Benchmarking the Turkish apparel retail industry through data envelopment analysis (DEA) and data visualization

This paper presents a benchmarking study of the Turkish apparel retailing industry. We have applied the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology to determine the efficiencies of the companies in the industry. In the DEA model the number of stores, number of corners, total sales area and number of employees were included as inputs and annual sales revenue was included as the output. The efficiency scores obtained through DEA were visualized for gaining insights about the industry and revealing guidelines that can aid in strategic decision making

Preferences of speech and language therapists for telepractice in the COVID-19 pandemic and factors affecting their acceptance of the delivery model

Objectives: With the COVID-19 pandemic, telepractice became a great option in speech-language therapy services, as in many healthcare utilities. However, the transition to this service model did not occur at a similar rate for every clinician. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the experiences, preferences and factors affecting the acceptance of speech-language therapists (SLT) regarding telepractice in Turkey.Methods: Sixty-seven SLTs were presented with a questionnaire that addressed the professional tendencies, experiences and views on telepractice of them. Descriptive statistics regarding the preferences and experiences of SLTs were calculated. Moreover, factors that might be related to the number of sessions they held at the pandemic were examined with the Chi-squared test.Results: The speech-language disorders that SLTs find the most suitable for telepractice were fluency disorders, voice disorders and speech sound disorders. Groups that SLTs deemed most suitable for receiving telepractice in terms of age were 12-21, 22-64 and 7-11, respectively. A significant relationship was found between the frequency of online meetings and telepractice sessions before the pandemic and the number of sessions during the pandemic. Furthermore, a significant relationship also was found between satisfaction with using clinician skills in telepractice and the number of telepractice sessions during the pandemic.Conclusions: The importance of the first experiences of SLTs in the acceptance of the delivery method emerged. The necessity of in-service trainings and exemplary models to improve attitudes emerged. With these trainings, ensuring security, standardizing practices and increasing qualified services will be provided as well

Özerklik desteği ve çocukların okula bağlılığı: motivasyonun aracılık rolü

The present study examined the mediating role of motivation in the association between autonomy support and children's school attachment. The study participants consisted of 437 primary school students (232 girls and 205 boys) selected from six schools in a province located in Turkey's southeast region. A hypothesized model was developed and tested by structural equation modeling on cross-sectional data. The data were collected via The School Attachment Scale for Children and Adolescents, The Scale for Motivation in Education, and The Short Form of the Learning Climate Scale. The results indicated that autonomy support had an indirect effect on school attachment through internal motivation. Contrary to these findings, it has been determined that neither identified external motivation nor introjected external motivation affected attachment to the school's directly and indirectlyBu çalışmada, özerklik desteği ile çocukların okula bağlanması arasındaki ilişkide motivasyonun aracı rolü incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını, Türkiye'nin Güneydoğu Anadolu bölgesinde yer alan bir ildeki altı okuldan seçilen 437 ilkokul öğrencisi (232 kız ve 205 erkek) oluşturmuştur. Kesitsel veriler üzerinde yapısal eşitlik modellemesi ile varsayımsal bir model geliştirilmiş ve test edilmiştir. Veriler Çocuklar ve Ergenler için Okula Bağlanma Ölçeği, Eğitimde Motivasyon Ölçeği ve Öğrenme İklimi Ölçeği Kısa Formu ile toplanmıştır. Sonuçlar, özerklik desteğinin içsel motivasyon yoluyla okula bağlanma üzerinde dolaylı bir etkisi olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu bulguların aksine, ne özdeşleşmiş dışsal motivasyonun ne de içselleştirilmiş dışsal motivasyonun okula bağlanmayı doğrudan ve dolaylı olarak etkilemediği belirlenmiştir

Autonomy Support and Children's School Attachment: Motivation as a Mediator [Özerklik Desteǧi ve Çocuklarin Okula Baǧliliǧi: Motivasyonun Aracilik Rolü]

The present study examined the mediating role of motivation in the association between autonomy support and children's school attachment. The study participants consisted of 437 primary school students (232 girls and 205 boys) selected from six schools in a province located in Turkey's southeast region. A hypothesized model was developed and tested by structural equation modeling on cross-sectional data. The data were collected via The School Attachment Scale for Children and Adolescents, The Scale for Motivation in Education, and The Short Form of the Learning Climate Scale. The results indicated that autonomy support had an indirect effect on school attachment through internal motivation. Contrary to these findings, it has been determined that neither identified external motivation nor introjected external motivation affected attachment to the school's directly and indirectly. © 2021 The authors. All right reserved

