effectively covered and the position of the discrete reinforcement can be determined. When modelling reinforced concrete structures dominated by shear walls, the use of variable edge orders at the slab-wall interfaces where high stresses or forces are expected reduces the calculation time and capacity by using an optimal number of nodes for hybrid modelling. Nonlinearity is considered only in the form of material nonlinearity with a stress-strain curve, tension stiffening, and cracking including crack rotation. The analytical model is validated by comparing the results at the element level of the Vecchio and Collins test panels at the University of Toronto and at the structural level of the five-story shear wall building with staggered openings at the University of Michigan. Nonlinear hybrid simulations of 2D and 3D models of 2-story and 5-story shear wall-dominated RC buildings are investigated with the developed element considering ultimate load curves, deflection shapes, crack patterns, stress distributions, and 3D effects and force mechanisms. For this purpose, a three-story scaled test model was constructed and tested to simulate the seismic behavior. The test results are also compared with the analytical results of SAP2000 and the developed nonlinear shell element. The seismic capacity of the test model and the analytical models was similar at 31 tons. The developed element can be effectively used for modelling and nonlinear hybrid simulation of RC buildings and can also be applied to prestressed concrete structures for tendon modelling.

This article presents a new, rapid technique for retrofitting reinforced concrete buildings. With the “Structural Jacketing Building Envelope Retrofit System,” the entire outer shell of the building is retrofitted with steel struts that are connected to the reinforced concrete frame via dowels. The new system behaves like a composite system. As most of the seismic loads are absorbed by the new integrated external composite system, the structural elements inside the building are mainly loaded by gravity. In this way, the seismic performance and the lateral wind and torsional capacity of the retrofitted structures are increased by retrofitting the building envelope. The main advantage of this technique is the ability to retrofit existing buildings without compromising their serviceability and to quickly increase the seismic and wind capacity of buildings in regions with high seismicity and wind in the run-up to disasters. Thus, this system is a solution for retrofitting important building structures such as hospitals, schools, energy and telecommunication buildings, and factories that cannot be retrofitted within the building. In addition to retrofitting to achieve energy efficiency in existing buildings, cladding and insulation can be easily and cost-effectively applied to the retrofitted building envelope. Three-dimensional models of RC buildings with and without structural building envelopes were tested under static cyclic pushover loading to simulate 3D behavior, lateral load capacity, crack patterns, and collapse mechanisms under seismic loading. The results of the tests, finite element modelling, and simulation were compared to verify the proposed system. The tests and the analysis of the models show that the structures retrofitted in the building envelope increase their seismic resistance by four times. Analytical studies for building envelope retrofit systems were also conducted and compared using different braced models. The application of this system in the retrofit of a 10-story RC building in Istanbul is presented as a case study, including energy efficiency and architectural envelope.

Tunnel gates used for water regulation are very important and critical parts of dam safety. This is because they are exposed to the hydrostatic pressure of the total height of the water in the reservoir. In this case study, a nonlinear finite element modelling and simulation of the diversion tunnel gate of the Gokdere Bridge Dam in Adana, Turkey, are performed to investigate the performance and capacity of the structure before collapse. The maximum water level in the reservoir is 85 meters. A 3D finite element modelling of the gate structure was created, considering the details of the construction project. Both the concrete structure and the anchorages between the concrete of the first and second phases of the gate structure and the steel profiles in the gate supports are modelled to obtain composite behavior, bond stresses, and a more accurate load and stress distribution. For the nonlinear finite element modelling in ABAQUS, C3D8R reduced-integrated 8-node hexahedral solid elements with concrete damage and tension stiffening are used. For the simulation, linear and nonlinear capacity analyses of the gate structure are performed, and the stresses, strains, deformations, and crack propagation in concrete and steel are investigated. It is found that nonlinear analysis and finite element modelling of anchors for capacity and load transfer are important in the simulation of gate structures to prevent tunnel collapse. It is suggested that dam monitoring and control systems and the use of multiple gates are recommended when a problem occurs in the operation of a gate in the diversion tunnel gates of a dam structure.

