Psychological Needs as the Predictor of Teachers' Perceived Stress Levels

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teachers' psychological needs and perceived stress levels. First of all, the differentiation status of teachers' psychological needs and perceived stress levels in terms of gender, type of institution and type of the school variables was examined. Then, the psychological need's level of predicting the perceived stress was tested. This research was carried out by descriptive survey design. For this purpose, Personal Information Form, Perceived stress level scale and Psychological needs scale were applied to 498 primary school teachers (317 female 63.7% and 181 male 36.3%). T test, F test and multiple linear regression analysis were applied in addition to descriptive statistics in the analysis of data. According to the results obtained from the research, it was found that the dominance needs of teachers working in private schools were significantly higher than the teachers working in public schools. It was determined that the psychological needs of teachers do not vary by gender, but the perceived stress levels of female teachers were significantly higher than male teachers. Besides, it was concluded that primary school teachers' need for relationship and secondary school teachers' need for autonomy were significantly higher compared to teachers working in other institutions. It was also determined that the needs for success, autonomy and dominance from among psychological needs significantly predicted the perceived stress. The results obtained from the research were interpreted and suggestions for further research were put forward

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE VIEWS ON THE LAKE OF THE TEACHERS WHO WORK IN THE VICINITIES OF LAKE AVLAN, TURKEY

Several problems such as the deterioration in water regime, climate’s getting harsh, desertification and the decrease in agricultural productivity have been experienced in and around Lake Avlan which was dried in 1970’s entirely for the purpose of opening new cultivation areas. Upon the deterioration, the gates of the regulators were closed by the Ministry of Environment upon the written demand from almost 3000 people from the vicinity by the organization of a mayor and 37 village headmen. Lake Avlan is the first wetland on which a decision of restoration has been taken upon the demand from the people in the vicinity, including the villagers who were given a piece of land from the lake. When the things experienced with the case are taken into consideration, it is observed that the perception of education on environment has changed and the importance of education on environment increased. The education for environment is aimed to raise individuals who are aware of local, regional, national and global problems; who approach these problems with concern and sensitivity; who spend effort voluntarily for thesolution of such problems; and those whose ecological culture, environmental moral and environmental consciousness is high (Atasoy&Ertürk, 2008). The aim of this study is to identify the views of the teachers who work in the schools in the vicinity of Lake Avlan on the lake. The participants of the study are 14 teachers as 9 males and 5 females. The study was designed as a case study, which is one of the methods of qualitative research. The data used in the study were collected by giving interviews to the teachers and were analyzed using content analysis technique. The findings revealed that the teachers rendered superficial information on the social and socioeconomic structure of the Lake Avlan; that they bear confusing ideas about the physical form of the lake and that the information they provide is not sufficient. They all share the idea that Lake Avlan has not been preserved and based upon each participant’sexplanations, the study reached the same conclusion.  Article visualizations

Neurosphere based differentiation of human iPSC improves astrocyte differentiation

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are traditionally maintained and proliferated utilizing two-dimensional (2D) adherent monolayer culture systems. However, NPCs cultured using this system hardly reflect the intrinsic spatial development of brain tissue. In this study, we determined that culturing iPSC-derived NPCs as three-dimensional (3D) floating neurospheres resulted in increased expression of the neural progenitor cell (NPC) markers, PAX6 and NESTIN. Expansion of NPCs in 3D culture methods also resulted in a more homogenous PAX6 expression when compared to 2D culture methods. Furthermore, the 3D propagation method for NPCs resulted in a significant higher expression of the astrocyte markers  GFAP and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in the differentiated cells. Thus, our 3D propagation method could constitute a useful tool to promote NPC homogeneity and also to increase the differentiation potential of iPSC towards astrocytes

