European language portfolio as a self-directed learning tool

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The study investigated to what extent the European Language Portfolio (ELP) can promote self-directed learning in the School of Foreign Languages at Anadolu University in the 2005-2006 academic year. The study also examined the attitudes of students, teachers and administrators towards the ELP and its implementation into the curriculum. Five data collection instruments were employed in this study. Interviews were conducted with students, one teacher, and administrators. Questionnaires were given to the students. Besides, student learning diaries and student ELPs were collected. Group discussions were held with teachers and students, as well. The results revealed that most of the students carried out self-directed learning activities and had positive attitudes towards the ELP although they had difficulties in setting their learning goals and assessing their language learning processes. The teachers reported that the ELP could be used to promote self-directed learning; however, it could be difficult to use the ELP with the student profile in this school. The administrators also felt positive towards the ELP and believed that pilot projects should be conducted before implementing the ELP into the curriculum. The results suggested that the ELP could be used as a first step to promote selfdirected learning in the School of Foreign Languages at Anadolu University.Ceylan, MeralM.S

Muhasebe meslek mensuplarinin vergi uyumunu etkileyen unsurlarin faktor analizi Ile degerlendirilmesi

Purpose of the Study: The study aims to determine the factors affecting the tax compliance of accounting professionals who play an important role in the preparation of tax returns and the calculation of taxes and also the power of these factors. -- Research Method: In the study, initially, theories regarding tax compliance were examined. Then, the questionnaire method was applied with the questions prepared based on the factors claimed to affect tax compliance by these theories. Answers gathered from 401 accounting professionals who took part in the survey were examined by the explanatory factor analysis one of the quantitative analysis methods. -- The Importance of the Study: Through this study, the factors affecting the tax compliance of accounting professionals and also the power of these factors were determined. That there hasn’t been an empirical study regarding this issue in the literature of either accounting or finance makes this study even more significant. -- Findings and Evaluation: The research revealed 7 factors affecting the tax compliance of accounting professionals. These factors were named as; taxpayer and wage pressure, tax regulations, low penalties, insufficient control, tax ethics, perception of professional duty and professional ethics.Calismanin Amaci: Calismanin amaci, vergi beyannamelerinin duzenlenmesi ve vergilerin hesaplanmasinda onemli bir rol oynayan muhasebe meslek mensuplarinin vergi uyumunu etkileyen faktorlerin ve bu faktorlerin gucunun belirlenmesidir. -- Arastirma Yontemi: Calismada oncelikle vergi uyumuna yonelik teoriler incelenmistir. Bu teorilerde vergi uyumunu etkiledigi belirtilen faktorlerden yola cikilarak hazirlanan sorular ile anket yontemi uygulanmistir. Ankete katilan 401 muhasebe meslek mensubunun verdikleri cevaplar nicel analiz yontemlerinden acimlayici faktor analizi teknigi kullanilarak degerlendirilmistir. -- Calismanin Onemi: Calismada muhasebe meslek mensuplarinin vergi uyumunu etkileyen faktorler ve bu faktorlerin gucu belirlenmistir. Gerek muhasebe gerekse maliye literaturunde konu hakkinda ampirik bir calismaya rastlanmamasi calismayi onemli kilmaktadir. -- Bulgular ve Degerlendirme: Arastirma sonucunda meslek mensuplarinin vergi uyumuna etki eden 7 faktor belirlenmistir. Bu faktorler sirasiyla; mukellef ve ucret baskisi, vergi duzenlemeleri, dusuk cezalar, denetim yetersizligi, vergi ahlaki, mesleki gorev algisi ve meslek etigi olarak isimlendirilmistir.peer-reviewe

Archeogeophysical Studies in The Sultan Ahmet (Blue) Mosque

Bu çalışmada İstanbul Fatih ilçesinde bulunan Sultan Ahmet Camii’nin içinde, dış avlularda, tüm alt bahçe alanlarında ve dış parsellerde gerçekleştirilen yeraltı haritalama çalışmaları anlatılmaktadır. Mayıs-Temmuz 2011 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirilen arazi ölçümleri ve saha çalışmaları sonucunda Sultan Ahmet Camii oturum sahasının yaklaşık 30 metre derinliğe kadar olan kısımların yeraltı haritaları oluşturulmuştur. Bu sayede daha önce varlığından emin olunamayan çok sayıda yapay ve doğal yer içi oluşumu haritalanması ve (3B) yeriçi modellerinin oluşturulması amaçlanmıştır

Land Ownership and Profitability of Greenhouse Production: Antalya Case

Agricultural production and income are important for Mediterranean region of Turkey. The region and especially Antalya province is well-known with greenhouse production. For greenhouse production achieving sustainability is important for meeting domestic and foreign demand and security of production lands. In order to measure the potential for improving greenhouse operators 281 farmers were surveyed in 2015 in Antalya and profit inefficiency and factors affecting inefficiencies of operators were estimated using stochastic frontier approach. Accordingly, the average inefficiency level of operators was found as 57 %, signifying the potential for improvement. The main objective was to undermine the impact of landownership on this inefficiency level. Yet, the impact of other relevant factors referring to greenhouse structures and famers’ characteristics were estimated as well. While level of education seemed to reduce inefficiency, household size had appeared as an inefficiency rising factor referring to professional labour endowment of greenhouse production in Antalya. Being renter of land appeared as an inefficiency rising factor as well as holding plastic house or having located in the western parts of Antalya. These findings indicated importance of supporting improved production technologies and use of strengthened structures. In addition, it appeared as essential to provide incentives to renters to cope with their costs

