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The ability to interact or engage with the instructor, other students, and the content i.e., to experience online student engagement, is one main difference between traditional and digital media employed in teaching and learning processes. As literature on this topic in the Turkish context has proliferated, to date, virtually no systematic reviews of this research have been carried out in order to identify potential gaps in the literature. To address this issue, this study investigated previously conducted research in chronological order on student engagement at the post-secondary level in the Turkish context using a PRISMA-based systematic review screening process. The results show that online engagement research and practices have clearly increased and diversified over time. Specifically, online engagement research in the Turkish context has tended to focus on computer science students studying in online-only, LMS-supported environments where their behavioral engagement has been investigated quantitatively. Considering these findings, this systematic review suggests that future studies in the Turkish context should examine other fields besides computer science education, focus more on collaborative tools and the social dimension of engagement, use more qualitative methods, and investigate blended environments as well as online-only.

Examination of the personal characteristics (i.e., gender, participation styles) of participants and the technical infrastructure (i.e., device type, internet connection type) of Instructional Discussion Forums (IDFs) can provide functional clues for mitigating social anxiety in these settings. In this context, this research investigated variances in learners' participation styles and social anxiety in IDFs in terms of gender and ICT availability. In addition, it explored the predictive relationships between participation styles and social anxiety. A sample of 272 freshman undergraduate students discussed various topics related to Internet ethics for three weeks through an IDF. The results indicated that participation styles differed by gender and ICT availability in several respects. First, handheld devices and cellular internet connections exerted a medium-size effect on social anxiety. Further, "to get information" and "to fulfill requirement" purposes in the "Why" dimension of participation styles had a small predictive relationship with social anxiety, as did "analytical" and "practical" participation approaches in the "How" dimension. Of these, only the "to get information" purpose negatively predicted social anxiety. Overall, participation styles accounted for 19.1% of the variance in social anxiety. Based on the findings, future directions and practical implications are suggested for both researchers and practitioners.

Introduction: Understanding the variations of abdominal vascular structures is important for preventing complications of abdominal surgical procedures for gastrointestinal disease such as necrotizing enterocolitis or others that may arise in patients with congenital cardiac disease. We analysed the coeliac trunk and its branches in children with congenital heart disease to determine whether there is a greater prevalence of associated vascular abnormalities. Methods: We retrospectively analysed thoracic computed tomography (CT) angiograms performed in our hospital in paediatric patients with congenital heart disease. We documented the anatomical variations observed in abdominal sections in which the coeliac trunk and hepatic arteries were included in the field of view. We used the Uflacker classification to describe anatomical variants of the coeliac trunk, and the Michels classification and its modified version (Hiatt classification) to describe the anatomy of the hepatic artery system. Results: Our study included 178 patients with congenital heart disease. We identified coeliac trunk variants in 10.7% of the patients. Gastrosplenic trunk was to the most prevalent variant, amounting to 5.6% of total cases. We found hepatic artery variations in 19.1% of the patients. According to the Michels classification, the prevalence of accessory left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery as 4.5%, compared to 6.7% based on the Hiatt classification. Conclusion: The prevalence of coeliac trunk and hepatic artery variations in patients with congenital heart disease was not greater in our study compared to other series in the literature. Clinicians must be vigilant about the variations detected in multislice CT scans to avoid complications resulting from vascular abnormalities, especially in patients who undergo abdominal surgery. Resumen: Introducción: Comprender las variaciones de las estructuras vasculares abdominales es importante para prevenir complicaciones de procedimientos quirúrgicos abdominales por enfermedades gastrointestinales, como la enterocolitis necrotizante u otras que pueden desarrollarse en pacientes con cardiopatías congénitas. Se examinará el tronco celíaco y sus ramas en niños con cardiopatía congénita para determinar si hay una mayor prevalencia de anomalías concomitantes. Métodos: Exploración retrospectiva de pacientes pediátricos con cardiopatías congénitas sometidos a una angiotomografía computarizada (angio-TC) en nuestro hospital. Se registraron las variaciones anatómicas en secciones abdominales en las que el plano de adquisición incluía el tronco celíaco y las arterias hepáticas. Se utilizó el método de Uflacker para describir las variantes anatómicas del tronco celíaco. Las variaciones en el sistema de la arteria hepática se caracterizaron mediante la clasificación de Michels y la versión modificada de Hiatt. Resultados: La muestra incluyó a 178 pacientes pediátricos con cardiopatías congénitas. Se encontraron variaciones de la arteria celíaca en el 10,7% de los pacientes. La variante más prevalente era el tronco gastroesplénico, que representaba el 5,6% de todos los casos. La prevalencia de variaciones de la arteria hepática fue del 19,1%. La prevalencia observada de arteria hepática izquierda accesoria con origen en la arteria gástrica izquierda fue del 4,5%, según la clasificación de Michels y del 6,7% según la clasificación de Hiatt. Conclusión: En nuestro estudio, no se observó una prevalencia mayor de variaciones del tronco celíaco y de la arteria hepática en pacientes con cardiopatías congénitas en comparación con lo descrito en series previas. Los médicos deben prestar atención a las variaciones detectadas en las tomografías computarizadas multicorte para evitar complicaciones derivadas de variaciones vasculares, especialmente en pacientes sometidos a cirugía abdominal.

