The effect of Lego Mindstorm projects on problem solving skills and scientific creativity of teacher candidate: Öğretmen adaylarının problem çözme becerilerine ve bilimsel yaratıcılıklarına Lego Mindstorm projelerinin etkisi

In this study; the effects of Lego Mindstorms projects on problem solving skills and scientific creativity of teacher candidates were. The study group consisted of 20 pre-service science teachers. The data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively. Problem solving and scientific creativity  test were used as quantitative data collection instruments. , Teacher Participant Interview was used as qualitative data collection tool. The practice with teacher candidates lasted 9 weeks.  In this process, pre-service teachers learned the software. Then, these teacher candidates were presented with the science problems appropriate to different grade levels and produced solutions to these problems with Lego EV3 Education sets.Results of the study, the participating teacher candidates identified Lego Ev3 Education sets as creative (25.6%), functional (18.7%), educational (20.9%), developmental (20.9%) and informative (13.9%). As a result of the projects carried out with the Lego Ev3 education sets, the problem solving skills and scientific creativity of the prospective teachers developed.Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. ÖzetBu çalışmada; Lego Mindstorms projelerinin öğretmen adaylarının problem çözme becerilerine ve bilimsel yaratıcılıklarına etkisi incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Fen Bilgisi 3.sınıf öğrencisi 20 öğretmen adayı oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada nicel ve nitel veriler toplanmıştır. Nicel veri toplama araçları olarak problem çözme envanteri ve bilimsel yaratıcılık testi kullanılmıştır. Nitel veri toplama aracı olarak da öğretmen görüş anketi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın uygulama süreci 9 hafta sürmüştür. Bu süreçte önce öğretmen adayları yazılımı öğrenmiştir. Sonra bu öğretmen adaylarına farklı sınıf düzeylerine uygun fen problemleri sunulmuş ve bu problemlere Lego EV3 Education setleri ile çözüm üretmişlerdir.Çalışmanın sonuçları, araştırmaya katılan öğretmen adaylarının Lego Ev3 Education setlerini: yaratıcı (%25.6), işlevsel (%18.7), eğitimde uygulanabilir (%20.9), gelişimsel (%20.9) ve bilgiyi uygulayabilir (%13.9) olarak tanımladıklarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Lego Ev3 education setleri ile yapılan projeler sonucunda öğretmen adaylarının problem çözme becerileri ve bilimsel yaratıcılıkları gelişmiştir

Virtual Reality and Occupational Therapy

Virtual reality is three dimensional, interactive and fun way in rehabilitation. Its first known use in rehabilitation published by Max North named as “Virtual Environments and Psychological Disorders” (1994). Virtual reality uses special programmed computers, visual devices and artificial environments for the clients’ rehabilitation. Throughout technological improvements, virtual reality devices changed from therapeutic gloves to augmented reality environments. Virtual reality was being used in different rehabilitation professions such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology and so on. In spite of common virtual reality approach of different professions, each profession aims different outcomes in rehabilitation. Virtual reality in occupational therapy generally focuses on hand and upper extremity functioning, cognitive rehabilitation, mental disorders, etc. Positive effects of virtual reality were mentioned in different studies, which are higher motivation than non‐simulated environments, active participation of the participants, supporting motor learning, fun environment and risk‐free environment. Additionally, virtual reality was told to be used as assessment. This chapter will focus on usage of virtual reality in occupational therapy, history and recent developments, types of virtual reality technologic equipment, pros and cons, usage for pediatric, adult and geriatric people and recent research and articles

Anxiety Symptoms in Healthcare Workers and Their Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey

