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Introduction: The workload of physicians increased due to the number of patients presenting with suspicion of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and the prolonged wait times in the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signal peptide-CUB-EGF domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE-1) is a protein present in platelets and endothelial cells; it is activated by inflammation from COVID-19 and may be associated with COVID-19’s known thrombotic risk. We aimed to determine whether SCUBE-1 levels are diagnostically correlated in suspected COVID-19 patients, and whether SCUBE-1 correlated with severity of disease and, therefore, might be useful to guide hospitalization/discharge decisions.Methods: The suspected COVID-19 patients cared for at tertiary healthcare institutions for one year between May 2021–May 2022 were examined in this study. The subjects were both suspected COVID-19 patients not ultimately found to have COVID-19 and those who were diagnosed with COVID-19. By modifying the disease severity scoring systems present in COVID-19 guidelines in 2021, the COVID-19-positive patient group was classified as mild, moderate, severe, and critical, and compared using the SCUBE-1 levels. Moreover, SCUBE-1 levels were compared between the COVID-19 positive group and the COVID-19 negative group.Results: A total of 507 patients were considered for the present study. After excluding 175 patients for incomplete data and alternate comorbid organ failure. we report on 332 patients (65.5%). Of these 332 patients, 80 (24.0%) were COVID-19 negative, and 252 (76.0%) were COVID-19 positive. Of 252 (100%) patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 74 (29.4%) were classified as mild, 95 (37.7%) moderate, 45 (17.8%) severe, and 38 (15.1%) critical. The SCUBE-1 levels were statistically different between COVID-19 positive (8.48 ± 7.42 nanograms per milliliter [ng/mL]) and COVID-19 negative (1.86 ± 0.92 ng/mL) patients (P < 0.001). In the COVID-19 positive group, SCUBE-1 levels increased with disease severity (mild = 3.20 ± 1.65 ng/mL, moderate = 4.78 ± 2.26 ng/mL, severe = 13.68 ± 3.95 ng/mL, and critical = 21.87 ± 5.39 ng/mL) (P < 0.001). The initial SCUBE-1 levels of discharged patients were significantly lower than those requiring hospitalization (discharged = 2.89 ng/mL [0.55–8.60 ng/mL]; ward admitted = 7.13 ng/mL [1.38–21.29 ng/mL], and ICU admitted = 21.19 ng/mL [10.58–37.86 ng/mL]) (P < 0.001).Conclusion: The SCUBE-1 levels were found to be differentiated between patients with and without COVID-19 and to be correlated with the severity of illness.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how gamification using Web 2.0 tools affects secondary school students' listening comprehension skills on a German second language course. The sub-purposes are to investigate the study's outputs, such as course interest and academic motivation. The design of the study was action research, which is one of the recognized methods of qualitative research. The participants of the study were 34 ninth-grade high school students (15 males, 19 females) aged 14 or 15 years old enrolled to a state-project school. Focus group interviews, both student and teachers' reflective journals, and an academic achievement test were utilized to assess the participant students' listening comprehension skills, and formed the data collection tools used to obtain detailed information about the research process. According to the findings of the study, the use of Web 2.0 tools enabled by way of the gamification method helped capture the students' attention and strengthen the steps taken to improve their language learning skills. Although the students' learning styles varied, one point of commonality was their use of gamification.

