Analysis of pre-service science teachers' biodiversity images according to sustainable environmental awareness

Biodiversity is discussed in the context of socio-scientific issues, which play an important role in providing science-society interaction in science education. Biodiversity can help the sustainable environmental movement by contributing to the scientific, political and economic development and progress of societies in various social aspects, with its dilemma features by its nature. This study, it is aimed to analysis of pre-service science teachers' biodiversity images according to sustainable environmental awareness levels. The study was designed according to the survey model, which is one of the descriptive research methods. Sixty-three pre-service science teachers participated from two state universities in the Central Anatolia Region. Data were collected through Sustainable Environmental Awareness Scale and drawings on biodiversity. Sustainable Environmental Awareness Scale consists of 10 items and has a single factor. Biodiversity pictures created based on the drawing technique reflect the images of pre-service teachers. The data were analysed based on descriptive statistical methods. As a result, it was concluded that pre-service science teachers have a high level of sustainable environmental awareness. Biodiversity images of pre-service teachers are correct, but they cannot form a comprehensive image in creating biodiversity components and relationships. According to the results obtained, the fact that pre-service teachers exclude these components in their drawings can be associated not only with their lack of knowledge, but also with their drawing skills

Fen Öğretmenlerinin Bilimin Doğası Görüşleri ve Öğretimleri Nasıldır? Bir Sınıf İçi Araştırması

The purposes of this study were to investigate science teachers’ nature of science (NOS) views so as to determine how their views influence their instructional practices. Seventy four science teachers and five teachers in a big city in Turkey were selected purposefully as the sample of this study. A sub-set of 18 relevant items from Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS) Questionnaire were used to assess teachers’ NOS views. Semi-structured interviews and class observations were conducted with these five “case” teachers in order to allow them fully express their views and instructional practices. The data analysis revealed that the participating science teachers held naïve views on many dimensions of the NOS. Furthermore, it was found that teachers’ views did not directly influence their classroom practices. We also observed that the perceived curriculum, the high stakes examinations, expectations of school administrators, students, and parents were the most important factors influencing teachers’ decisions regarding classroom practicesBu araştırmanın amacı, fen öğretmenlerinin bilimin doğası hakkındaki görüşlerini incelemek ve bu görüşlerin onların sınıf içi uygulamalarını nasıl etkilediğini belirlemektir. Araştırmanın katılımcıları Türkiye’deki bir büyükşehirde görev yapmakta olan 74 fen öğretmenidir. Öğretmenlerin bilimin doğası hakkındaki görüşleri, literatürde kısaca VOSTS olarak bilinen Bilim-Teknoloji-Toplum anketinden seçilmiş olan 18 madde ile değerlendirilmiştir. Öğretmenlerin görüşlerini sınıf uygulamalarına nasıl yansıttıklarını belirlemek amacıyla gönüllülük esasına dayalı olarak durum çalışmasına alınan beş öğretmen ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler ve sınıf içi gözlemleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veri analizleri sonucunda, katılımcı öğretmenlerin bilimin doğasının birçok boyutu hakkında naif görüşlere sahip oldukları ortaya çıkmıştır. Aynı zamanda öğretmenlerin bu görüşlerinin sınıf uygulamalarına doğrudan etki etmediği görülmüştür. Katılımcı fen ve teknoloji öğretmenlerinin sınıf içi uygulamalarını belirleyen en önemli etkenlerin başında algılanan müfredat, okul idarecileri, öğrenci ve velilerin istek ve beklentileri ile sınav sistemi gösterilebili

Improving Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Content Knowledge and Argumentation Quality through Socio-Scientific Issues-Based Modules: An Action Research Study

This paper aimed to assess improvements in content knowledge and argumentation quality of pre-service science teachers (PST) through a socio-scientific issues-based (SSI-based) module course. The study was designed as action research with 25 PSTs. Data collection instruments were an energy-related content knowledge questionnaire and video recordings. An energy-related content knowledge rubric was used to evaluate the content knowledge of PSTs, while their argumentation quality was analyzed using a video analysis inventory. The module course was completed in eight weeks. Findings showed that the SSI-based teaching modules course improved energy-related content knowledge with all  PSTs increasing by a minimum of one criterion on the rubric.  Although the number of arguments decreased weekly, the argumentation quality also increased. Thus, it can be inferred that SSI-based module teaching is a practical tool to teach energy-related content knowledge and argumentation qualities. The study suggests that action research can contribute to developing an effective learning environment.  Further studies that include the actual practices of PSTs as they reflect and revise their learning are indicated

Examination of the Views of Science Teachers Trained in a Project on Socioscientific Issues

