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Ülkemizde Din Kültürü ve Ahlak Bilgisi (DKAB) dersi 4. sınıftan itibaren yürütülmektedir. 2014 yılında gerçekleştirilen 19. Milli Eğitim Şûrası’nda DKAB dersinin, eksik bırakılmış olduğu ilkokul 1.-3. sınıf düzeylerinde de okutulması yönünde bir tavsiye kararı alınmıştır. Bu noktada, böyle bir uygulama hayata geçirilmeden önce sahanın zeminini oluşturacak akademik çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulduğu açıktır. Bu düşünceden hareketle bu çalışmada konunun uygulamaya yönelik çeşitli boyutlarının DKAB ve sınıf öğretmeni görüşleri ile araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Nitel araştırma yöntemine göre planlanan çalışmada durum çalışması deseni kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu, 2020-2021 Eğitim-Öğretim yılında Trabzon il merkezinde bulunan farklı ilkokullarda görev yapan sekiz sınıf, sekiz DKAB öğretmeni olmak üzere 16 öğretmenden oluşmaktadır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre her iki branştan 16 öğretmenden 10’u ilkokul 1.-3. sınıf düzeylerinde yer alması muhtemel bir DKAB dersi için 2. sınıfın, beşi 1. sınıfın, biri de 3. sınıfın uygun olduğu kanaatindedir. Sınıf öğretmenlerinin yarısı bu dersin seçmeli, yarısı zorunlu; DKAB öğretmenlerinin ise altısı zorunlu, biri seçmeli olması gerektiği görüşünde olup biri de bu konuda kararsız kalmıştır. Sınıf öğretmenleri böyle bir derste ağırlıklı olarak ahlaki içeriğin işlenmesinden yana iken DKAB öğretmenlerinde dinî içerik ahlaki içeriğe nispeten yüksek çıkmıştır. Her iki branş öğretmenleri, ilgili dersin materyal destekli ve aktif yöntem-tekniklerle işlenmesi gerektiğini belirtmiştir. Sınıf öğretmenlerinden dört kişi böyle bir dersi DKAB öğretmeninin, üç kişi sınıf öğretmeninin yürütebileceğini belirtmişken, DKAB öğretmenlerinden ise bir katılımcı haricinde tüm katılımcılar bu dersin DKAB öğretmenleri tarafından verilmesi gerektiğinden yanadır. Her iki branştan katılımcıların böyle bir ders için fırsat olarak gösterdikleri en ağırlıklı yön çocuğun erken yaşta dinî ve ahlaki değerleri kazanması, risk olarak gösterdikleri yön ise dersin zorunluluğuna bazı ailelerin tepki göstermesi ihtimalidir.

Ailede din eğitiminde olumlu değerler ve doğru inançlar kazandırılmaya çalışılırken aynı zamanda olumsuz tutum ve davranışlar da aşılanmaktadır. Aileden kritik dönemde alınan bu olumsuz tutum ve davranışlar zamanla kişiliğe etki etmekte ve bu davranışların değiştirilmesi zorlaşmaktadır. Aileden çocukların din eğitimi sürecinde aldıkları olumsuz tutum ve davranışlardan biri de batıl inançlardır. Bu çalışma, çocukların aile ortamında gördükleri/edindikleri batıl inançları ve bunların çocuklara etkilerini incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırma, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması deseni kullanılarak tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2023-2024 eğitim öğretim yılında Trabzon ili Çaykara ilçesinde bulunan dört farklı ortaokulda öğrenim gören 7. Sınıf düzeyindeki yirmi öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Veriler, öğrencilerle yapılan mülakatlar yoluyla toplanmış ve içerik analiziyle değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmamız, bölgedeki ailelerin din eğitimi uygulamalarını ve çocuklara aktardıkları batıl inançları belirlemede etkili olmuştur. Çalışma grubunun tümü aileden veya çevreden günlük yaşam, fal-uğur ve soyut âlemle ilgili çok çeşitli batıl inançları öğrenmişlerdir. Bu temalarda en sık görülen batıl inançlar; gece ile ilgili davranışlar, eşiğe oturma, burçlar, ayna kırma, kara kedi, büyü, fal, cin çağırma vb. davranışlardır. Çocukların büyük bir kısmı aileden öğrendikleri batıl inançlara inanmaktadırlar. Aile ortamında edinilen bu batıl inançlar, çocukların çoğunluğunda korku ve endişe gibi olumsuz duygular oluşturmaktadır. Gelişimleri dolayısıyla öğrencilerin büyük bir kısmı, batıl inançları sorgulama ve bu inançların doğruluğunu değerlendirme eğilimindeyken, bazı öğrencilerin batıl inançları sorgulamadıkları ve bu konuda pek düşünmedikleri gözlemlenmiştir. Ayrıca 7. Sınıf Din Kültürü ve Ahlak Bilgisi dersinde işlenen batıl inançlar konusunun öğrencilerin dini tutum ve davranışlarında ciddi bir dönüşüme neden olmadığı görülmüştür. Bu sonuçlara göre, batıl inançların çocukların sağlıklı dinî gelişimini engellediği ve çocukların dinî bilgi ve anlayışlarını olumsuz etkilediği düşünülmektedir. Araştırma sonuçları, ailelerin din eğitiminde doğru bilgilere dayalı yöntemler ve model davranışlar kullanmalarının gerekliliğini ortaya koymaktadır. Dolayısıyla çocuklara doğru din eğitimi verilmesi konusunda bu eğitimi sağlayanlara destek olunmalı, örgün ve yaygın din eğitimiyle batıl inançların değerlendirilmesinde eleştirel düşünme becerileri kazandırılmalıdır.

Abstract Objective This study sought to translate the Antenatal Risk Questionnaire-Revised (ANRQ-R) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties for assessing psychosocial vulnerabilities among Turkish-speaking pregnant women. Methods The ANRQ-R was translated into Turkish following standard linguistic adaptation procedures. Psychometric properties were then examined using a cross-sectional study design, involving 156 pregnant women recruited from antenatal clinics in Turkey. Participants completed the Turkish ANRQ-R and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Statistical analyses, including intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for test-retest reliability, Pearson correlation analysis for item-total test correlations, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis for diagnostic accuracy, were conducted. Results The ANRQ-R Turkish version showed high test-retest reliability with an ICC of 0.888 for the total score. Moderate to good ICCs were obtained for individual Likert-type items (0.572–0.849). Criterion-related validity was established via moderate correlations with the EPDS and its anxiety subscale EPDS-3 A (r = 0.537 and r = 0.431, respectively). ROC analysis demonstrated good discriminatory power (Area Under the Curve = 0.75) with an optimal cut-off score of 17, yielding 78% sensitivity and 65% specificity for identifying potential depression cases. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence of the overall reliability of the Turkish version of the ANRQ-R as a measure of psychosocial risk among Turkish-speaking women during pregnancy. Despite some limitations in item-level internal consistency indicators, integration of the ANRQ-R into routine antenatal care could enhance early identification and intervention strategies, potentially improving maternal health outcomes. Future research should aim to further validate the scale across diverse populations and settings, using a diagnostic tool as the reference standard.

The purpose of this study is to identify the student and teacher level factors that explain the reflective thinking skills through problem solving of elementary school pupils. The research was conducted in public elementary schools in three Van districts: Pekyolu, Tuşba, and Edremit. The study's sample consists of 52 mathematics teachers and 1126 elementary school pupils. "Participant Information Form," "Reflective Thinking Ability Through Problem Solving Scale," and "Mathematics Problem Solving Attitude Scale" are data gathering tools for pupils. Teachers' data was gathered using the "Participant Information Form," the "Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale for Teachers and Preservice Teachers," and the "Scale for Learner Autonomy Support."According to the results, it is found that the 90 % of variance in dependent variable can be explained by student level variables. Teacher level variables could explain 10% of outcome variance. The gender of students, receiving private tuition, book reading frequency, time devoted to studying mathematics, and attitude through problem solving are significant factors that can predict the dependent variable. Moreover, students' reflective thinking ability can be significantly influenced by teacher-level factors, such as teachers' knowledge of problem-solving steps and their tendency for reflective thinking. The authors recommend education or seminars that develop teachers’ reflective thinking tendency and problem-solving courses be provided in mathematics teaching undergraduate programs. Students should be supported in gaining reading habit and activities that have positive impact on the students’ problem-solving attitude.