Effects of Stobadine and Vitamin E in Diabetes-Induced Retinal Abnormalities: Involvement of Oxidative Stress

Background. Because hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress may be a cause of retinopathy, this study examined the hypothesis that administration of exogenous antioxidants, stobadine (ST) and vitamin E (vitE), can restore retinal abnormalities in experimental diabetes. Methods. Normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced male Wistar rats received daily intraoral doses of ST (24.7 mg/kg) and vitE (a-dl-tocopherol acetate, 400e500 IU/kg) individually or in combinations for 8 months. The biochemical parameters including aldose reductase enzyme (AR) activity and lipid peroxidation (MDA), and histopathological changes such as retinal capillary basement membrane thickness (RCBMT) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression were evaluated. Results. A 37.99% increase in RCBMT was observed in rats after 8 months diabetes duration. The increase in RCBMT was 12.34% in diabetic rats treated with ST and 23.07% in diabetic rats treated with vitE. In diabetic rats treated with antioxidant combination, just a 4.38% increase was observed in RCBMT. The excess VEGF immunoreactivity and increased MDA and AR activity determined in diabetic retina were significantly attenuated by individual antioxidant treatments. Although both antioxidants decreased blood glucose, HbA1c, fructosamine and triglyceride levels in diabetic rats, poor glycemic control was maintained in all experimental groups during the treatment period. However, the antioxidant combination led to almost complete amelioration in retinal MDA and RCBMT in diabetic rats. Conclusions. The ability of antioxidant combination to arrest retinal abnormalities and lipid peroxidation even in the presence of poor glycemic control might advocate the key role of direct oxidative damage and the protective action of antioxidants in retinal alterations associated with diabetic retinopathy. Ó 2007 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc

Patterns of multiple primaries in fortyfour cancer patients: a single-center clinical experience

Introduction. Multiple primaries are defined as the existence of more than one synchronous or metachronous cancer type in the same individual. Due to a longer follow-up time after a primary cancer diagnosis, the likelihood of detection of a second primary is also increased. We report on patterns of multiple primaries in a cohort of cancer patients from a single institution.  Material and methods. We identified 44 patients with multiple primaries that were diagnosed, treated, and followed up between March 2011 and January 2022 from our prospectively maintained database at the Hatay Education and Research Hospital Cancer Unit.  Results. The median follow-up time was 60 months (range; 3–103). The median time between the diagnosis of the first primary and the second primary was 29 months (range; 0–94). The median OS was 76 months (95% Cl 26.6–125.4) from the first diagnosis and 27 months (95% Cl 0.65–53.4) from the diagnosis of the second primary for the entire cohort. The first diagnosed tumor was localized in the gastrointestinal system in 43.2% of patients and 65.9% of all tumors were adenocarcinoma. The first diagnosed cancer was at an early stage (Stages I and II) in 63.6% of patients. At the staging evaluation of the second primary, 54.5% of patients were found to be in the early stage (Stages I and II) and 45.5% were found to be in the late stage (Stages III and IV).  Conclusions. Our study is important as this is the largest cohort study about practical implications of managing multiple primaries. The risk of second and further primaries should be kept in mind in the active follow-up Introduction and surveillance of cancer patients

A novel strategy for probiotic bacteria: Ensuring microbial stability of fish fillets using characterized probiotic bacteria-loaded nanofibers

Nanoencapsulation of probiotic bacteria (L. rhamnosus) into poly(vinyl alcohol) & sodium alginate-based nanofibers (VSPBe) and also the production of poly(vinyl alcohol) & sodium alginate-based nanofibers (VS) were successfully obtained. VSPBe and VS nanofibers were used to limit the Total Mesophilic Aerobic Bacteria (TMABc), Psychrophilic Bacteria (TPBc) and also Yeast and Mold count (TYMc) growth in the fish fillet. Dispersion stability (? potential ?6.29 mV and ?7.74 mV, for VS and VSPBe, respectively), thermal decomposition (a reduction in mass of VS and VSPBe at temperatures 50 °C, corresponding to 5%, respectively) and morphological properties of nanofibers (diameters between 60 nm and 580 nm) were revealed by characterization analysis. Microbiological tests demonstrated that VS and VSPBe were effectively delayed the TMABc and TPBc growth in fish fillets up to 38%. However, the antimicrobial effects of nanofibers were not pronounced for TYM growth in the fish fillet. The viability of probiotic bacteria could be provided after electrospinning process and the use of L. rhamnosus-loaded nanofibers for delaying microbial growth in the fish fillets could be evaluated as a natural/novel technique. © 201