The automotive, aerospace and marine industries make extensive use of aluminum and its alloys to produce a wide variety of components. This prompts research work related to improving manufacturing processes using these materials. One of the main problems in this area is the durability of cutting tools. This article describes the results of tests on the wear of coated and uncoated carbide cutting tools during turning of EN AW 2007 aluminum alloy. The tests were carried out under dry conditions and at higher cutting speeds. On the face rake the VBB indicator (average width of flank wear), and on the rake face the KB indicator (crater width on the rake face) were evaluated. Only for the uncoated insert the break-in period, steady-state wear region and intensive wear was observed, and the limiting value of the VBB indicator was obtained after 36 minutes of tool life. The TiAlN+TiN coated insert, as well as TiCN achieved very short tool life periods of 16 and 24 minutes, respectively. Compared to the uncoated and TiCN coated insert, a VBB increase of about 170% was obtained for the TiAlN+TiN coated insert after 16 minutes. In contrast, an increase in the VBB of almost 60% was obtained for the TiCN coated insert after 24 minutes, compared to the uncoated insert. Compared to the uncoated insert, an increase of 12.1% in the KB value was obtained for the TiCN coated insert, and 18.2% for the TiAlN+TiN coated insert.

Abstract Background Renewable materials made using environmentally friendly processes are in high demand as a solution to reduce the pollution created by the fashion industry. In recent years, there has been a growing trend in research on renewable materials focused on bio-based materials derived from fungi. Results Recently, fungal cell wall material of a chitosan producing fungus has been wet spun to monofilaments. This paper presents a modification for the fungal monofilament spinning process, by the development of a benign method, dry gel spinning, to produce continuous monofilaments and twisted multifilament yarns, from fungal cell wall, that can be used in textile applications. The fungal biomass of Rhizopus delemar, grown using bread waste as a substrate, was subjected to alkali treatment with a dilute sodium hydroxide solution to isolate alkali-insoluble material (AIM), which mainly consists of the fungal cell wall. The treatment of AIM with dilute lactic acid resulted in hydrogel formation. The morphology of the hydrogels was pH dependent, and they exhibited shear thinning viscoelastic behavior. Dry gel spinning of the fungal hydrogels was first conducted using a simple lab-scale syringe pump to inject the hydrogels through a needle to form a monofilament, which was directly placed on a rotating receiver and left to dry at room temperature. The resulting monofilament was used to make twisted multifilament yarns. The process was then improved by incorporating a heated chamber for the quicker drying of the monofilaments (at 30⁰C). Finally, the spinning process was scaled up using a twin-screw microcompounder instead of the syringe pump. The monofilaments were several meters long and reached a tensile strength of 63 MPa with a % elongation at break of 14. When spinning was performed in the heated chamber, the tensile strength increased to 80 MPa and further increased to 103 MPa when a micro-compounder was used for spinning. Conclusion The developed dry gel spinning method shows promising results in scalability and demonstrates the potential for renewable material production using fungi. This novel approach produces materials with mechanical properties comparable to those of conventional textile fibers.