AbstractThe study applied the newly developed Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) model by Shin et al. on annual data for Ghana from 1970 to 2019. Evidence of a long-run asymmetric cointegration relationship exists between cashew nuts exports, cocoa beans exports, and economic growth. Findings further revealed both cashew nuts and cocoa beans exports have a positive impact on Ghana’s economic growth in the long-run in support of the export-led growth theory. However, the impact of cocoa bean exports is greater than that of cashew nuts exports on the economic growth of Ghana. The Granger causality test revealed the existence of a unidirectional (one-way) causality running from economic growth to both the cashew nuts and cocoa beans exports. Government and policy makers should therefore continue to encourage and promote agricultural export growth to spur the economic development of Ghana. Also, policies and measures geared towards exchange rate stability by the government and Bank of Ghana should be promulgated and implemented to propel economic growth and export expansion in Ghana.

Introduction This study aimed to examine important points of focus, trends, and depth of research on non-pharmacological interventions for the management of labor pain worldwide from a macro perspective and present an extensive definition of research fields regarding non-pharmacological interventions.Methods Bibliometric methods were used in this study. With comprehensive keyword lists, the Web of Science and PubMed databases were searched using different screening strategies for publications made until 25 February 2023.Results Studies on non-pharmacological interventions in the management of labor pain have continued to develop since 2003 with great momentum. In this study, the most productive country in research on non-pharmacological interventions was found to be Iran, while Australia, the USA, China, and the United Kingdom were the most notable ones in terms of collaboration. The most prevalently studied non-pharmacological interventions were hydrotherapy and acupuncture. The results of the co-word analysis revealed 5 main themes about this field of research.Conclusion The results of this study showed that interest in studies on non-pharmacological interventions in the management of labor pain has increased, the quality of research in the field is high, international collaboration is increasingly higher, and technological approaches have started to emerge in relevant studies.

Introduction: Congenital Treves’ field hernia is the herniation of a visceral segment through a defect in the terminal ileal mesentery, poses a high risk of strangulation and bowel gangrene. Its preoperative diagnosis is challenging due to its rarity, nonspecific presentation, and often inconclusive imaging. Case presentation: A previously healthy 7-month-old female infant presented with an 18-h history of intense diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, and bilious vomiting. On examination, she appeared ill and dehydrated, with tachycardia and tachypnea. Her abdomen was grossly distended, tense, and tender, with no visible scars or hernias. Blood tests, including a complete blood count, urea, and electrolytes, were normal except for an elevated white blood cell count. Abdominal X-rays and ultrasound revealed features consistent with distal small bowel obstruction, with no evidence of intussusception. Following resuscitation, an emergency laparotomy was performed for suspected acute abdomen due to distal small bowel obstruction. Intraoperatively, the jejunum and proximal ileum were dilated, and a portion of the ilium was found herniated through a 6 × 4 cm mesenteric defect. After reduction, approximately 25 cm of necrotic small bowel was resected, followed by an end-to-end anastomosis. The postoperative recovery was smooth, and she was discharged on day seven with no signs of short bowel syndrome on follow-up. Conclusion: Congenital Treves’ field transmesenteric hernia is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in children that should be considered in cases of mechanical small bowel obstruction.

Abstract Quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) has drawn the attention of researchers and practitioners due to its correlation with positive individual, societal, and economic results. In ECEC, however, there is no consensus on quality metrics. This meta-thematic study seeks to provide a framework for quality indicators in ECEC and to identify the contextual factors that influence the perception of quality. The study’s data source comprises 14 published papers conducted in 11 countries using qualitative or mixed methods on quality in ECEC. As a consequence of the analysis, 16 early childhood education and care quality indicators were identified. As a result of the second-level studies, the underlying or associated syntheses in the ECEC quality indicators were uncovered. These include child-centeredness, teacher qualifications, culture and atmosphere of the ECEC center, holistic development, and leadership. In addition, it was concluded that cultural values and beliefs, the centralization degree of the education system, and the expectations of stakeholders are contextual elements that influence the quality and perceptions of quality in ECEC.

Bu araştırmada, eğitim ortamlarında akıllı tahta kullanımına yönelik araştırmaları bibliyometrik yöntemlerle analiz ederek akıllı tahta ile ilgili araştırma alanının kavramsal yapısını ve eğilimlerini incelemek amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın veri kaynağını WoS ve Scopus veri tabanlarından yapılan tarama sonucu dâhil dilen 287 çalışma oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma sonuçları, akıllı tahta kullanımıyla ilgili yayın sayısında genel bir artış olduğunu ancak zaman zaman düşüşlerin de yaşandığını göstermektedir. Teknolojideki hızlı değişimlerin eğitimi etkilediği ve yeni öğrenme tasarımları ve pedagojik uygulamaların geliştirilmesi gerektiği vurgulanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçları, akıllı tahta kullanımına ilişkin en ilgili dergileri ve en çok atıf alan çalışmaları belirlemiştir. Lotka Yasası analizi, alanda uzmanlaşmanın düşük olduğunu göstermiştir. Türkiye'nin akıllı tahta araştırmalarında en üretken ülke olduğu ve alanda ülkeler arası iş birliğinin zayıf olduğu belirlenmiştir. Akıllı tahta ile ilgili aştırmaların genellikle ilkokul/ortaokul kademelerinde yapıldığı ve öğretmen tutumları üzerine odaklanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimi ve tutumları alanın güncel konularıdır. Sonuçlar; akılla tahta kullanımı üzerine araştırmalarda teknoloji entegrasyonu, teknoloji kabulü, sınıf içi öğretim ve öğrenme deneyimleri, yükseköğretim gibi tematik alanların öne çıktığını göstermiştir. Yeni araştırma alanlarının gelişimi için alandaki uzmanlığın arttırılması, ülkeler arası iş birliğinin güçlendirilmesi ve güncel konularda araştırmalar yapılması önerilmektedir.

Issues around bundling of climate smart agriculture (CSA) and climate information services (CIS) have been kept relatively distinct whereas in reality, they are more impactful when integrated. Using the case of the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Change Research in Africa (AICCRA) Project that emphasizes bundling as a critical component of research in development, six regions of Ghana were purposively selected based on the identified value chain crops for implementation. 120 respondents including practicing farmers and advisors as reference, rated contributions of 21 innovations to 25 climate smartness indicators. These include gender, youth and social inclusion (GSI), enabling environment (EE), ability to enhance soil, water, crop and animal health (One-Health Achievement) (OHA), end-user friendliness (EUF) and climate smart agriculture (CS) for prioritization, bundling and ultimately to construct a Climate Smart Readiness Index (CSRI). There was a high level of concordance between the ratings of farmers and advisors on the Climate Smartness; moderate concordance on OHA and a lower concordance on GSI. The CS and EUF had a significant and same agreement among farmers while EE had a substantial same agreement among advisors. These elements (CS, GSI, OHA, EUF, EE) formed an integral part of the CSRI construct confirmed by the Fornell-Larcker and the Heterotrait-Monotrait criteria. While OHA was the fundamental factor in determining CSRI for farmers, EE was considered more important by the advisors. CSRI informs policy makers and agricultural practitioners on appropriate bundling of CSA and CIS practices to generate evidence for farmer preparedness in the context of resilience, productivity, adaptation, and mitigation.

Abstract This study presents an innovative path-following scheme using a new intelligent type-3 fuzzy system for mobile robots. By designing a non-singleton FS and incorporating error measurement signals, this system is able to handle natural disturbances and dynamics uncertainties. To further enhance accuracy, a Boltzmann machine (BM) models tracking errors and predicts compensators. A parallel supervisor is also included in the central controller to ensure robustness. The BM model is trained using contrastive divergence, while adaptive rules extracted from a stability theorem train the NT3FS. Simulation results using chaotic reference signals show that the proposed scheme is accurate and robust, even in the face of unknown dynamics and disturbances. Moreover, a practical implementation on a real-world robot proves the feasibility of the designed controller. To watch a short video of the scheme in action, visit shorturl.at/imoCH.

Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is a mainstay therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC). However, identifying patients who will benefit most remains a challenge due to the lack of reliable biomarkers. The recently developed pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV), a novel immune-inflammation marker, could aid in this regard, considering the immunomodulatory effects of T-DM1. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between the PIV and the efficacy of T-DM1 in patients with HER2-positive mBC. A total of 122 HER2-positive mBC patients treated with T-DM1 were included. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to determine the optimal PIV threshold value for survival prediction. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox regression analyses were used for univariable and multivariable survival analyses, respectively. The median age was 51 years, and 95.1% of the patients had ECOG PS 0-1. The optimal PIV cutoff value was identified as 338 in ROC analyses (AUC: 0.667, 95% CI: 0.569–0.765, p = 0.002). The multivariate analysis revealed that patients in the high-PIV group had significantly shorter OS (HR: 2.332; 95% CI: 1.408–3.861; p = 0.001) and PFS (HR: 2.423; 95% CI: 1.585–3.702; p < 0.001) than patients in the low-PIV group. Additionally, both ORR and DCR were significantly lower in the high-PIV group (36.6% vs. 61.3%, p = 0.011; 56.1% vs. 76.0%, p = 0.027). Our findings suggest that pre-treatment PIV may be a novel prognostic biomarker for HER2-positive mBC patients receiving T-DM1. A low PIV level is associated with more favorable outcomes. Future prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore the potential utility of PIV in aiding treatment decisions.