Comparison of 2D and 3D neural induction methods for the generation of neural progenitor cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are frequently induced using 3D culture methodologies however, it is unknown whether spheroid-based (3D) neural induction is actually superior to monolayer (2D) neural induction. Our aim was to compare the efficiency of 2D induction with 3D induction method in their ability to generate NPCs, and subsequently neurons and astrocytes. Neural differentiation was analysed at the protein level qualitatively by immunocytochemistry and quantitatively by flow cytometry for NPC (SOX1, PAX6, NESTIN), neuronal (MAP2, TUBB3), cortical layer (TBR1, CUX1) and glial markers (SOX9, GFAP, AQP4). Electron microscopy demonstrated that both methods resulted in morphologically similar neural rosettes. However, quantification of NPCs derived from 3D neural induction exhibited an increase in the number of PAX6/NESTIN double positive cells and the derived neurons exhibited longer neurites. In contrast, 2D neural induction resulted in more SOX1 positive cells. While 2D monolayer induction resulted in slightly less mature neurons, at an early stage of differentiation, the patch clamp analysis failed to reveal any significant differences between the electrophysiological properties between the two induction methods. In conclusion, 3D neural induction increases the yield of PAX6(+)/NESTIN(+) cells and gives rise to neurons with longer neurites, which might be an advantage for the production of forebrain cortical neurons, highlighting the potential of 3D neural induction, independent of iPSCs' genetic background

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Ev tipi buzdolaplarinin tasarim parameterelerinin optimize edilmesinde deneysel araştirmalar ve bilgisayar destekli analiz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, evlerde kullanılan ve gıdaları besin değerlerini kaybetmeden uzun sure saklayabilen buzdolaplarına ait iç tasarım parametrelerinin belirlenmesi ve en uygun değerlerinin araştırılmasıdır. Bu amaçla tek kapılı statik tip bir buzdolabı iç hava hacmi, Hesaplamalı Akışkanlar Dinamiği ve Isı Transferi (HADIT) yöntemi kullanılarak modellenmiş ve analizler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Modelin doğruluğu test odasında yapılan deney sonuçlarıyla karşılaştırılarak ispatlandıktan sonra sayısal sonuçlardan elde edilen sıcaklık ve hız dağılımları incelenerek iç tasarım parametreleri belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen parametre değerlerine ait optimizasyon çalışması, parametrik ve Yapay Sinir Ağları (YSA) yöntemleri kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Böylece, pahalı ve uzun zaman alan deneme yanılma yöntemi kullanılmaksızın tasarım parametrelerinin en iyi değerlerinin tahmin edilmesi mümkün kılınmıştır. Bu çalışmanın başarısı, tasarım ve iyileştirme aşamasında ev tipi buzdolapları için optimizasyon yöntemi geliştirmiş olmaktır. The aim of this study is to determine the inner design parameters of the domestic refrigerators which are used to store for long time without deterioration of the quality of food product and investigate the optimum values of these parameters. Thus, the interior air volume of a single door static type refrigerator was modeled using the Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer (CFDHT) method and analyses were made. The numerical results were validated by comparing with the experimental results from the producer company test rooms and then the inner design parameters were determined by using the numerical thermal and velocity distribution results. The optimization study of these obtained design parameter?s values was made by using the both of the parametric and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) methods. So, it was possible to predict the optimum values of design parameter without the trial and error method which is expensive and take long time. The success of this study is to develop an optimization method for domestic refrigerators in the design and improvement process

Response to the comments on "Investigation of design parameters of a domestic refrigerator by artificial neural networks and numerical simulations" by D. Kumlutas et al. [Int. J. Refrigeration 35 (2012) 1678-1689]

This report is a response to the comments on the paper prepared by D. Kumlutas et al. [Int. J. Refrigeration 35 (2012) 1678-1689]. Here, the aim is to provide answers and remarks to the highlighted questions and comments. Crown Copyright (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Analysis of the Magnetic Susceptibility as a Function of Temperature for the alpha, beta and gamma Phases of Oxygen

We analyse the magnetic susceptibility chi as a function of temperature (zero pressure) for the transitions of alpha- beta, beta- gamma and gamma-liquid below and above the transition temperatures for oxygen according to a power-law formula. The observed data are used from the literature, and the values of the critical exponents for the magnetic susceptibility are deduced close to the phase transitions in oxygen. Our exponent values give a logarithmic singularity for the magnetic susceptibility chi in the vicinity of T (c) as in the specific heat at constant magnetic field, C (M). Our exponent values (gamma ae integral 0) are not in agreement with the predictions for the magnetic susceptibility (gamma ae integral 1) of some theoretical models, which undergo essentially a second order transition. Our analysis gives an indication that the alpha- beta transition is a weak first order (less discontinuity in chi), whereas the beta- gamma and gamma-liquid transitions are closer to a first order (more discontinuous behaviour than the alpha- beta transition in oxygen). The effect of the magnetic interactions on the alpha- beta, beta- gamma and gamma-liquid transitions in oxygen is explained