Gratitude has been studied in the context of human social relationships primarily, but relatively less is known about gratitude in relation to a deity. We extended this research by studying gratitude among Muslim American adolescents, an understudied population, by comparing feelings of gratitude to Allah with feelings of gratitude to people in their associations with affect in daily life. Muslim adolescents (N = 202) participated in an Ecological Momentary Assessment study by completing up to three momentary reports each day during three separate weeks. Within-person results showed that both forms of gratitude were positively associated with concurrent happiness and calmness and were negatively associated with concurrent anxiety and sadness, though gratitude to people was a stronger predictor of happiness than gratitude to Allah. Most of the associations between gratitude to people and affect were stronger when youth felt less grateful to Allah, thus supporting a compensation model in which one form of gratitude offsets lower levels in the other. Lagged associations indicated that gratitude to people more consistently predicted greater subsequent feelings of happiness and calmness, whereas happiness and calmness consistently predicted greater subsequent feelings of gratitude to Allah. Results have implications for how distinct forms of gratitude may differentially influence affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directional derivative-based edge detectors are commonly used to outline the abrupt lateral variations in densities or magnetizations of geological sources from potential-field datasets. Some subtle traces of faults, lithological contacts, and lineaments can be made more visible on anomaly maps using these algorithms. However, these algorithms generally suffer from common limitations such as blurry edges with low resolution or faulty boundaries. To minimize these challenges, we propose a new efficient edge detector that benefits from the hyperbolic tangent function. The performance of this detector was tested on the responses of a synthetic gravity model and Bishop's complex magnetic model. Gaussian noise content was also added to both synthetic cases to test the response of the proposed operator. In a real-data experiment, residual gravity anomalies of the Aegean Graben System from western Türkiye, obtained via finite element method, were used to delineate abrupt lateral variations in mass densities in the region. The traces of basin-bounding normal faults and the boundaries of major grabens were improved in the resultant image map. A modified nonlocal means filter was also applied in both synthetic and real-data cases to attenuate undesired high-frequency effects. The proposed edge detection operator produced satisfactory outputs in each case. Comparative studies performed with some traditional and recently introduced algorithms further showed the superiority of the operator; thus, this detector is useful in revealing geological features that cannot be easily seen in potential-field anomaly maps and it is a strong alternative to currently used algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive psychology offers numerous evidence-based interventions to build character strengths, but most target adults, with fewer addressing the needs of adolescents. This special issue highlights research on the development of character strength interventions for adolescents in out-of-school settings. Because adolescents are embedded in multifaceted developmental systems, interventions to promote virtue must attend to the contextual features of the implementation environments. Accordingly, a scholar-practitioner model of research allows researchers to partner with practitioners who are experts on the contexts adolescents inhabit in their daily lives. Finally, theory and research suggest that virtue interventions are most effective when they attend to the cultivation of a beyond-the-self, transcendent purpose, but few do so because of the challenges of studying spirituality in pluralistic settings. The interventions examined in this special issue focus on how meaning-making opportunities and spiritual experiences affect a sense of connection to something bigger than the self to promote character development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion/spirituality has been linked to virtue development across individuals, but most of this evidence is derived from decontextualized one-time survey studies. We employed a three-wave experience sampling study to examine whether Ramadan heightens Muslim American adolescents' connectedness to Allah, inhibitory self-control, initiatory self-control, patience, and compassion within individuals. Adolescents (N = 202) were prompted to complete three daily surveys for a week before, during, and after Ramadan each. Results indicated that adolescents grew more connected to Allah and exhibited greater inhibitory self-control, initiatory self-control, and patience in their daily lives from pre-Ramadan to Ramadan, with continued elevated effects for initiatory self-control and patience – but not for inhibitory self-control – after Ramadan. In contrast, adolescents reported high levels of daily compassion before and during Ramadan, but lower levels after Ramadan. Our findings emphasized the importance of disentangling within- and between-person effects and have implications for virtue theories and the design of intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was aimed to obtain an experimental bleaching agent by adding casein