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Today, cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons are more likely to encounter patients with multiple comorbidities and cardiovascular diseases. Percutaneous and surgical techniques alone cannot be successful or are high risk in these patients. By using the strengths of the two methods in a hybrid manner, low-risk procedures can be performed in these patients. With the developing technology, new hybrid procedures can be created for myocardial revascularization, heart valve diseases, aortic and peripheral vascular diseases.

The objective of this study was to produce an innovative bigel formulation by combining glycerol monostearate (GMS) oleogel with hydrogels stabilized by various agents, including cold pressed chia seed oil by-product gum (CSG), gelatin (G), and whey protein concentrate (WPC). The findings indicated that the choice of hydrogel influenced the rheological, textural, and microstructural properties of the bigels. The G′ value of the bigel samples was higher than G″, indicating that all the bigels exhibited solid-like characteristics. In order to numerically compare the dynamic rheological properties of the samples, K′ and K″ values were calculated using the power law model. K′ values of the samples were found to be higher than K″ values. The K′ value of bigel samples was significantly affected by the hydrogel (HG)/oleogel ratio (OG) and the type of stabilizing agent used in the hydrogel formulation. As the OG ratio of bigel samples increased, the K′ value increased significantly (p < 0.05). The texture values of the samples were significantly affected by the HG/OG ratio (p < 0.05). The study’s findings demonstrated that utilizing CSG, G, and WPC at an OG ratio more than 50% can result in bigels with the appropriate hardness and solid character. The low-fat mayonnaise was produced by using these bigels. The low-fat mayonnaise showed shear-thinning and solid-like behavior with G′ values greater than the G″ values. Low-fat mayonnaise produced with CSG bigels (CSGBs) showed similar rheological properties to the full-fat mayonnaise. The results showed that CSG could be used in a bigel formulation as a plant-based gum and CSGB could be used as a fat replacer in low-fat mayonnaise formulation.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between teacher candidates’ academic motivations, engagements, burnouts and academic achievements with structural equation modelling. The participants of the research consisted of teacher candidates studying in the faculty of education at a state university in Eastern Turkey (n=861). The model, which was set within the research, was confirmed. 5 out of 6 hypotheses were accepted, while 1 of them was rejected. In the consequence of the research, it was determined that academic motivation predicted burnout directly and negatively; academic motivation predicted student engagement directly and positively; burnout predicted student engagement directly and negatively; burnout predicted academic achievement directly and negatively; student engagement predicted academic achievement directly and positively, on a significant level statistically. Moreover, burnout had a mediation role in the relationship between academic motivation and student engagement; student engagement had a mediation role in the relationship between burnout and academic achievement; both student engagement and burnout had a mediation role in the relationship between academic motivation and academic achievement. Academic motivation explained nearly 31% of the variance in burnout; academic motivation and burnout together explained nearly 44% of the variance in student engagement; and the confirmed model explained nearly 13% of the variance in academic achievement. Further implications of these findings for practical use and further research are discussed.

Abstract The G20 countries are the locomotives of economic growth, representing 64% of the global population and including 4.7 billion inhabitants. As a monetary and market value index, real gross domestic product (GDP) is affected by several factors and reflects the economic development of countries. This study aimed to reveal the hidden economic patterns of G20 countries, study the complexity of related economic factors, and analyze the economic reactions taken by policymakers during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic recession (2019–2020). In this respect, this study employed data-mining techniques of nonparametric classification tree and hierarchical clustering approaches to consider factors such as GDP/capita, industrial production, government spending, COVID-19 cases/population, patient recovery, COVID-19 death cases, number of hospital beds/1000 people, and percentage of the vaccinated population to identify clusters for G20 countries. The clustering approach can help policymakers measure economic indices in terms of the factors considered to identify the specific focus of influences on economic development. The results exhibited significant findings for the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on G20 countries, splitting them into three clusters by sharing different measurements and patterns (harmonies and variances across G20 countries). A comprehensive statistical analysis was performed to analyze endogenous and exogenous factors. Similarly, the classification and regression tree method was applied to predict the associations between the response and independent factors to split the G-20 countries into different groups and analyze the economic recession. Variables such as GDP per capita and patient recovery of COVID-19 cases with values of $12,012 and 82.8%, respectively, were the most significant factors for clustering the G20 countries, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 91.8%. The results and findings offer some crucial recommendations to handle pandemics in terms of the suggested economic systems by identifying the challenges that the G20 countries have experienced.

In this research, participation in professional development (PD) activities, perceptions of PD needs and barriers for PD, and differences in terms of seniority were examined in Turkey sample based on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data. A total of 15,498 teachers, including 3,204 primary school teachers, 3,952 secondary school teachers and 8,342 high school teachers, were included in the sample of the study. The results of the research show that teachers participate more in-service trainings within the scope of mandatory PD policies. Peer observation, coaching, and observation visits to workplaces, public institutions or non-governmental organizations and other schools are the least PD activities that teachers participate. Teachers need PD more in the field of teaching students with special needs and in multicultural or multilingual environments. According to teachers, the biggest barriers to PD are the lack of any incentives and support to participate in PD, incompatibility with the work schedule and the lack of appropriate PD activity. In addition, PD activities that teachers participate in, PD needs and barriers to PD are significantly different in terms of seniority. The results were discussed in terms of PD literature and Turkey context and suggestions have been made based on the results.

This study examined the organization and performance of chicken egg marketing in northern Ghana, relying on cross-sectional data from 180 randomly selected chicken egg marketers. Using descriptive statistics, Gini coefficient and gross margin analysis, the results revealed four chicken egg marketing channels, viz. Direct sales to consumers, itinerant wholesalers, sedentary wholesalers and retailers. The retailer marketing channel is the most patronized channel in the study area, followed by the wholesaler channel. The consumer marketing channel is the least patronized channel. A chicken egg marketer earns an average monthly gross margin and net return of GH₵807.40 and GH₵692.10, respectively. These findings suggest that the checking egg marketing in northern Ghana is lucrative. The Gini Coefficient of 55.87% implies moderate inequality among the marketers, and the market share is said to be oligopolistic.

Objective: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults that account for 36% of primary tumors. Treatment options other than surgery and radiotherapy are necessary for meningioma. Immune checkpoint molecules (ICM) are modulators that regulate the proper response of the immune system. Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing-3 (TIM-3), and the cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38) are known ICMs. This study hypothesized the relationship between meningiomas of different histopathological grades and the levels of these three ICMs. Additionally, the therapeutic potential of these molecules was investigated. Material and Methods: This study re-evaluated 25 specimens diagnosed as meningioma. Tissues are classified according to LAG-3, TIM-3, and CD38 levels. Age, gender, surgery date, tumor type, and subtype, histopathologically malignant grade, radiological tumor size, and presence of edema were recorded in all patients. All data were statistically compared. Results: This study included the specimens of 25 patients, of whom 9 were males and 16 were females. LAG-3 and CD38 levels were significantly higher in tumors bigger than 6 cm. Conclusion: This study is the first to investigate LAG-3, TIM-3, and CD38 levels in meningiomas and found a significant correlation between LAG-3 levels and meningioma size. No significant correlation was found with other data. However, the number of patients in our study was insufficient. Therefore, larger patient groups may yield more significant results.

Climate services are playing an increasing role in efforts to build the resilience of African agriculture to a variable and changing climate. Efforts to improve the contribution of climate services to agriculture must contend with substantial differences in national agricultural climate services landscapes. Context-specific factors influence the effectiveness, scalability and sustainability of agricultural climate service, but in ways that are challenging to anticipate. In the context of six countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Zambia), this paper addresses the need to consider differing national contexts when developing strategies to make agricultural climate services in sub-Saharan Africa more effective, scalable and sustainable. Based on authors' collective firsthand knowledge and a review of information from secondary sources, we identify key strengths and weaknesses of climate services relative to agriculture sector needs in the focus countries; and assess factors that have contributed to those differences. Focus countries differ substantially in areas such as the degree of public support, alignment of services with agricultural needs, service delivery channels, degree of decentralization, and public—private-sector balance. These differences have been driven largely by differing national policies, delivery capacity and external actors, but not by responsiveness to agricultural sector demands. Building on the analyses of country differences and their drivers, we then discuss four key opportunities to further strengthen the contribution of climate services to agriculture: (a) leveraging farmer demand to drive scaling and sustainability; (b) exploiting digital innovation within a diverse delivery strategy; (c) balancing public and private sector comparative advantage; and (d) embedding climate services in agricultural extension. For each of these opportunities, we consider how different country contexts can impact the potential effectiveness, scalability and sustainability of services; and how efforts to strengthen those services can account for context-specific drivers to manage the tradeoffs among effectiveness, scalability and sustainability.