Acute psychological stress (APS) is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon that affects metabolism, necessitating real-time detection and interventions to mitigate its effects on glycemia in people with type 1 diabetes. This study investigates the detection of APS using physiological variables measured by the Empatica E4 wristband and employs explainable machine learning to evaluate the importance of the physiological signals. The extreme gradient boosting model is developed for classification of APS and non-stress (NS) with weighted training, achieving an overall accuracy of 99.93%. The Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) technique is employed to interpret the global importance of the physiological signals, determining the order of importance for the variables from most to least as galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate (HR), skin temperature (ST), and motion sensors (accelerometer readings). The increase in GSR and HR are positively correlated with the occurrence of APS as indicated by high positive SHAP values. The SHAP technique is also used to explain the local signal importance for particular instances of misclassified samples. The detection of APS can inform multivariable automated insulin delivery systems to intervene to counteract the APS-induced glycemic excursions in people with type 1 diabetes.

Introduction: This study was designed before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess the annual changes in muscle strength in relatively young Turkish people with postpolio syndrome (PPS). After we completed the baseline measurements, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and lockdowns followed right after. Thus, the purpose of the study turned to how these lockdowns, which induced a sedentary lifestyle, have affected muscle strength in participants with PPS compared to healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This study included 49 hip joints (21 PPS vs. 28 healthy controls) and 51 knee joints (23 PPS vs. 28 healthy controls). Concentric isokinetic testing of bilateral hip and knee muscles was performed in all participants with PPS and controls just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measurements were repeated after 1 year of lockdowns. Results: Perceived physical activities were reported to be decreased by 35.9% and 32.2% in participants with PPS and controls, respectively. No significant changes were observed in muscle strengths, and these changes did not differ between PPS and healthy controls. Conclusion: This is the first and possibly the only study to show that the muscle strengths of participants with PPS did not change significantly during 1 year of physical restraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings may support the basic principle in the rehabilitation of participants with PPS, which includes conserving energy and avoiding the overuse of muscles. However, more data from studies with a larger number of participants and longer follow-ups, which will hopefully never happen again in a situation like this, are required to draw a conclusion.

Background: The incidence of scalp tumors is on the rise, driven by changing external factors. Predominantly located in the frontal and temporal regions, these tumors, especially in individuals aged 65 and above, are often benign, with trichilemmal cysts being the most common. While only 1%12% are malignant, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the primary culprit, diagnosed definitively through biopsy. Surgical excision is the most common treatment, tailored based on various factors, and reconstruction of the resulting defect is a key component. Methods: Our study scrutinized 100 cases undergoing scalp reconstruction at our hospital between December 2016 and February 2022. Detailed inquiries were made regarding patients’ gender, age, comorbidities, smoking history, and defect localization. Physical examinations recorded lesion localization and tumor size. This study is retrospective in nature. Results: Sixty-nine percentage of patients were male and 31% were female, with an average age of 67.57 ± 14.33. The most common tumor histopathology was BCC (48%). The parietal region was the most frequent site for reconstruction (35%). Smoking was reported by 39% of patients. Surgical method varied, with graft being the most common (48%). Postreconstruction, 46% expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment. Conclusion: In summary, our scalp reconstruction study provides a comprehensive insight into demographic, surgical, and patient-related aspects. The correlation between surgical satisfaction and methods underscores the importance of patient-centered care, guiding future strategies in scalp reconstruction for optimal outcomes.