Aim: Infectious disease outbreaks not only affect the physical health of patients but also affect the psychological health and well-being of the uninfected population. High rates of psychiatric symptoms and stress are observed in the general population in COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare workers (HCWs) reported higher-risk perception and anxiety level. We aimed to evaluate the anxiety levels of HCWs and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.Materials and Methods: A total of 121 HCWs and 121 HCWs’ children aged 8-17 were included from 23 different cities to assess the anxiety level of them during the COVID-19 pandemic by using an online questionnaire. The Beck Anxiety Inventory and the parent Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) were applied to all the HCWs. The child SCARED which has a self-report scale for children of the HCWs had completed. COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire was applied to determine stress levels and lifestyle changes.Results: All of the HCWs had mild to severe anxiety, about 17% reported moderate and 27% reported severe anxiety severity. 40 (33.06%) children were over cut-off for total score in both SCARED the parents and the child version. Children anxiety showed a positive correlation with Beck Anxiety Inventory and COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire (<0.001).Conclusion:The current study found that HCWs and their children experienced a high level of anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was detected that a positive correlation between HCWs and their children’s anxiety

Diagnosis and management of carotid body tumor: a report of seven cases

Bozok, Sahin/0000-0002-1256-5055WOS: 000314377200038Paragangliomas are rare asymptomatic painless tumors, originating from paraganglionic bodies of autonomous nerve system of the embriological neural crest and increasing gradually. Despite their gradual developing nature, it is critical to reach early diagnosis and tailor surgical plan for carotid body tumors due to their potential of being malignant and local aggressive development, as well as invasion or pressure on the adjacent vascular and neural tissues. in this article, we present seven cases who were admitted with the complaints of pain and swelling in the neck and were diagnosed with carotid body tumor based on the further investigations and were surgically treated in the light of literature review and different surgical modalities were discussed

The effect of combined hyperbaric oxygen and iloprost treatment on the prevention of spinal cord ischaemia-reperfusion injury: an experimental study

Bozok, Sahin/0000-0002-1256-5055; Durakoglugil, Emre/0000-0001-5268-4262WOS: 000325763500005PubMed: 23946499Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) has been shown to be effective in preventing neurological injuries in animal models of ischaemia, whereas iloprost (IL) prevents ischaemia-related mitochondrial dysfunction and reduces infarction size after focal cerebral ischaemia in animal models. the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of combined HBO and IL treatment on spinal cord ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury by neurological, histopathological and biochemical methods in an experimental study. Eighty New Zealand white male rabbits were randomly allocated into one of five study groups. the HBO group received a single session of HBO treatment and the IL group received an infusion of 25 ng/kg/min IL; the HBO + IL group received both HBO and IL and the control group received only 0.9% saline; the fifth group was the sham group. Levels of S100 beta protein, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and nitric oxide (NO) were measured at onset, at the end of ischaemia period and at the 24th and 48th hour of reperfusion. Physical activity was assessed using Tarlov criteria 24, and the spinal cords of the sacrificed rabbits were evaluated histopathologically. Additionally, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzyme activities [total superoxide dismutase (SOD); catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were assessed. Neurological scores in the HBO, IL and HBO + IL groups were statistically significantly better compared with the control group at the 24th (P = 0.001 for all) and 48th hour (P = 0.001 for all). Histopathological scores in the HBO, IL and HBO + IL groups were also significantly better compared with the control group (P = 0.003, 0.001 and 0.001, respectively). Whereas MDA, NSE, S100 beta protein and NO concentrations were significantly lower, CAT and GSH-PX levels were significantly higher in either sham or treatment groups compared with the control group. Since we demonstrated beneficial effects on spinal cord IR injury, we think that both HBO and IL, either alone or in combination, may be reasonable in the treatment of IR injury. Furthermore, there did not appear to be synergistic effects with combined treatment. More research is needed for practical application in humans, following thoracoabdominal aortic surgery

Evaluation of the Genetic Analysis Results in Infertile Patients with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia

Objective:To evaluate the genetic analysis results of patients who referred to our clinic infertility and whom semen analysis revealed non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA).Materials and Methods:Among 994 patients who underwent a microscopic testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) operation for NOA, 497 patients who were tested for karyotype analysis and 450 patients who were tested for chromosome Y microdeletion were included in our study. The rates of Klinefelter syndrome (KS) and Y chromosome microdeletion, sperm retrieval rates (SRR) in these genetic anomalies and the factors affecting them were investigated. Additionally, the association between the age, duration of infertility, testicular size, serum follicle stimulant hormone (FSH) and testosterone levels of patients and sperm extraction rates of micro-TESE operations were also evaluated.Results:The overall SRR of NOA patients who underwent micro-TESE was 47.5%. Among 104 patients with KS, sperm was successfully found after micro-TESE in 22 (21.2%). Fourteen patients were diagnosed with the Y chromosome microdeletion and sperm was successfully found in 4 (28.6%) of them; while the duration of infertility did not affect the SRR after micro-TESE (p=0.712); age, testicular volume serum FSH and testosterone levels had a significant effect on the SRR (p<0.005).Conclusion:In this study, the SRR of patients who have chromosome Y microdeletion or KS, was found to be lower than other studies in the literature. This difference could be derived from the genetically tested population’s structure, variance in the gene areas used for scanning and different demographic characteristics of different regions

Prevalence of Poor Sleep Quality and Its Determinants Among Men Suffering from Erectile Dysfunction

Objective:Recent findings implicate a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) among men with sleep disorders. We investigated sleep quality among men with ED.Materials and Methods:A prospective study was conducted at 12 different andrology outpatient clinics among men with complaints of insufficient erections. The subjective quality of sleep was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory. Erectile function and its dimensions were measured using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire. The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index and Beck Depression Inventory were used to evaluate interrelations with comorbid disease severity and depression of the subjects consecutively in the study.Results:Among 431 eligible men, the median age of the participants and their erectile function scores in the IIEF were 51 [interquartile range (IQR)=43-59] and 16 (IQR=11-19), respectively. Poor sleep was observed in 192 of 431 (44.5%) subjects. Multivariable analysis revealed that younger age [odds ratio (OR)=0.95, p=0.01], lower body mass (OR=0.86, p=0.01), lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR=0.95, p=0.02), and higher severity of depression (OR=2.1, p=0.0001) were predictors of poor sleep quality among men with ED.Conclusion:Nearly half of the men with ED also suffer from poor sleep. Younger age, lean body mass, and severe depression were the main predictors of poor sleep quality among ED sufferers

Perinatal and medical risk factors in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder or specific learning disorder: comparison between diagnostic groups

Sahin, Berkan/0000-0003-4699-3418WOS: 000502778500004Introduction: Epigenetic changes in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders, including prenatal and early life exposures, are becoming as appealing as hereditary genes. This study aimed to investigate possible pre-pubertal environmental and developmental risk factors for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). Methods: The study included 98 children (24 ADHD, 24 SLD, 26 ASD, 20 controls) aged 7-12 years. The diagnostic evaluation was based on the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age Children-present version. Parents completed socio-demographic data form for clinical evaluation, and The Wechsler Children's Intelligence scale was used to assess cognitive skills. Results: In our study, low parental education level, parental unemployment, low-income, and history of psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives were associated with SLD risk, prematurity, and early self-regulation difficulties were associated with ASD risk, and history of allergy was associated with ADHD risk. Conclusion: In this study, the presence of many different risk factors that play a possible role in neurodevelopmental disorders suggests that further epigenetic studies arc needed

Modal Analyses and Experimental Verifications of Joined-Wing Configurations

In recent days, wing kits are extensively used to convert conventional munitions into guided munitions. The wing kit integration enables munitions to gain standoff attack capability, extends their range and together with a laser guidance system, adds moving target tracking capability. Typical wing kits are usually composed of two main wings, however, some of them have a joined-wing configuration where the aft wings can support the main wings in order to increase maneuverability, range performance and structural performance. In this study, since the geometry and sweep angle of front wings are kept fixed due to aerodynamic effects in operating conditions, joined-wing configurations are investigated by changing two key parameters, namely; aft wing sweep angle and location of the joint. Response surface methodology is used in order to determine how these parameters affect the vibration characteristics of the joined-wing configurations. In numerical analyses, the natural frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes for the configurations are obtained by using ANSYS software. Then the results of selected configurations are verified via modal testing so as to achieve accurate finite element models of the joined-wing configurations