This paper describes the conception, development, and evaluation of a peer support web application for university students. The main goal of uniMatchUp! is to help students in finding appropriate academic support and learning groups by providing Group Awareness (GA) information about various aspects of fellow students that are useful for online learning. The study contributes to a better understanding of the use of GA tools in the university context and reveals that active engagement with the application, in the form of contributed questions and answers, is positively associated with study satisfaction. During the interaction with uniMatchUp!, cognitive GA information (contribution quality) was considered more relevant than behavioral (amount of participation), and emotional (well-being) GA information about other students. The findings also provide potentials for improvement, which can shape the further development of uniMatchUp! and future applications.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Kur’ân’ın bizzat kendi terminolojisi içinde yer alan infak kavramının sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışma noktasındaki işlevini ortaya koymaktır. Geçmişten günümüze yaşanan toplumsal problemlerden biri yoksulluktur. Toplumdan topluma farklı ölçütler dikkate alınarak değerlendirilse de yoksulluk genel anlamda, asgari hayat standartlarının altında olma durumunu ifade etmektedir. Maalesef beslenme, barınma, eğitim, sağlık hatta su gibi temel biyolojik ve sosyal ihtiyaçlarını karşılayamayan milyonlarca insan yaşam mücadelesi vermektedir. Bu insanlık adına utanç verici bir durumdur. Söz konusu sefalet ve fakirliğin azaltılması yolunda uluslararası yardım kuruluşları yanında ulusal yardım kuruluşları da faaliyetler yürütmektedirler. Ancak küreselleşme, gelir dağılımındaki dengesizlik, işsizlik, nüfus artışı, ekonomik krizler, yetersiz sosyal güvenlik sistemleri, savaş gibi sosyoekonomik ve yapısal sorunlara bağlı olarak yoksulluk, her geçen gün biraz daha artmakta ve çözülmeyi bekleyen toplumsal bir problem olarak önemini korumaktadır. Semavi dinlerin sonuncusu İslam ve onun buyruklarını içeren kutsal kitabı Kur’an, ‘infak’ kavramı bağlamında sosyal yardımlaşma ve dayanışmaya oldukça önem vermekte, müminlere sosyal hayatın düzenlenmesi noktasında sorumluluklar yüklemektedir. İnfak, Kur’an’da Allah yolundaki tüm harcamaları ve yardımlaşmayı içeren bir çatı kavramdır ve müminlerin temel özellikleri arasında yer almaktadır. Zekât ve sadaka gibi diğer yardımlaşma türlerini de içine alan infak ibadeti, kişinin sahip olduğu maddi değerleri kendisinden daha kötü durumda olan kimselerle paylaşmasına imkân tanımaktadır. Böylece insanlar arası ilişkilerin dolayısıyla toplumun ıslahı ve huzuru hedeflenmektedir. Diğer bir ifadeyle infak, sosyal adaletsizliği yani toplum içerisindeki ekonomik ve sosyal eşitsizliklerin giderilmesini, ekonomik açıdan güçsüz insanları yaşamın zor şartlarına karşı korumayı dolayısıyla toplum içerisindeki ekonomik ve sosyal dengeyi sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Muhtaç insanların yaralarına merhem olma neticesinde hissedilecek olan manevi huzur kişilerin bencilce duygulardan kurtulmasının, ruhsal açıdan daha sağlıklı bireyler olmasının yolunu açacaktır. Sağlıklı ruh yapısına sahip bireyler ise diğer insanlarla ilişkilerini daha insani düzeyde gerçekleştirebileceklerdir. Kardeşlik ve güven duygusunun oluşmasında infakın önemli bir rol oynayacağı açıktır. Varlığını yoksul insanlarla paylaşan bir kişinin serveti, muhtaç insanlarca meşru kabul edilecektir. Böylelikle kıskançlık, çekememezlik, kin, zorbalık, düşmanlık ve benzeri duygulardan kurtulan yoksul kişiler, kendilerinden daha iyi durumda olanlara karşı kardeşlik ve minnet hisleri besleyeceklerdir. Toplum içinde, özellikle günümüzde daha sık gündeme gelen hırsızlık, gasp, kapkaççılık ve benzeri hadiselerin önemli nedenlerinden biri de ekonomik şartların yetersizliğidir. Yoksul ülkelerde bu tür olayların gelişmiş ülkelere nispetle daha fazla yaşandığı düşünülürse maddi ihtiyaçların giderilmesinde infak olgusunun anlamı ziyadesiyle anlaşılacaktır. Basit hayati ihtiyaçlar, sonu cinayetle biten hadiselerin baş nedeni olabilmektedir. Kur’an’ın, yardımlaşma anlayışına ilahi bir çözüm olarak sunduğu infak, toplum içinde korku ve infial oluşturacak bu tür hadiselerin önüne geçmekte etkili olacaktır. Ayrıca İnfakın yapılabilmesi için belli bir ekonomik düzeyin şart koşulmaması, toplum içinde farklı düzeylerde imkânlara sahip tüm kişileri aktif olarak yardımlaşma sürecine katacaktır. Zira her bir birey kendisinden daha kötü durumda olan bir başka kişiye yardımcı olmak ve bir ihtiyacını gidermek gayreti içinde olacağından bireyler arası güven pekişecek ve yardımlaşma çemberi genişleyecektir. Kur’an, insanoğlunun sahip olduğunu zannettiği her şeyin gerçekte Allah’a ait olduğunu bildirmektedir. İnsan, servetin, mal ve mülkün dünya hayatındaki emanetçisidir. Allah dilediği kullarına dilediği kadar rızık vermiştir. Zengin, sahip olduklarını muhtaç kişilerle paylaşmak sorumluluğunu taşırken, yoksul kişi durumuna sabredip rızkını helal yoldan temin için çaba harcamakla yükümlüdür. Ancak infak ibadeti, Allah rızasını kazanmaya yönelik olmadığı sürece ilahi anlamda bir değeri yoktur. İnsanların farklı ekonomik düzeylerde olmalarının temel nedeni hem muhtaç olanların hem de varlıklı olanların sınava tabi tutulmalarıdır. Böylece sosyal birlik ve beraberliğin tesisi yanında ahirete yönelik kazanımlar elde edilmiş olmaktadır. İnfak karşılığında elde edilecek maddi ve manevi kazancın garantörlüğünü bizatihi Allah üstlenmektedir.

Aim: Tunneled hemodialysis catheters are frequently used for hemodialysis patients and provide temporary venous access. However, it causes complications such as catheter-related infection, pneumothorax and hematoma. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the infections, complications and catheter patency rates that developed after the use of tunnel catheters connected to three different access routes. Material and Methods: A total of 145 patients who underwent hemodialysis due to chronic renal failure and who were placed on permanent hemodialysis catheter were included. In this study, jugular vein route was used as the first choice for the dialysis access route, when other access routes were needed due to complications and infection, femoral vein route was the second choice, while subclavian vein route was the third choice. Results: The femoral vein group had the highest infection rate and the lowest patency rate (both p

Objective:Among other complications of endoscopic skull base surgery, delayed epistaxis has not been given much importance. This report presents postoperative delayed nosebleed cases in a large number of patients who underwent an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach to the sellar region for resection of lesions.Methods:Three hundred and sixty three patients who were reached to the sellar region by endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal route and operated was included in the study. Retrospective chart reviewing of these patients was performed. The correlation between the duration of nosebleeds, bleeding location, treatment methods and comorbidities of the patients were evaluated.Results:Ten patients (3.6%) reported delayed epistaxis in the postoperative period and were referred to the otolaryngology department. Postoperative epistaxis occurred between days 7th and 33th (mean 16.5) days. The treatment consisted of chemical silver nitrate cauterization in two patients, return to the operating room in three patients, nasal packing in five patients.Conclusion:Delayed postoperative epistaxis often has no obvious etiology, and intervention requires teamworking. Well-coordinated teamworking of the neurosurgeon with other specialities such as neuroradiology and otorhinolaryngology is needed to achieve better results.

Increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing menace, mainly caused by the rapid genetic modification of bacterial strains and new alternations in behavior favoring their survival. There is no doubt that the irrational use of antibiotics is one of the factors contributing to the rise of this problem, whether that be in hospitals or at a community level. Although the extent of this influence is yet to be learned, it is definite that this is of great impact on the endemic disease patterns in developing areas specifically and on an expanding global issue generally.