This research was conducted to determine the attitudes of university students with different socio-economic structures towards information and communication technologies, using information and communication technologies (ICT), which are increasingly used in our daily life, by using a descriptive survey model and survey method. Günbatar (2014) and analyzed for validity and reliability, was used to determine the level of use of information and communication technologies by university students receiving Physical Education and Sports Education. The universe of the research consists of students studying at universities that provide sports education in Turkey. The sample consists of 166 students from Kafkas University, 172 students from Igdir University and 164 students from Ardahan University, students studying in Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Coaching Education and Sports Management departments of Physical Education and Sports Schools of universities located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. This study aims to determine the beliefs, opinions, perceptions and attitudes of university students who receive Physical Education and Sports education toward the integration of technology into physical education with students who are currently studying in higher education. A literature review of information and communication technologies was made in the first part of the investigation. In the second part, the attitude scale was used. The data obtained were evaluated in the SPSS 22.0 package program. Kaiser-MeyerOlkin (KMO) test and Barlett test were conducted to evaluate the suitability of the attitudes of university students who receive sports education towards information and communication technologies for factor analysis. Analysis of Variance in the comparison of multiple groups (LSD was used in cases where variances were homogeneous, Dunnet C was used in cases where they were not). Internal Validity With Cronbach a coefficient, normality distribution of data with Kurtosis and Skewness coefficients, frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, one-way data analysis Anova and t-test were used for independent groups. The significance level of the statistical analysis was accepted as p < 0.05. The difference in the mean score of the General ICT Tendency sub-dimension according to the university of education was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). It was observed that there were significant differences in the dimensions of communication in the virtual environment between universities (p < 0.05). The difference in the Software Use sub-dimension mean score according to the university of education was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The difference in the mean score of the Virtual Environment Information Access subdimension according to the departments was statistically significant (p < 0.05). It is thought that this research will create a gain in terms of determining the attitudes of university students who receive sports education toward information and communication technologies.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Microbes are all pervasive in their distribution and influence on the functioning and well-being of humans, life in general and the planet. Microbially-based technologies contribute hugely to the supply of important goods and services we depend upon, such as the provision of food, medicines and clean water. They also offer mechanisms and strategies to mitigate and solve a wide range of problems and crises facing humanity at all levels, including those encapsulated in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations. For example, microbial technologies can contribute in multiple ways to decarbonisation and hence confronting global warming, provide sanitation and clean water to the billions of people lacking them, improve soil fertility and hence food production and develop vaccines and other medicines to reduce and in some cases eliminate deadly infections. They are the foundation of biotechnology, an increasingly important and growing business sector and source of employment, and the centre of the bioeconomy, Green Deal, etc. But, because microbes are largely invisible, they are not familiar to most people, so opportunities they offer to effectively prevent and solve problems are often missed by decision-makers, with the negative consequences this entrains. To correct this lack of vital knowledge, the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative-the IMiLI-is recruiting from the global microbiology community and making freely available, teaching resources for a curriculum in societally relevant microbiology that can be used at all levels of learning. Its goal is the development of a society that is literate in relevant microbiology and, as a consequence, able to take full advantage of the potential of microbes and minimise the consequences of their negative activities. In addition to teaching about microbes, almost every lesson discusses the influence they have on sustainability and the SDGs and their ability to solve pressing problems of societal inequalities. The curriculum thus teaches about sustainability, societal needs and global citizenship. The lessons also reveal the impacts microbes and their activities have on our daily lives at the personal, family, community, national and global levels and their relevance for decisions at all levels. And, because effective, evidence-based decisions require not only relevant information but also critical and systems thinking, the resources also teach about these key generic aspects of deliberation. The IMiLI teaching resources are learner-centric, not academic microbiology-centric and deal with the microbiology of everyday issues. These span topics as diverse as owning and caring for a companion animal, the vast range of everyday foods that are produced via microbial processes, impressive geological formations created by microbes, childhood illnesses and how they are managed and how to reduce waste and pollution. They also leverage the exceptional excitement of exploration and discovery that typifies much progress in microbiology to capture the interest, inspire and motivate educators and learners alike. The IMiLI is establishing Regional Centres to translate