Horner Sendromu Tortikollis İlişkisi; bir Olgu Sunumu

Horner Sendromu, okülosempatik yolaktaki kesinti nedeniyle gözün sempatik innervasyon kaybı sonucu pitozis, miyozis, tek taraflı anhidrozis ve nadiren enoftalmus klinik semptomları ile karakterize nadir görünen bir klinik tablodur. Konjenital musküler tortikollis, sternokleidomastoid kasının fibrozisi ve buna bağlı kısalması ile oluşan bir kas iskelet sistemi malformasyonudur. Bu olgu sunumunda, konjenital musküler tortikollise ikincil gelişen horner sendromu ve bunun rehabilitasyon sürecindeki tanısı ele alınmıştır. Üç aylık bir kız bebek, konjenital musküler tortikollis tanısıyla, çocuk sağlığı ve hastalıkları polikliniği tarafından birimimize yönlendirildi. Öyküsünden, ikiz eşi olarak 34 haftalık gebelik sonrası sezaryen ile doğduğu, doğum sonrası yoğun bakım ihtiyacı olmadığı, ilk kez bir buçuk aylıkken ailesi tarafından boyunda asimetri fark edildiği ve çocuk sağlığı ve hastalıkları polikliniğine başvurduğu öğrenildi. Fizik muayenesinde kraniyofasiyal asimetri, servikal sol lateral fleksiyon, sola rotasyonda kısıtlılık ve olive belirtisi vardı. Rehabilitasyon sırasındaki takiplerinde yüzünün sağ yarısında anhidrozis, daha silik olarak sol tarafta miyozis ve pitozis bulguları da fark edilerek hastaya Horner Sendromu tanısı konuldu. Ayırıcı tanısı yapılarak olası diğer nedenler dışlandı ve etiyoloji hastadaki mevcut tortikollise bağlandı. Sonuç olarak hastalar tortikollis yönünden değerlendirilirken, nadir de olsa, tortikollise Horner Sendromu'nun eşlik edebileceği, klinik bulgular silik seyredebileceğinden tanının kolayca gözden kaçabileceği akılda tutulmalıdırHorner Syndrome is a rare condition characterized with ptosis, miosis, unilateral anhidrosis and rarely enophtalmos resulting from the sympathetic innervation loss by interruption of oculosymathetic pathway. Congenital muscular torticollis is a musculoskeletal system malformation resulting from fibrosis, therefore shortening of sternocleidomastoid muscle. In this report, Horner’s syndrome secondary to congenital muscular torticollis and diagnosis in rehabilitation period are discussed. Three-month-old baby girl was referred to our unit by pediatrics clinic with congenital muscular torticollis diagnosis. Her history comprised of cesarean delivery following a 34-week pregnancy as twin, and no intensive care need; her parents realized asymmetry in neck when she was a-month-anda-half old and they admitted to pediatrics. Craniofacial asymmetry, cervical left lateral flexion, restricted left rotation and olive sign were detected in physical examination. During rehabilitation, anhidrosis in the right side of face, soft left miosis and ptosis were also observed, and patient was diagnosed with Horner’s syndrome. Other possible reasons were ruled out with differential diagnosis and etiology was linked to torticollis. Consequently, while evaluating patients with torticollis, it must be considered that Horner’s syndrome, rarely accompanies, and since clinical findings may be soft, diagnosis may easily be missed ou

Dill seed oil as a possible contraceptive agent: antiangiogenic effects on endothelial cells

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) essential oil is wide spread in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors. Dill is a member of the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family. It has the following biological activities: antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antihyperlipidemic, antihypercholesterolemic, antispasmodic, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory. Aqueous extract of dill seed has reported effects on sex hormones and infertility potential. Moreover, boiled dill seed has an impact on reducing labor duration in giving birth. Implantation and placentation are necessary for a healthy pregnancy in the early stages. Angiogenesis is responsible for these essential processes. This study aimed to investigate dill seed oil’s cytotoxic and antiangiogenic effects on rat adipose tissue endothelial cells (RATECs). Dill seed oil showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity on RATECs. It disrupted endothelial tube formation and depolymerized F-actin stress fibers. According to this study, depolymerization of F-actin stress fiber by dill seed oil could inhibit angiogenesis by suppressing endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation and motility. In other words, dill seed oil can be a new anti-angiogenic agent and a novel contraceptive

In vitro antiviral evaluations of coldmix(R): An essential oil blend against SARS-CoV-2

Coldmix® is a commercially available Eucalyptus aetheroleum and, Abies aetheroleum blend for medicinal applications. In this present study, the in vitro antiviral potential of Coldmix®, and its major constituents 1,8-cineole and α-pinene were evaluated by using the in vitro ACE2 enzyme inhibition assay as well as the direct contact test against SARS-CoV-2. The observed ACE2 enzyme inhibitory activity of Coldmix®, 1,8-cineole, and α-pinene were 72%, 88%, and 80%, respectively; whereas in the direct contact test in the vapor phase, the destruction of the virus was 79.9% within 5 min and 93.2% in the 30th min, respectively. In a similar Coldmix® vapor phase setup using the in vitro cytotoxicity cell assay, E6 VERO healthy cells were experimentally not affected by toxicity. According to the promising initial antiviral results of Coldmix® and the individually tested constituents, detailed further in vivo evaluation using different virus classes is suggested

The Protective Effects of Geraniol Against Damage of Short Term Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rats