Din eğitimi öğretmen ve öğrenci arasında gerçekleşen bir iletişim sürecidir. Martin Buber, eğitimde öğretmen ve öğrenci arasında kurulması gereken iletişim ve ilişkiyi önemseyen filozoflardan biridir. Buber’in diyalog felsefesinde öğretmen ve öğrenci arasında mütekabiliyete dayalı bir ilişkinin kurulması gerektiğinin altı çizilir. Bu noktadan hareketle çalışmamızın amacı Martin Buber’in düşünceleri ışığında din eğitiminde öğretmen ve öğrenci arasında sahih bir iletişim imkanı çabasına dikkat çekmektir. Nitel araştırma desenine göre tasarlanan bu araştırmada doküman analizi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Bu anlamda çalışmamızın ana temasını Buber’in Türkçe ve İngilizceye çevrilen kitapları ve makaleleri oluşturmaktadır. Bununla birlikte Cohen, Friedman, Blenkinsop ve Boschki’nin çalışmaları da incelenmiştir. Buber’in diyalog felsefesinde bireyin dünyayla ilişkisi iki tarzda gerçekleşmektedir. Bunlardan ilki Ben-O ilişki tarzıdır. Bu tarz ilişki düzeyine sahip olan insan, dünyayı sadece kendisi açısından tecrübe edilecek bir nesne olarak görür. Bu sebeple ilişkilerinde mütekabiliyet yoktur, tecrübe bireyin içinde gerçekleşir. Buber’e göre ikinci tür ilişki biçimi ise Ben-Sen perspektifine dayalı ilişki biçimidir. Bu ilişki biçimine sahip olan birey dünyayı açık, samimi ve karşılıklı bir ilişki çerçevesinde anlamlandır. Ben-O davranış tarzına dayalı eğitimde, öğretmen, öğrencilerle mütekabiliyete dayalı olmayan tek yönlü bir ilişki içerisindedir. Öğretmen bu süreçte öğrencilerden daha çok anlatacağı konuya odaklanmaktadır. Buber, öğrenciyle ilişki kurulmayan ve öğrenciden uzak kalınan bu tarz eğitimi eleştirmektedir. Buber’e göre eğitim Ben-Sen davranış tarzına göre yapılmalıdır. Böylece karşılıklı ilişki ve iştirakten doğan bir güçle çocuğun kendine özgü varoluşunu gerçekleştirmesi, iç ve dış dünyasıyla birlik oluşturması sağlanabilir. Öğrenenlerin genelde dünyayla, özelde dini ve ahlaki olgularla sahih bir ilişki kurabilmeleri için en başta öğrenenlerin din eğitimcileri ile ilişki içerisinde olmaları gerekmektedir. Din eğitiminde, öğretmen tarafından dini inançların ve değerlerin öğrenciye dayatılmadığı, bir öğrencinin özgünlüğüne saygı duyulduğu bir ilişkinin kurulması gereklidir. Bu ilişki de ancak öğrencinin öğretmene güvenmesi ve öğretmenin gerçekten karşısında olduğunu bilmesiyle mümkün olabilir. Din eğitimcisi, öğrenene kendisinin yaşayabileceği, hissedebileceği gerçek deneyimler sunmalı ve bu süreçte öğrenenin iç dünyasını ve düşüncelerini de takip edebilmelidir. Bu bağlamda gelecekten, yetişkinlikten daha çok öğrencinin bulunduğu dönemin gerçekliğine, problem ve ihtiyaçlarına yönelmek gerekmektedir. Gelenek donuk, olup bitmiş olaylar ve hikâyeler şeklinde değil öğrencinin hayatına dokunan, canlı bir organizma şeklinde ele alınmalı, olaylardan ve kişilerden daha çok ilkelere ve mesajlara odaklanılmalıdır. Sonuç olarak, eğitim yalnızca bilişsel gelişimi ve yaratıcılığı geliştirmeyi hedeflememeli aynı zamanda kişinin bütün yönleriyle gelişmesini ve mükemmelleşmesini de hedeflemelidir. Bu sebeple duygusal ve sosyal olgular, dini eğitiminin bir parçası olmalıdır. Duygusal ve sosyal olguları din eğitimine dâhil etmenin en iyi yolu da öğretmen ve öğrenci karşılaşmasında/ilişkisinde yatmaktadır. Bu sebeple din eğitimcisi ve öğrenenin dahil olduğu ilişkiler üzerine teorik olarak daha fazla yoğunlaşmak gerektiğini düşünmekteyiz. Hatta iletişim konusunu teknik bir mesele olmaktan çıkarıp ontolojik bir mesele perspektifine yerleştirme amacı da gütmekteyiz. Bu çalışma bu amaçlar için mütevazi bir başlangıç olma hedefini taşımaktadır.

The aim of this meta-synthesis is to determine the findings of qualitative research on prospective teacher training in Turkey, the aspects of future prospective teacher training programs, and the deep knowledge and insights in them. Fourteen studies dealing with new prospective teacher training program using qualitative methods introduced in Turkey in 2016 were included in this meta-synthesis. As a result of the analyses, four themes were revealed; mentoring, contribution of prospective teacher training to teacher education, activities, evaluation, and problems encountered in the execution of the program. Then, a second level abstraction was performed, and syntheses were made as follows; 1) mentor selection and workload, 2) professional development, 3) program content and planning, 4) school context, and 5) program accountability. These syntheses point out the aspects that need to be focused on in the in the process of prospective teacher training program development.

Pennisetum glaucum pearl millet as whole stalks and core were examined for suitability in the production of pulp and paper. Fiber dimensions, morphological, and chemical characteristics are reported. The pulping trials with soda-AQ, ASAM, and soda as reference were carried out. ASAM pulping gave good results in yield, degree of delignification, and mechanical properties. The best screened yield, lowest kappa number, highest brightness, and viscosity were obtained by ASAM cooking. Soda-AQ gave pulps with good screened yield, kappa number, and viscosity compared with soda cooking. The separation of bark and core is not recommended.

The book under review offers an analysis of Islamic theology delineated broadly under the auspices of the Ottomans and the nation-state of Turkey, in past and present. As outlined in its introduction, the book comprises five chapters: 1. Origins, 2. Nation, 3. God, 4. Humanity, 5. Futures.

One of the emerging fields in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the decoding of different stimulations. The underlying idea is to reveal the hidden representative signal patterns of various fMRI tasks for achieving high task-classification performance. Unfortunately, when multiple tasks are processed, performance remains limited due to several challenges, which are rarely addressed since the majority of the state-of-the-art studies cover a single neuronal activity task. Accordingly, the first contribution of this study is the collection and release of a rigorously acquired dataset, which contains cognitive, behavioral, and affective fMRI tasks together with resting state. After a comprehensive analysis of the pitfalls of existing systems on this new dataset, we propose an automatic multitask classification (MTC) strategy using a feature fusion module (FFM). FFM aims to create a unique signature for each task by combining deep features with time-frequency representations. We show that FFM creates a feature space that is superior for representing task characteristics compared to their individual use. Finally, for MTC, we test a diverse set of deep-models and analyze their complementarity. Our results reveal higher classification accuracy compared to benchmarks. Both the dataset and the code are accessible to researchers for further developments.

Timely and accurate detection of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is critically important to minimize the risk of a myocardial infarction. Relations between factors of CVDs are complex, ill-defined and nonlinear, justifying the use of artificial intelligence tools. These tools aid in predicting and classifying CVDs. In this article, we propose a methodology using machine learning (ML) approaches to predict, classify and improve the diagnostic accuracy of CVDs, including support vector regression (SVR), multivariate adaptive regression splines, the M5Tree model and neural networks for the training process. Moreover, adaptive neuro-fuzzy and statistical approaches, nearest neighbor/naive Bayes classifiers and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) are used to predict seventeen CVD risk factors. Mixed-data transformation and classification methods are employed for categorical and continuous variables predicting CVD risk. We compare our hybrid models and existing ML techniques on a CVD real dataset collected from a hospital. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the influence and exhibit the essential variables with regard to CVDs, such as the patient’s age, cholesterol level and glucose level. Our results report that the proposed methodology outperformed well known statistical and ML approaches, showing their versatility and utility in CVD classification. Our investigation indicates that the prediction accuracy of ANFIS for the training process is 96.56%, followed by SVR with 91.95% prediction accuracy. Our study includes a comprehensive comparison of results obtained for the mentioned methods.