the teaching resources into regional languages and adapt them to regional cultures, and to promote their use and assist educators employing them. Two of these are now operational. The Regional Centres constitute the interface between resource creators and educators-learners. As such, they will collect and analyse feedback from the end-users and transmit this to the resource creators so that teaching materials can be improved and refined, and new resources added in response to demand: educators and learners will thereby be directly involved in evolution of the teaching resources. The interactions between educators-learners and resource creators mediated by the Regional Centres will establish dynamic and synergistic relationships-a global societally relevant microbiology education ecosystem-in which creators also become learners, teaching resources are optimised and all players/stakeholders are empowered and their motivation increased. The IMiLI concept thus embraces the principle of teaching societally relevant microbiology embedded in the wider context of societal, biosphere and planetary needs, inequalities, the range of crises that confront us and the need for improved decisioning, which should ultimately lead to better citizenship and a humanity that is more sustainable and resilient. ABSTRACT: The biosphere of planet Earth is a microbial world: a vast reactor of countless microbially driven chemical transformations and energy transfers that push and pull many planetary geochemical processes, including the cycling of the elements of life, mitigate or amplify climate change (e.g., Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2019, 17, 569) and impact the well-being and activities of all organisms, including humans. Microbes are both our ancestors and creators of the planetary chemistry that allowed us to evolve (e.g., Lifes engines: How microbes made earth habitable, 2023). To understand how the biosphere functions, how humans can influence its development and live more sustainably with the other organisms sharing it, we need to understand the microbes. In a recent editorial (Environmental Microbiology, 2019, 21, 1513), we advocated for improved microbiology literacy in society. Our concept of microbiology literacy is not based on knowledge of the academic subject of microbiology, with its multitude of component topics, plus the growing number of additional topics from other disciplines that become vitally important elements of current microbiology. Rather it is focused on microbial activities that impact us-individuals/communities/nations/the human world-and the biosphere and that are key to reaching informed decisions on a multitude of issues that regularly confront us, ranging from personal issues to crises of global importance. In other words, it is knowledge and understanding essential for adulthood and the transition to it, knowledge and understanding that must be acquired early in life in school. The 2019 Editorial marked the launch of the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative, the IMiLI. HERE, WE PRESENT: our concept of how microbiology literacy may be achieved and the rationale underpinning it; the type of teaching resources being created to realise the concept and the framing of microbial activities treated in these resources in the context of sustainability, societal needs and responsibilities and decision-making; and the key role of Regional Centres that will translate the teaching resources into local languages, adapt them according to local cultural needs, interface with regional educators and develop and serve as hubs of microbiology literacy education networks. The topics featuring in teaching resources are learner-centric and have been selected for their inherent relevance, interest and ability to excite and engage. Importantly, the resources coherently integrate and emphasise the overarching issues of sustainability, stewardship and critical thinking and the pervasive interdependencies of processes. More broadly, the concept emphasises how the multifarious applications of microbial activities can be leveraged to promote human/animal, plant, environmental and planetary health, improve social equity, alleviate humanitarian deficits and causes of conflicts among peoples and increase understanding between peoples (Microbial Biotechnology, 2023, 16(6), 1091-1111). Importantly, although the primary target of the freely available (CC BY-NC 4.0) IMiLI teaching resources is schoolchildren and their educators, they and the teaching philosophy are intended for all ages, abilities and cultural spectra of learners worldwide: in university education, lifelong learning, curiosity-driven, web-based knowledge acquisition and public outreach. The IMiLI teaching resources aim to promote development of a global microbiology education ecosystem that democratises microbiology knowledge.

The goal of this study was to uncover primary teachers' perspectives on the use of design-based activities in disaster education and to thoroughly examine the plans. The study is designed as a case study. The participants were chosen using the purposeful sampling method. The study included 24 primary school teachers (12 male and 12 female) from various regions of the country. The data collection tools were group-prepared lesson plans and follow-up focus group interviews, which aimed to reveal their experiences and opinions on the lesson plan design process. The data was analyzed using the content analysis method. The findings revealed that the use of design-based activities in primary school, the importance of disaster education in the primary school curriculum, and the importance of disaster education awareness at the primary school level were all highlighted. The primary school teachers' lesson plans were examined, and the themes of drawing attention, design, material, career connections, and assessment-evaluation emerged. The significance of using design-based activities in primary schools, as well as the pedagogical benefits of using design-based activities in disaster education, was emphasized. Despite their abstract nature, natural disasters can be made more understandable through design-based education, particularly for primary school students who are in the concrete operational stage and have limited experience.