Socioscientific issues (SSIs) have a scientific basis, have a dilemma in their nature and are often discussed under political and social influences. Teachers perceive SSIs as a difficult subject to teach. This project was carried out to guide teachers in overcoming this difficulty and to enable them to include practices that they can adapt more easily to their lessons. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the views of science teachers on the teaching of SSIs and the project carried out within the scope of a funding project for teaching SSIs. The study was designed according to a single-group pre-test post-test experimental design. The study group the study comprises teachers from different branches of science (15 middle school science teachers, four biology teachers, three physics teachers and two chemistry teachers) from various provinces of Türkiye. As the data collection tools of the study, the Project Participation Form, the Scale of Views on Teaching Socioscientific Issues, the Know-Want-Learn Form and the Project Evaluation Form were used. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used together in the evaluation of the data. Because of the study, the implemented project activities contributed to the development of the participants’ views on the teaching of SSIs and caused a positive development in their views on the project. Suggestions were made considering the results of the project so that guidance could be provided for teachers and teacher educators

Representation of socioscientific issues in the most popular Turkish daily newspapers

Socioscientific issues (SSIs) have become important in science education because of their feature of important component of scientific literacy. The purpose of this study is to analyze the representation of SSIs in Turkish national newspapers. The methodology employed in the present study is content analysis. The archives of newspapers were online searched for predetermined SSIs, news titles were categorized according to content and year. And then, samples of news tittle were selected from various newspapers for each issue tittle and were demonstrated with newspaper name and publishing year. The results demonstrated that the most mentioned SSIs are nuclear energy, environmental pollution/problems, and global warming in the last 11 years. Moreover, a steady was seen in the SSIs between 2004 and 2014. Interpretations are given in more detail in results and discussion

Radiological and clinicopathological findings of breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative study with the pre-pandemic era

PURPOSEThe diagnosis and surgical treatment delays that occurred during the coronavirus disease-2019- (COVID-19) pandemic may have affected breast cancer presentation. This study aimed to determine whether there was a difference in the clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancers during the pandemic by comparing them with similar cases from the previous year. The study also aimed to determine the radiological findings of breast cancers during the pandemic.METHODSA retrospective review was made of patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer between March 11, 2020, and December 11, 2020 (the pandemic group). These patients were compared with similar patients from the previous year (the pre-pandemic group). The postoperative histopathology results of both groups were compared, and the preoperative radiological findings of the pandemic group were defined.RESULTSThere were 71 patients in the pandemic group and 219 patients in the pre-pandemic group. The tumor size was significantly greater, lymph node involvement was more frequent, and waiting time for surgery was longer in the pandemic group (P 0.15). The radiologic findings of breast cancer during the pandemic typically showed characteristics of malignancy.CONCLUSIONPatients diagnosed with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic had larger tumor sizes, more frequent lymph node involvement and longer waiting time for surgical treatment. Screening programs should be continued as soon as possible by taking necessary precautions

Cryptosporidium spp. in Dogs - Prevalence and Genotype Distribution

Background: Cryptosporidium spp. is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that affects the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. The disease can cause acute and chronic diarrhoea and even death in both humans and animals. In this study, it was aimed to determine the prevalence and genotype distribution of Cryptosporidiosis in shelter dogs in Diyarbakır province located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Materials, Methods & Results: The animal material of the study consisted of 100 dogs of different breeds and sexes. Faecal samples were collected from the rectum with disposable latex gloves and placed in individual sample containers.  All of the samples were examined for Cryptosporidium  spp. by Kinyoun Acid Fast and Nested PCR methods. In the Kinyoun Acid Fast staining method, firstly, smear preparations were prepared from fresh faecal samples, fixed in pure methanol for 1 min and allowed to dry. The slides were kept in Kinyoun Carbol-Fuxin for 5 min, dipped in 50% ethyl alcohol, shaken, washed in tap water, kept in 1% sulphuric acid for 2 min and washed in tap water.  The slides were kept in methylene blue for 1 min, washed in tap water and allowed to dry. After drying, immersion oil was dripped and examined under a microscope at 100 magnification. DNA extraction was performed from all samples using GeneMATRIX Stool DNA Purification Kit according to the manufacturer's protocol. After Nested PCR analysis was performed. In the PCR step, primers 5'-TTCTAGAGCTAATACATGCG-3' and 5'- CCCATTTCCTTCCTTCGAAACAGGA-3' were used to amplify the 1325 bp gene region. In the nested PCR step, primers 5'- GGAAGGGTTGTATTTATTTATTAGATAAAG-3' and 5'-AAGGAGTAAGGAACAACCTCCA-3' were used to amplify the 826-864 bp gene region. As a result of both methods, a prevalence of 3% was determined. The infection rate was higher in males (3.57%) than females (2.27%) and in younger than 1 year (5.56%) than in older than 1 year (1.56%). The DNA sequences obtained from the sequence analysis of 3 positive PCR samples were analysed in BioEdit software. A phylogenetic tree was constructed with the data set created by using the 18s rRNA gene sequences obtained from the NCBI genbank database and the DNA sequences obtained as a result of the study, and it was shown which Cryptosporidium species the study samples were related to. Today, many Cryptosporidium species have been identified and most of these species have host adaptation. Although C. canis is the most common species in dogs, C. muris, C. meleagridis, and C. parvum have also been detected. Among these species, C. parvum is recognized as a zoonotic species infecting a wide range of mammals. In this study, DNA sequencing of nested PCR positive samples revealed that 3 samples were zoonotic C. parvum. Discussion: This suggests that dogs may be a reservoir for zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium.  Consequently, it is recommended that people should be informed about the potential for transmission of this protozoan to humans and animals and that control programmes should be implemented, including the prevention of free entry of stray dogs into public places and homes. Keywords: Cryptosporidium  parvum, molecular analysis, canine, Diyarbakır, Turkey