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Distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms are rare, comprising approximately 6% of all intracranial aneurysms. These aneurysms tend to be smaller in size, broad-based, associated with additional aneurysms and at arterial branching sites, which can make both diagnosis and treatment difficult. Here we report a case of a 63-year-old female who presented with headache and perioral paresthesia determined to be Hunt & Hess scale grade 1. Computed tomography angiography discovered a medium-sized left A2 trunk saccular aneurysm. Intraoperatively 2 additional small blister type aneurysms not noted on initial computed tomography were discovered and treated via clipping and wrapping, respectively. Postoperatively a cerebral angiogram revealed an additional small right A2 trunk broad-based aneurysm. Preoperative evaluation of cerebral vasculature with a cerebral angiogram or high-resolution digital subtraction angiography is essential as multiple aneurysms are commonly associated with anterior cerebral artery aneurysms. The patient was successfully treated without any operative or postoperative complications and has remained symptom-free at 1 year follow up. Keywords: Distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysm, Pericallosal artery aneurysm, Intracranial aneurysm, Computed tomography angiography, Digital subtraction angiography, Cerebral angiogram, Surgical clipping

Bu araştırmanın temel amacı 18. yüzyıl ve sonrası dönemde Osmanlı Devleti’ndeki eğitim kurumlarını tanıtmaktır. Bu bağlamda söz konusu dönem içinde eğitime yönelik girişimlerin neler olduğu ve hangi eğitim kurumlarının tesis edildiğine dikkat çekilmek istenmiştir. Bilim, kültür, düşünce, teknolojik gelişmeler ve benzeri hususlarda Batı ile uyum sağlama ihtiyacı, mevcut medrese sisteminin sorgulanmasına yol açmıştır. Üretken olma ve çağın gereklerine cevap verme noktasında bir takım problemler yaşayan medrese eğitim ve öğretim sisteminin gözden geçirilmesi neticesinde öncelikli olarak askeri okulların tesisi ve yapılandırılmasına yönelik girişimlerde bulunulmuştur. Eğitimdeki bu yenileşme girişiminin yoğun olarak 18. yüzyıldan itibaren başladığı görülmektedir. Söz konusu değişim ve gelişim hareketleri Tanzimat Dönemi’nde ivme kazanmıştır. Bu dönemde askeriye dışındaki birçok alanda mektepler açıldığı, eğitim basamaklarına netlik kazandırıldığı ve kız öğrencilere öğrenim hakkı tanındığı görülmektedir. I. Meşrutiyet ve Mutlakıyet dönemlerinde de Tanzimat dönemindeki eğitime yönelik girişimlere olumlu anlamda katkılar sunulmuştur. Ancak II Meşrutiyet’in ortasından itibaren devletin içinde bulunduğu sosyal ve ekonomik problemler eğitim sistemini ve eğitim kurumlarının işlerliğini olumsuz yönde etkilemiştir. Özet: Eğitim, bir toplumun sosyal, ekonomik ve kültürel seviyesinin belirlenmesinde en önemli faktör olmuştur. Dünya üzerindeki milletlerin birbirlerine olan üstünlüklerinin belirleyicisi olan gelişmişlik düzeyi, eğitime verilen öneme bağlı olarak farklılıklar göstermektedir. Bilimsel anlamda öncü olabilmek, teknolojik imkânlara sahip olabilmek, halkın daha rahat ve huzurlu yaşamasını sağlamak, ekonomik alanda daha fazla güç sahibi olabilmek ve tüm bunlara bağlı olarak ulusun devamlılığını sağlamak, zamanı ve geleceği iyi okuyabilen eğitim anlayışı ile mümkün olabilecektir. Dünya devletlerinin tarihin farklı dönemlerinde birbirlerine üstünlük göstermeleri, eğitim anlayışları ile doğrudan alakalıdır. Yeniçağın başlamasından sonraki asırlarda özellikle Batı milletlerinin bu konuda daha olumlu adım attıkları söylenebilir. XVI. yy. Rönesans hareketleri, XVIII. yüzyıl aydınlanma hareketi ve nihayet sanayi devrimi gibi hem zihinsel hem de eylemsel alandaki değişimler, bilimsel ve teknolojik sahada gelişimi tetiklemiştir. Bu dönemlerde düşünmeye verilen önem ve düşünce serbestliği bilimsel alanda ilerlemenin temel faktörü olmuştur. Dinlerine dayalı taassubu aşarak hür ve seküler anlayışı önceleyen Avrupa milletleri, diğer dünya milletlerine karşı üstün duruma geçmişlerdir. Ancak aynı dönemlerde Osmanlı Devletinin, merkezi Avrupa olan bu değişim ve gelişim ivmesine aynı hızla uyum sağladığını söylemek pek mümkün değildir. Bu durumun temel sebeplerinden biri ve belki de en önemlisi Osmanlı’daki eğitim anlayışının son yüzyıllarda statik bir yapı içinde kalmasıdır. Özellikle medresenin üretkenlikten uzaklaşması, bilim anlayışının sadece dinî ilimlerle sınırlandırılması gibi hususlar Avrupa’daki hızlı dönüşüme uyum sağlayamama sorununu doğurmuştur. Zaman içinde devlet yöneticilerinin de farkına vardığı bu zafiyeti ortadan kaldırmaya yönelik ilk adımlar, Osmanlı eğitim kurumlarının ıslahı ve dönüşümü yoluyla atılmıştır. Eğitim tarihçilerinin batılılaşma ya da modernleşme olarak da adlandırdığı eğitime yönelik bu yeniden yapılanmaya ilişkin ilk girişimlerin Sultan III. Selim döneminde başladığını söylemek mümkündür. Nizam-ı Cedid hareketi bağlamında medreselerin ıslahı, askeri okulların açılması, tercüme faaliyetleri gibi eğitimde de bir takım olumlu girişimler daha sonraki dönemlerde yaşanacak olan değişimlerin nüvesini oluşturmuştur. Hemen akabinde II. Mahmut döneminde Okuma ve yazma öğreniminin zorunlu hale getirilmesi, Batı tarzında rüştiyelerin açılması, yükseköğretim düzeyinde eğitim veren Tıbbiye ve Harbiye mekteplerinin kurulması, dönemin olumlu yenilikleri olarak kabul edilmektedir. Tanzimat fermanının ilanından I. Meşrutiyete kadar olan zaman aralığı, Osmanlı’da eğitime yönelik kurumsallaşmanın ve yapılanmanın en üst düzeyde olduğu dönemdir. Faaliyete sokulan birçok eğitim kurumu yanında eğitim-öğretimden sorumlu bakanlığın tesis edildiği ve salt bu alana yönelik düzenlemeleri içeren nizamnamenin yürürlüğe sokulduğu bu süreçte yapılan en önemli girişimlerden birisi de bu topraklarda ilk üniversite olarak kabul edilen Dâru’l-Fünun’un temellerinin atılmasıdır. Bu dönemde tesis edilen birçok eğitim kurumunun günümüz eğitim kurumlarının kökleri olması, söz konusu dönem içindeki girişimlerin isabetliliğini göstermesi açısından önemlidir. I. Meşrutiyet ve akabindeki Mutlakiyet dönemlerinde de daha önceki olumlu yapılanmanın üzerine katkılar sağlanmıştır. Ancak II. Meşrutiyetin ikinci yarısından itibaren ülkede yaşanan sosyal ve ekonomik problemler, eğitime yönelik yeniliklerin devam edememesinde etkili olmuştur. Bu çalışmada Tanzimat dönemi önce ve sonrasında Osmanlı Devletinde kurulan eğitim kurumları konu edilmiştir. Amaç sadece bu okulların neler olduğunu ortaya koymak değildir. Hangi alanlarda hangi ihtiyaca dayalı olarak hangi okulların tesisinin gerekli görüldüğü, eğitimdeki zihniyet değişimi sırasında ne gibi engellerle karşılaşıldığı, engellerin aşılmasında öngörülen düzenleme faaliyetleri ve ne dereceye kadar başarılı olunduğu gibi hususlara da vurgu yapılmak istenmiştir. Bu bağlamda bir çoğu cumhuriyet dönemine de kaynak olabilecek eğitim kurumlarının yapısına ilişkin değişim sinyalleri 1700’lü yılların başından itibaren başlamış ve I. Dünya Savaşı dönemine kadar devam etmiştir. Yüz yılı aşkın bu zaman dilimi içerisinde devletin yapısına ve işleyişine ilişkin yaşanan siyasi dönemler eğitim kurumlarının yapılanmasında da etkili olmuştur. Nitekim söz konusu süreçte kelime anlamı “düzenleme” olarak bilinen Tanzimat dönemi, eğitime ilişkin değişim ve dönüşümün en ziyade olduğu evre olarak kabul edilmektedir. Tanzimat sonrası Meşrutiyet ve Mutlakıyet dönemlerinde de aynı ivme ile olmasa da batılılaşma sürecinin devam ettiği görülmektedir. Eğitim kurumlarının tesisine kronolojik olarak bakıldığında askeri alanda eleman yetiştirmeyi, zamanın teknolojik imkanlarına sahip yetkin bir ordu sahibi olmayı, diğer bir ifadeyle ülkenin dış güçlere karşı güçlü bir savunma sistemi oluşturmayı önceleyen bir anlayışın hakim olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Nitekim ilk kez çağdaş askeri teknik bilgiler vermek amacıyla I. Mahmut tarafından 1734 tarihinde İstanbul’da açılan ve faaliyetine başlayan Hendesehane; çağdaş anlamda eğitim vermek üzere 1775 yılında açılan ve ilk askeri deniz okulu olan Mühendishâne-i Bahrî-i Hümâyûn; topçu ve istihkâm subayı (askeri mühendis) yetiştirmek amacıyla İstanbul’da 1795’de kurulan Mühendishâne-i Berrî-i Hümâyun; 1835 tarihinde subay yetiştirmek üzere açılan Mekteb-i Harbiye ve askeri kâtip yetiştirilmek üzere kurulan Menşe-i Küttâb-ı Askerî ordunun çağdaş anlamda yapılanmasına katkı sağlamıştır. Söz konusu dönem içerisinde askeri alanın dışındaki en önemli değişim sağlık alanında olmuştur. Bu bağlamda yine ordunun hekim ihtiyacını karşılamak amacıyla 1827’de Tıbhâne-i Amire kurulmuştur. 1867’de ise ilk sivil tıp okulu Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Mülkiye eğitim ve öğretime başlamıştır. Eğitime yönelik yapılan diğer önemli bir yenileşme hareketi de hukuk alanında olmuştur. Bu bağlamda 1880’de Mekteb-i Hukuk tesis edilmiştir. İdari kadrolarda yetkin elemanlar yetiştirmek için Mekteb-i Mülkiye, öğretmen okulları, kadınların eğitim yapmasına imkan tanıyan mektepler, din adamı yetiştiren okulların ıslahı ve bunlara ilişkin düzenlemeler söz konusu dönemde gerçekleştirilen eğitim faaliyetleri olarak dikkat çekmektedir.