Abstract Background We aimed to compare results of clinical presentation of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), and the surgical approach during partial or complete lock-down periods (LP), and non-COVID periods in a tertiary ophthalmology clinic. Methods The medical data of the patients who were diagnosed with RRD in a tertiary hospital. The demographic data of patients, the duration from the beginning of the visual symptoms to hospital admission, the status of lens, the anatomical quadrant of retinal break, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at presentation, the type of intraocular tamponade, and final BCVA were recorded. The exclusion criteria were RD other than rhegmatogenous (tractional or exudative), and incomplete follow-up until 2nd-year. Results The study included 20 eyes of 20 RRD cases in partial LP, 20 eyes of 20 RRD cases in complete LP, and 23 eyes of 23 RRD cases in non-COVID period. The ratio of perfluoropropane (C3F8) gas to silicone oil which was applied as intraocular tamponade at the end of the surgery for RRD was 15/8 in non-COVID period, 11/9 in partial LP, and 11/9 in complete LP (p = 0.730). In final visit at postoperative 2nd-year, the BCVA was logMAR 0.613 ± 0.425 in non-COVID period, logMAR 0.668 ± 0.348 in partial LP, and logMAR 0.730 ± 0.368 in complete LP (p = 0.612). In both inferior and superior quadrant RD, there was significant difference between baseline and final BCVA after surgery. (Baseline and final BCVA in inferior RD: logMAR 1.71 ± 0.40, and logMAR 0.950 ± 0.30 (p = 0.011) and, in superior RD: logMAR 1.35 ± 0.59, and logMAR 0.505 ± 0.321 (p = 0.0001), respectively.) Conclusions As a result, it seems that both partial and complete LP did not modify the typology of RRD surgeries. Trial registration Retrospectively registered. The study followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, and it was approved by the local ethical committee (2023-088).

This study empirically tests time-varying asset pricing models in an emerging market with individual stocks. We employ a recently proposed instrumental variables (IV) technique that uses individual stocks as test assets while consistently estimating ex-post risk premiums. This method differs from constructing test portfolios, a common practice employed to mitigate errors-in-variables bias, and, instead, uses factor sensitivity estimates from alternating even and odd months as IVs. Applying this approach, we observe statistically insignificant factor risk premiums under various multifactor models in asset pricing tests at Borsa Istanbul, after accounting for asset characteristics. Our method facilitates the inclusion of essential risk or return-related characteristics of individual stocks in tests, raising insights usually obscured by conventional test portfolios. The results contribute to empirical asset pricing by highlighting the failure of classical models to explain risk premiums at Borsa Istanbul, a significant emerging stock market, when tested with individual stocks using an IV approach.

Remarried families become widespread as a type of family that differs from first marriages both developmentally and structurally. Due to its developmental and structural differences, both the quality and continuity of this families emerge as areas that need to be studied. To offer effective interventions to remarried families, researchers and practitioners in the field of mental health should have access to knowledge on this subject. The literature on remarried families emphasizes biological, non-biological and co-parenting related issues. The expectations, knowledge and perceptions of both the married couple, the children and the surrounding social environment of the remarried family is another important issue. Communication, problem solving, and conflict management can be an important tool in strengthening relationships and preventing negative experiences for families established through remarriage. It is seen that the interventions that deal with the mentioned characteristics of families formed through remarriage are given in the form of group practices, adopting a preventive approach, supported by practices that point to skill acquisition in addition to providing information. Programs offered for families formed through remarriage share commonalities such as remarried family development, parenting skills, communication and problem-solving skills. The effectiveness of interventions for remarriage has been tested by various studies conducted since the late 1970s. While testing the effectiveness of such interventions, it is seen that different outcome variables such as family integrity, dyadic satisfaction, relationship quality, marital continuity, conflict level, stress level and behavioral disorders experienced by family members are considered. Research findings show that interventions for remarriage are effective.