Abstract Ternary oxides are currently emerging as promising materials for optoelectronic devices and spintronics, surpassing binary oxides in terms of their superior properties. Among these, zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4) stands out due to its stability and attractive physical characteristics. However, despite its outstanding attributes, there is a need to further develop its magnetic properties for spintronic applications. In this study, Ni-doped Zn2SnO4 thin films were synthesized using the sol–gel method, and their magnetic characteristics were investigated for the first time. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the high crystallinity of the synthesized samples, even after the incorporation of Ni dopants, without any secondary phases. SEM imaging revealed the cubic structure morphology of the thin films. An increase in the bandgap, dependent on the Ni dopant concentration, was observed for doped zinc stannate, suggesting potential for tailored electronic properties. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of functional groups within the material. Notably, the magnetic properties of the thin films were analyzed using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), revealing diamagnetic behavior for pure zinc stannate and ferromagnetic properties for Ni-doped Zn2SnO4, which increased with dopant concentration. Overall, the results highlight the excellent structural, optical, and ferromagnetic properties of Ni-doped Zn2SnO4 thin films, positioning them for diverse applications, particularly in optoelectronic and spintronic technology.

Abstract Introduction The aim of our study is to assess the relationship between altered consciousness in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) without a history of trauma and the physiological changes associated with aging. Additionally, we aim to compare diagnostic differences between patients under the age of 65 and those aged 65 and above. Methods This prospective study was conducted at the ED of Uludağ University Medical Faculty Hospital over a 1‐year period from December 2012 to November 2013. Patients aged 18 and above presenting with non‐traumatic altered consciousness were included, and they were categorized into two groups based on age:

Abstract Background The metaverse is a new and developing technology used in the field of healthcare. The perception of future explains time as a psychological phenomenon rather than a physical one. This study aimed to determine nurses’ thoughts of the metaverse and their perceptions of future. Methods The study in which the cross-sectional descriptive design was used was conducted with nurses working in a hospital in Trkiye from September 2022 to December 2022. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 374 nurses who were chosen using the convenience sampling method. Personal Identification Form, Metaverse Scale (MS) and Future Time Perspective Scale (FTPS) were used to collect data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows 25.0 program was used to analyse the data. Results The findings revealed that 81.6% of the nurses believed that they could provide patient education using the metaverse in the future, whereas 46% believed that they could do virtual nursing. The mean scores obtained from the FTPS and MS by the nurses were 3.45 (SD = 0.37) and 3.74 (SD = 0.56), respectively. There was a weak positive relationship between perception of future, and knowledge of, attitudes towards and awareness of the metaverse (r = 0.157, p = 0.002), and a weak, positive relationship between internet use duration and MS (r = 0.169, p = 0.001). Conclusions This study underscores the potential of the metaverse in nursing, revealing that nurses are optimistic about its application in patient education and virtual care. We recommend the development of specialized training programs to equip nurses with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively utilize the metaverse in healthcare settings.

This study investigates how individual-level factors contribute to classroom engagement variations of boys and girls across the elementary school years. Classroom engagement was assessed four times between the ages of 7 and 12 years in a large, representative population-based sample (N = 877) using latent growth modeling. Predictors included the sex of the child, the family income, and the mother's educational attainment when the child was 5 months old, along with the child's early receptive vocabulary, numeracy, motor and attentional skills, motivation to learn, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors measured at age 6 years. On average, classroom engagement progressively improved over time. Child vocabulary skills, attention, intrinsic motivation, and externalizing behaviors predicted initial levels of classroom engagement. Child classroom engagement also showed slower progression over time when receptive vocabulary and attentional skills were high. This trend was slightly different when the analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls. Girls with higher attentional skills and fewer externalizing behaviors at age 6 showed slower improvement in classroom engagement throughout elementary school, while boys did not significantly improve in their classroom engagement. Overall, these results suggest that several individual-level factors contribute to classroom engagement. Children with lower levels of receptive vocabulary, attentional skills, and motivation to learn, and those displaying externalizing behavior may benefit from additional help to boost their classroom engagement.