Design and implementation of biological neural networks is a vital research field in the neuromorphic engineering. This paper presents LUT-based modeling of the Adaptive Exponential integrate-and-fire (ADEX) model using Nyquist frequency method. In this approach, a continuous term is converted to a discrete term by sampling factor. This new modeling is called N-LUT-ADEX (Nyquist-Look Up Table-ADEX) and is based on accurate sampling of the original ADEX model. Since in this modeling, the high-accuracy matching is achieved, it can exactly reproduce the spiking patterns, which have the same behaviors of the original neuron model. To confirm the N-LUT-ADEX neuron, the proposed model is realized on Virtex-II Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board for validating the final hardware. Hardware implementation results show the high degree of similarity between the proposed and original models. Furthermore, low-cost and high-speed attributes of our proposed neuron model will be validated. Indeed, the proposed model is capable of reproducing the spiking patterns in terms of low overhead costs and higher frequencies in comparison with the original one. The properties of the proposed model cause can make it a suitable choice for neuromorphic network implementations with reduced-cost attributes.

Abstract The objectives The work was carried out for extraction of natural anthrasesamones from roots of Sesamum Indicum using different organic solvents and utilization of extracts as catalyst in pulping with sodium hydroxide for a by-product of sugar industry (Sudanese bagasse). Results Sesamum Indicum roots when extracted with ethanol, it gave the highest extracts yield % (0.964), followed by ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and petroleum ether extracts. The chemical pulping of Bagasse was done by using of sodium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide with anthraquinone, and sodium hydroxide with extract instead of anthraquinone keeping constant conditions at temperature 160 °C and applied sodium oxide 10.9% and time was 120 min, gave promising screened yield between 49.84 and 53.68%, bleachable kappa number between 15.57 and 8.26 for sodium hydroxide only and cooking with sodium hydroxide with anthraquinone. Cooking with sodium hydroxide of bagasse with anthrasesamones gave good pulping yields and kappa number.

The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the part of the nervous system including the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and influences the activity of different sections of the bodies. The basic elements of this important organ are: neurons, synapses, and glias. Neuronal modeling approach and hardware realization design for the nervous system of the brain is an important issue in the case of reproducing the same biological neuronal behaviors. This work applies a quadratic-based modeling called Digital Spiking Silicon Neuron (DSSN) to propose a modified version of the neuronal model which is capable of imitating the basic behaviors of the original model. The proposed neuron is modeled based on the primary hyperbolic functions, which can be realized in high correlation state with the main model (original one). Really, if the high-cost terms of the original model, and its functions were removed, a low-error and high-performance (in case of frequency and speed-up) new model will be extracted compared to the original model. For testing and validating the new model in hardware state, Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA board has been considered and used. Hardware results show the high-degree of similarity between the original and proposed models (in terms of neuronal behaviors) and also higher frequency and low-cost condition have been achieved. The implementation results show that the overall saving is more than other papers and also the original model. Moreover, frequency of the proposed neuronal model is about 168 MHz, which is significantly higher than the original model frequency, 63 MHz.

The main required organ of the biological system is the Central Nervous System (CNS), which can influence the other basic organs in the human body. The basic elements of this important organ are neurons, synapses, and glias (such as astrocytes, which are the highest percentage of glias in the human brain). Investigating, modeling, simulation, and hardware implementation (realization) of different parts of the CNS are important in case of achieving a comprehensive neuronal system that is capable of emulating all aspects of the real nervous system. This paper uses a basic neuron model called the Izhikevich neuronal model to achieve a high copy of the primary nervous block, which is capable of regenerating the behaviors of the human brain. The proposed approach can regenerate all aspects of the Izhikevich neuron in high similarity degree and performances. The new model is based on Look-Up Table (LUT) modeling of the mathematical neuromorphic systems, which can be realized in a high degree of correlation with the original model. The proposed procedure is considered in three cases: 100 points LUT modeling, 1000 points LUT modeling, and 10,000 points LUT modeling. Indeed, by removing the high-cost functions in the original model, the presented model can be implemented in a low-error, high-speed, and low-area resources state in comparison with the original system. To test and validate the proposed final hardware, a digital FPGA board (Xilinx Virtex-II FPGA board) is used. Digital hardware synthesis illustrates that our presented approach can follow the Izhikevich neuron in a high-speed state (more than the original model), increase efficiency, and also reduce overhead costs. Implementation results show the overall saving of 84.30% in FPGA and also the higher frequency of the proposed model of about 264 MHz, which is significantly higher than the original model, 28 MHz.

This paper presents a methodology to monitor the liquid petroleum products which pass through transmission pipes. A simulation setup consisting of an X-ray tube, a detector, and a pipe was established using a Monte Carlo n-particle X-version transport code to investigate a two-by-two mixture of four different petroleum products, namely, ethylene glycol, crude oil, gasoline, and gasoil, in deferent volumetric ratios. After collecting the signals of each simulation, discrete wavelet transform (DWT) was applied as the feature extraction system. Then, the statistical feature, named the standard deviation, was calculated from the approximation of the fifth level, and the details of the second to fifth level provide appropriate inputs for neural network training. Three multilayer perceptron neural networks were utilized to predict the volume ratio of three types of petroleum products, and the volume ratio of the fourth product could easily be obtained from the results of the three presented networks. Finally, a root mean square error of less than 1.77 was obtained in predicting the volume ratio, which was much more accurate than in previous research. This high accuracy was due to the use of DWT for feature extraction.

One of the most favorable renewable energy sources, solar photovoltaic (PV) can meet the electricity demand considerably. Sunlight is converted into electricity by the solar PV systems using cells containing semiconductor materials. A PV system is designed to meet the energy needs of King Abdulaziz University Hospital. A new method has been introduced to find optimal working capacity, and determine the self-consumption and sufficiency rates of the PV system. Response surface methodology (RSM) is used for determining the optimal working conditions of PV panels. Similarly, an adaptive neural network based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was employed to analyze the performance of solar PV panels. The outcomes of methods were compared to the actual outcomes available for testing the performance of models. Hence, for a 40 MW target PV system capacity, the RSM determined that approximately 33.96 MW electricity can be produced, when the radiation rate is 896.3 W/m2, the module surface temperature is 41.4 °C, the outdoor temperature is 36.2 °C, the wind direction and speed are 305.6 and 6.7 m/s, respectively. The ANFIS model (with nine rules) gave the highest performance with lowest residual for the same design parameters. Hence, it was determined that the hourly electrical energy requirement of the hospital can be met by the PV system during the year.

Astrocyte cells form the largest cell population in the brain and can influence neuron behavior. These cells provide appropriate feedback control in regulating neuronal activities in the Central Nervous System (CNS). This paper presents a set of equations as a model to describe the interactions between neurons and astrocyte. A VHDL–AMS-based tripartite synapse model that includes a pre-synaptic neuron, the synaptic terminal, a post-synaptic neuron, and an astrocyte cell is presented. In this model, the astrocyte acts as a controller module for neurons and can regulates the spiking activity of them. Simulation results show that by regulating the coupling coefficients of astrocytes, spiking frequency of neurons can be reduced and the activity of neuronal cells is modulated.