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the main causes of acute kidney injury. The pathological mechanisms underlying renal I/R injury are complex and remain uncertain. The protective effects of antioxidant properties of geraniol against renal ischemia reperfusion (I/R) damage were investigated in our study. 28 Wistar albino male rats were randomly selected and 4 groups of n = 7 were created. A right kidney nephrectomy surgery was conducted to all groups under anesthesia. 2 ml SF was given to Groups I and II, 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/ kg geraniol were administered intraperitoneally an hour before ischemia to Groups III and IV, respectively. Except for Group I, 45 minutes of ischemia and 4 hours of reperfusion were applied to the groups. At the end of the experiment, parameters related to oxidative stress and inflammation were determined by comparing kidney function, antioxidant enzyme activities and histological changes. Following comparison of BUN and CRE values with CAT and SOD values in tissue samples of Group I and Group II, an increase in Group II was observed and as a result I/R damage formation occurred. Values of geraniol-treated Group III and Group IV approximated to that of Group I, and that the 50 mg/kg geraniol dose proved more effective than 100 mg/kg geraniol

Pnömoni makalelerinin bibliyometrik analizi (2016-2020)

Lower respiratory infections are one of the leading factors of death in the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pneumonia comes to the fore from respiratory diseases. We aim to close the information gap regarding the characteristics of pneumonia articles published between the years 2016 and 2020 and indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database by bibliometric analysis. We collected the data for this study from the articles published in the WoS, from 2016 to 2020 by using “pneumonia” as the keyword. Articles were found among the "Science Citation Index Expanded" of the WoS advanced search engine and 24,896 articles that met the criteria were included. MS Excel, Python, MS Power BI, and Flourish website were used for data extraction and visualization.This bibliometric analysis showed that while the number of articles published regarding pneumonia was more stable between 2016 and 2019 it has increased dramatically in 2020. It was seen that the countries that caused this significant increase were the United States of America and China. More than one-fifth of all articles were written in cross-country collaboration. The magnitude of the impact of COVID-19 on pneumonia research has been numerically demonstrated by this bibliometric analysis.Alt solunum yolu enfeksiyonları dünyadaki başlıca ölüm sebeplerinden biridir. COVID-19 pandemisinde pnömoni solunum yolu hastalıkları arasında öne çıkmıştır. Bu çalışmada COVID-19 pandemisini de kapsayan 2016-2020 yılları arasındaki dönemde, Web of Science (WoS) veri tabanında yer alan, pnömoni makalelerinin özelliklerinin incelenmesi amaçlandı. WoS veritabanında 2016-2020 yılları arasındaki literatür “pnömoni” anahtar kelimesi kullanılarak taranıp, makaleler "Science Citation Index Expanded" ile sınırlandırılarak, kriterleri karşılayan 24.896 makaleye ulaşıldı. İndirilen veriler, Python programı vasıtasıyla tasnif edildi. Verilerin görselleştirilmesinde MS Excel, Python, MS Power BI programları ve Flourish web sitesi kullanıldı. Bu çalışmayla beraber pnömoni hakkında yapılan çalışma sayısı 2016-2019 yılları arasında stabil bir şekilde seyrederken bu sayının 2020 yılında belirgin oranda arttığı gözlemlendi. Bu orandaki belirgin artışa neden olan ülkelerin de ABD ve Çin olduğu görüldü. Tüm makalelerin beşte birinden fazlası ülkeler arası iş birliğiyle yazıldı. Bu bibliyometrik analizle COVID-19’un pnömoni araştırmaları üzerindeki etkisinin büyüklüğü sayısal olarak gösterilmiş oldu

Do N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels determine the prognosis of community acquired pneumonia?

Objective: Pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, especially in theelderly. The use of clinical risk scores to determine prognosis is complex and thereforeleads to errors in clinical practice. Pneumonia can cause increases in the levels of cardiacbiomarkers such as N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The prognosticrole of the NT-proBNP level in community acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unclear.The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic role of the NT-proBNP level in patientswith CAP, as well as its correlation with clinical risk scores. Methods: Consecutiveinpatients with CAP were enrolled in the study. At hospital admission, venous bloodsamples were collected for the evaluation of NT-proBNP levels. The Pneumonia SeverityIndex (PSI) and the Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, and age ? 65years (CURB-65) score were calculated. The primary outcome of interest was all-causemortality within the first 30 days after hospital admission, and a secondary outcomewas ICU admission. Results: The NT-proBNP level was one of the best predictors of30-day mortality, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.735 (95% CI: 0.642-0.828; p< 0.001), as was the PSI, which had an AUC of 0.739 (95% CI: 0.634-0.843; p < 0.001),whereas the CURB-65 had an AUC of only 0.659 (95% CI: 0.556-0.763; p = 0.006).The NT-proBNP cut-off level found to be the best predictor of ICU admission and 30-day mortality was 1,434.5 pg/mL. Conclusions: The NT-proBNP level appears to be agood predictor of ICU admission and 30-day mortality among inpatients with CAP, witha predictive value for mortality comparable to that of the PSI and better than that of theCURB-65 score