Phenological, Pomological and Technological Characteristics of Seedless White Mulberry in Mulberry Genetic Resources of Turkey

This study carried out in 2015 and 2016 to determine phenological, pomological and some technological characteristics of 19 seedless mulberry genotypes of the Malatya Apricot Research Institute. Full-bloom periods of the genotypes varied between 27th of April (Poser 24-07) and 3rd of May (24 MRK 02); start of harvest dates varied between 15th of May (Poser 24-07) and 31st of May (Yediveren 24-08); end of harvest dates varied between 5th of July (Angut 009) and 30th of August (Yediveren 24-08). Fruiting durations varied between 50 days (Angut 009) and 95 days (Gemirgap Dutu 24-05). Of the pomological characteristics, average fruit weights varied between 0.77 g (Angut 009) and 2.46 g (Poser 24-07); water soluble dry matter (WSDM) contents varied between 15.50% (Topu Beyaz 1) and 29.60% (Angut 009). Of the technological characteristics, drying efficiency values varied between 15.79% (44 KE 10) and 39.94% (Angut 009), dry fruit color L values varied between 25.97 (Poser 24-07) and 50.20 (İstanbul Dutu 24-12). Based on present findings, Poser 24-07 genotype was found to be prominent with early fruiting and availability for fresh consumption; Yediveren 24-08 genotype with late fruiting; İstanbul Dutu 24-12 genotype with drying efficiency and Gemirgap Dutu 24-05 and Gemirgap Dutu 24-06 genotypes with their longer fruiting durations. Current findings may be beneficial in mulberry breeding programs

The effect of six days open water swimming activity on salivary, oxidative stress and cortisol levels on elite master swimmers

Open water swimming is a sport and recreational activity in which individuals swim in natural bodies of water. When the body is under stress, stress hormones, and reactive oxygen metabolite production may increase. The study aims to evaluate the effect of swimming stress on oxidation formation, antioxidant response, and cortisol levels in whole saliva samples of long-distance open-water swimmers taken before and after swimming. Lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and sialic acid (SA) were determined in the whole saliva of the 12 swimmers before and after swimming. Also, cortisol levels were measured from whole saliva collected in 10 laps, before and after each swim. The salivary LPO level of the swimmers significantly increased, and SOD and CAT activities and SA levels decreased significantly after swimming compared to the baseline. After swimming, the salivary cortisol levels of the swimmers significantly increased in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laps of the swim compared to each one’s baseline levels. It was also observed that swimming activity caused an increase in total cortisol levels in all laps compared to baseline swimming. Swimming in open water can cause stress on the organism, leading to metabolic adaptations for prevention

Prediction of malignancy upgrade rate in high-risk breast lesions using an artificial intelligence model: a retrospective study

PURPOSEHigh-risk breast lesions (HRLs) are associated with future risk of breast cancer. Considering the pathological subtypes, malignancy upgrade rate differs according to each subtype and depends on various factors such as clinical and radiological features and biopsy method. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning models in breast imaging, evaluations can be made in terms of risk estimation in different research areas. This study aimed to develop a machine learning model to distinguish HRL cases requiring surgical excision from lesions with a low risk of accompanying malignancy.METHODSA total of 94 patients who were diagnosed with HRL by image-guided biopsy between January 2008 and March 2020 were included in the study. A structured database was created with clinical and radiological characteristics and histopathological results. A machine learning prediction model was created to make binary classifications of lesions as malignant or benign. Random forest, decision tree, K-nearest neighbors, logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), and multilayer perceptron machine learning algorithms were used. Among these algorithms, SVM was the most successful. The estimations of malignancy for each case detected by artificial intelligence were combined and statistical analyses were performed.RESULTSConsidering all cases, the malignancy upgrade rate was 24.5%. A significant association was observed between malignancy upgrade rate and lesion size (P = 0.004), presence of mammography findings (P = 0.022), and breast imaging-reporting and data system category (P = 0.001). A statistically significant association was also found between the artificial intelligence prediction model and malignancy upgrade rate (P < 0.001). With the SVM model, an 84% accuracy and 0.786 area-underthe- curve score were obtained in classifying the data as benign or malignant.CONCLUSIONOur artificial intelligence model (SVM) can predict HRLs that can be followed up with a lower risk of accompanying malignancy. Unnecessary surgeries can be reduced, or second line vacuum excisions can be performed in HRLs, which are mostly benign, by evaluating on a case-by-case basis, in line with radiology–pathology compatibility and by using an artificial intelligence model