Deposition of scale layers inside pipelines leads to many problems, e.g., reducing the internal diameter of pipelines, damage to drilling equipment because of corrosion, increasing energy consumption because of decreased efficiency of equipment, and shortened life, etc., in the petroleum industry. Gamma attenuation could be implemented as a non-invasive approach suitable for determining the mineral scale layer. In this paper, an intelligent system for metering the scale layer thickness independently of each phase’s volume fraction in an annular three-phase flow is presented. The approach is based on the use of a combination of an RBF neural network and a dual-energy radiation detection system. Photo peaks of 241Am and 133Ba registered in the two transmitted detectors, and scale-layer thickness of the pipe were considered as the network’s input and output, respectively. The architecture of the presented network was optimized using a trial-and-error method. The regression diagrams for the testing set were plotted, which demonstrate the precision of the system as well as correction. The MAE and RMSE of the presented system were 0.07 and 0.09, respectively. This novel metering system in three-phase flows could be a promising and practical tool in the oil, chemical, and petrochemical industries.

In this research, a methodology consisting of an X-ray tube, one Pyrex-glass pipe, and two NaI detectors was investigated to determine the type of flow regimes and volume fractions of gas-oil-water three-phase flows. Three prevalent flow patterns—namely annular, stratified, and homogenous—in various volume percentages—10% to 80% with the step of 10%—were simulated by MCNP-X code. After simulating all the states and collecting the signals, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was used to convert the data to the frequency domain. The first and second dominant frequency amplitudes were extracted to be used as the inputs of neural networks. Three Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBFNN) were trained for determining the type of flow regimes and predicting gas and water volume fractions. The correct detection of all flow regimes and the determination of volume percentages with a Mean Relative Error (MRE) of less than 2.02% shows that the use of frequency characteristics in determining these important parameters can be very effective. Although X-ray radiation-based two-phase flowmeters have a lot of advantages over the radioisotope-based ones, they suffer from lower measurement accuracy. One reason might be that the X-ray multi-energy spectrum recorded in the detector has been analyzed in a simple way. It is worth mentioning that the X-ray sources generate multi-energy photons despite radioisotopes that generate single energy photons, therefore data analyzing of radioisotope sources would be easier than X-ray ones. As mentioned, one of the problems researchers have encountered is the lower measurement accuracy of the X-ray, radiation-based three-phase flowmeters. The aim of the present work is to resolve this problem by improving the precision of the X-ray, radiation-based three-phase flowmeter using artificial neural network (ANN) and feature extraction techniques.

To the best knowledge of the authors, in former studies in the field of measuring volume fraction of gas, oil, and water components in a three-phase flow using gamma radiation technique, the existence of a scale layer has not been considered. The formed scale layer usually has a higher density in comparison to the fluid flow inside the oil pipeline, which can lead to high photon attenuation and, consequently, reduce the measuring precision of three-phase flow meter. The purpose of this study is to present an intelligent gamma radiation-based, nondestructive technique with the ability to measure volume fraction of gas, oil, and water components in the annular regime of a three-phase flow independent of the scale layer. Since, in this problem, there are several unknown parameters, such as gas, oil, and water components with different amounts and densities and scale layers with different thicknesses, it is not possible to measure the volume fraction using a conventional gamma radiation system. In this study, a system including a 241Am-133Ba dual energy source and two transmission detectors was used. The first detector was located diametrically in front of the source. For the second detector, at first, a sensitivity investigation was conducted in order to find the optimum position. The four extracted signals in both detectors (counts under photo peaks of both detectors) were used as inputs of neural network, and volume fractions of gas and oil components were utilized as the outputs. Using the proposed intelligent technique, volume fraction of each component was predicted independent of the barium sulfate scale layer, with a maximum MAE error of 3.66%.

The increasing consumption of fossil fuel resources in the world has placed emphasis on flow measurements in the oil industry. This has generated a growing niche in the flowmeter industry. In this regard, in this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) and various feature extractions have been utilized to enhance the precision of X-ray radiation-based two-phase flowmeters. The detection system proposed in this article comprises an X-ray tube, a NaI detector to record the photons, and a Pyrex-glass pipe, which is placed between detector and source. To model the mentioned geometry, the Monte Carlo MCNP-X code was utilized. Five features in the time domain were derived from the collected data to be used as the neural network input. Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) was applied to approximate the function related to the input-output relationship. Finally, the introduced approach was able to correctly recognize the flow pattern and predict the volume fraction of two-phase flow’s components with root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of less than 0.51, 0.4 and 1.16%, respectively. The obtained precision of the proposed system in this study is better than those reported in previous works.

Air quality monitoring and assessment are essential issues for sustainable environmental protection. The monitoring process is composed of data collection, evaluation, and decision-making. Several important pollutants, such as SO2, CO, PM10, O3, NOx, H2S, location, and many others, have important effects on air quality. Air quality should be recorded and measured based on the total effect of pollutants that are collectively prescribed by a numerical value. In Canada, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is used which is one numerical value based on the total effect of some concentrations. Therefore, evolution is required to consider the complex, ill-defined air pollutants, hence several naive and noble approaches are used to study AQHI. In this study, three approaches such as hybrid data-driven ANN, nonlinear autoregressive with external (exogenous) input (NARX) with a neural network, and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference (ANFIS) approaches are used for estimating the air quality in an urban area (Jeddah city—industrial zone) for public health concerns. Over three years, 1771 data were collected for pollutants from 1 June 2016 until 30 September 2019. In this study, the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) approach was employed as an optimization method for ANNs to solve the nonlinear least-squares problems. The NARX employed has a two-layer feed-forward ANN. On the other hand, the back-propagation multi-layer perceptron (BPMLP) algorithm was used with the steepest descent approach to reduce the root mean square error (RMSE). The RMSEs were 4.42, 0.0578, and 5.64 for ANN, NARX, and ANFIS, respectively. Essentially, all RMSEs are very small. The outcomes of approaches were evaluated by fuzzy quality charts and compared statistically with the US-EPA air quality standards. Due to the effectiveness and robustness of artificial intelligent techniques, the public’s early warning will be possible for avoiding the harmful effects of pollution inside the urban areas, which may reduce respiratory and cardiovascular mortalities. Consequently, the stability of air quality models was correlated with the absolute air quality index. The findings showed notable performance of NARX with a neural network, ANN, and ANFIS-based AQHI model for high dimensional data assessment.

Lipoatrophy is characterized by inflammation and tissue loss in fatty tissue. This disease may be congenital or acquired, primary or secondary. Secondary lipoatrophy develops with infections, collagen tissue diseases, tumors and drug injections. In this report, we present the case of a 14-year-old female patient who developed lipoatrophy following intramuscular steroid injection to both buttocks.

Mentha piperita essential oil (EO) has high economic importance because of its wide usage area and health-beneficial properties. Besides health-beneficial properties, Mentha piperita EO has great importance in the flavor and food industries because of its unique sensory and quality properties. High-valued essential oils are prone to being adulterated with economic motivations. This kind of adulteration deteriorates the quality of authentic essential oil, injures the consumers, and causes negative effects on the whole supply chain from producer to the consumer. The current research used fast, economic, robust, reliable, and effective ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled chemometrics of hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares regression (PLSR) and principal component regression (PCR) for monitoring of Mentha spicata EO and L-menthol adulteration in Mentha piperita EOs. Adulterant contents (Mentha spicata and L-menthol) were successfully calculated using PLSR and PCR models. Standard error of the cross-validation SECV values changed between 0.06 and 2.14. Additionally, bias and press values showed alteration between 0.06 and1.43 and 0.03 and 41.15, respectively. Authentic Mentha piperita was successfully distinguished from adulterated samples, Mentha spicata and L-menthol, by HCA and PCA analysis. The results showed that attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics could be effectively used for monitoring various adulterants in essential oils.

Essential oils are high-valued natural extracts that are involved in industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutics. The lemon essential oil (LEO) has high economic importance in the food and beverage industry because of its health-beneficial characteristics and desired flavor properties. LEO, similar to other natural extracts, is prone to being adulterated through economic motivations. Adulteration causes unfair competition between vendors, disruptions in national economies, and crucial risks for consumers worldwide. There is a need for cost-effective, rapid, reliable, robust, and eco-friendly analytical techniques to detect adulterants in essential oils. The current research developed chemometric models for the quantification of three adulterants (orange essential oil, benzyl alcohol, and isopropyl myristate) in cold-pressed LEOs by using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component regression (PCR), and partial least squares regression (PLSR) based on FTIR spectra. The cold-pressed LEO was successfully distinguished from adulterants by robust HCA. PLSR and PCR showed high accuracy with high R2 values (0.99–1) and low standard error of cross-validation (SECV) values (0.58 and 5.21) for cross-validation results of the raw, first derivative, and second derivative FTIR spectra. The findings showed that FTIR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analyses has a considerable capability to detect and quantify adulterants in lemon essential oil.