phosphopeptide‐amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP‐ACP) in order to eliminate the mineral loss on the tooth surface after bleaching and to evaluate the bleaching effectiveness. Materials and Methods: In this study, experimental bleaching agents containing 1%, 3% CPP‐ACP and without CPP‐ACP were obtained. Bleaching effectiveness (color change), the effect of bleaching agents on mineral content (energy dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy), surface morphology (scanning electron microscope), and surface hardness of enamel (Vicker's microhardness) before and after bleaching were evaluated. The obtained data were statistically analyzed. Results: When the bleaching levels of the groups were compared, no statistically significant difference was observed between the control and 1% CPP‐ACP groups (p > 0.05) while the addition of 3% CPP‐ACP decreased significantly the effectiveness of the bleaching agent (p < 0.05). When the effects of experimental bleaching agents on surface hardness were examined, while the enamel surface hardness decreased statistically significantly after application in the control group (p < 0.05), no statistically significant change was observed in surface hardness after the application of 1% CPP‐ACP containing bleaching agent (p > 0.05). However, a statistically significant increase was observed in surface hardness after the application of 3% CPP‐ACP containing bleaching agent (p < 0.05). When the Ca and P ratio of the groups were compared, no statistically significant difference was observed between the control and 1% CPP‐ACP groups (p > 0.05), while they increased significantly in 3% CPP‐ACP group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The addition of 1% CPP‐ACP to the bleaching agent had positive effects on the mineral content and surface hardness of the enamel, and did not negatively affect the whitening effectiveness. Clinical Significance: Adding CPP‐ACP to the bleaching agent at appropriate concentrations can eliminate possible negative effects without compromising the effectiveness of the bleaching agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to enable deaf and hard-of-hearing people to communicate with other individuals who know and do not know sign language. The mobile application was developed for video classification by using MediaPipe Library in the study. While doing this, considering the problems that deaf and hearing loss individuals face in Turkey and abroad modelling and training stages were carried out with the English language option. With the real-time translation feature added to the study individuals were provided with instant communication. In this way, communication problems experienced by hearing-impaired individuals will be greatly reduced. Machine learning and Deep learning concepts were investigated in the study. Model creation and training stages were carried out using VGG16, OpenCV, Pandas, Keras, and Os libraries. Due to the low success rate in the model created using VGG16, the MediaPipe library was used in the formation and training stages of the model. The reason for this is that, thanks to the solutions available in the MediaPipe library, it can normalise the coordinates in 3D by marking the regions to be detected in the human body. Being able to extract the coordinates independently of the background and body type in the videos in the dataset increases the success rate of the model in the formation and training stages. As a result of an experiment, the accuracy rate of the deep learning model is 85% and the application can be easily integrated with different languages. It is concluded that deep learning model is more accure than machine learning one and the communication problem faced by hearing-impaired individuals in many countries can be reduced easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Türkiye Jeoloji Bülteni is the property of TMMOB JEOLOJI MUHENDISLERI ODASI 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.)

Despite its implications for positive youth development, factors and processes that promote civic engagement are critically understudied, particularly among Muslim American adolescents for whom opportunities for civic engagement could be hindered by Islamophobia and hate crimes. Prior work has proposed that parents can strengthen adolescents' group belonging and motivate their civic engagement, but this mediating link has not been empirically tested. Moreover, parents' religious socialization and adolescents' religious identity remain understudied, especially with respect to possible daily fluctuations. We used experience sampling methods to: (a) explore momentary fluctuations and temporal relations between two dimensions of Muslim American adolescents' religious identity (i.e., private regard and centrality) over the course of 14 days (Phase 2), and (b) examine if Muslim American adolescents' momentary religious identity (Phase 2) mediated associations between their stable perceptions of maternal religious socialization (Phase 1) and subsequent civic engagement (Phase 3). Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed positive autoregressive and cross-lagged relations between religious private regard and centrality. Moreover, adolescents' momentary religious identities differentially mediated the associations between maternal religious socialization and civic attitudes and behaviors, suggesting specificity in these developmental processes. Our findings have important implications for programs and policies to support the self-empowerment and positive development of Muslim American adolescents.