Teacher Rating Scales of Early Academic Competence (TRS-EAC): Adaptation to Turkish, Validity and Reliability

This study aims to conduct Turkish adaptation, validity and reliability studies of the Teacher Rating Scales of Early Academic Competence. This study also aims to examine and improve early academic competence thoroughly on the basis of teachers’ ratings in Turkey, and lastly to contribute an assessment and measurement instrument to the literature which will enable to conduct further research in the field. This study was designed in a general survey model. The study included normally developing 619 36-72 month-old preschoolers attending to nursery classes and kindergartens affiliated to Afyonkarahisar Ministry of National Education in 2015-2016 academic year. The validity and reliability studies of the data obtained following the implementation of TRS-EAC, was completed. The Cronbach Alpha, split half test, test-retest reliability of the scale and its subscales were measured. TRS-EAC was found to be valid and reliable for 36-72 month-old children. It can be considered that the various studies that can be used TRS-EAC in Turkey will provide important contributions to the measurement power of this test

Comparison of two different antibiotic regimens for the prophylaxisis of cases with preterm premature rupture of membranes: a randomized clinical trial

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of 1 g ampicillin prophylactic dosage whether it is as effective as the dosage of 2 g to prevent maternal and neonatal morbidity in a randomized manner. Materials and methods: One hundred and fourty eight singleton pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes between 21 and 33 weeks of gestation were followed-up during the study period in our institution. We com­pared the efficacy of two different different dosages of ampicillin. The study population was randomized into 2 groups. In the group 1, 1 g of intravenous ampicillin was given every 6 hours. In the group 2, 2 g of intravenous ampicillin was given every 6 hours. Results: There was no significant difference between groups interms of fetal complications (RDS, icterus, mortality, sepsis, transient tachypnea of newborn and the pneumonia), rate of intensive care unit admission, fetal gender, fever, rate of clinical chorioamnionitis, high white blood cell count and the CRP, rate of cases < 30 weeks (p > 0.05). There was a significant differ­ence between the groups for the rate of previous preterm premature rupture of membranes history, steroid administration and the need for tocolysis (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Although antibiotics seems to be innocent, several side effects have been introduced. It is reasonable to use the lowest dosages in shortest period in order to minimize these unwanted effects

"Publicness" of the seafront within recent urban inequalities in Izmir (Turkey)

Book of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Definite Space – Fuzzy Responsibility, Prague, 13-16th July, 2015Based on my user survey, this research discusses how users of a main promenade/seafront in Izmir (a metropolitan city, Turkey) negotiate for this promenade’s “publicness.” It attempts to relate such negotiations to polarized discussions about urban public life and inequalities in Turkey, at which imaginations of Izmir play a significant role since 2000s. Izmir has a high rate of immigration since the 1990s especially with Kurdish people and other groups from Turkey’s urban and rural areas. Given Izmir’s Mediterranean climate, this promenade is widely used, although the activity areas are limited to a walkway. Interestingly, this promenade is attached to relatively better-off central and coastal neighbourhoods with long time dwellers but also has easy access for those neighbourhoods on the hills with middle and low income residents, including recent migrants. Yet survey results tell that this seafront is primarily used by those living in coastal and nearby neighbourhoods and has evolved mostly as “a kind of communal” public space of a “decent district”—Goztepe, which is known as representing the “modern” life style. Surveys are analysed to see whether and to what degree the users negotiate the “publicness” of this seafront, given the users’ socio-economic and demographic characteristics, habits of using urban public spaces, the quality of their neighbourhood life and the physical conditions of users’ dwelling. The results suggest that especially the site design favours middle-age working people over older people, children, women, teenagers and those who want to socialize.Published Versio

TÜRKİYE’DE YETİSEN BAZI SALVIA TÜRLERİNİN ASETİLKOLİNESTERAZ İNHİBİTÖR ETKİSİ ÜZERİNDE ARASTIRMALAR

Ülkemizde “adaçayı” olarak bilinen Salvia türleri (Lamiaceae), önemli tıbbi ve aromatik bitkilerden biridir. Salvia türlerinin Avrupa’da ve Çin’de geleneksel olarak hafıza güçlendirici amaçla kullanıldığı bildirilmesi nedeniyle, bu çalısmada Türkiye’de yetisen 28’i endemik olmak üzere 55 Salvia taksonunun Alzheimer hastalığının tedavisinde kullanılan en etkili strateji olan asetilkolinesteraz (AChE) enzim inhibe etme potansiyelleri ve antioksidan aktivitelerinin tayin edilmesi amaçlanmıstır. Bu türlerden hareketle hazırlanan diklorometan, etil asetat ve metanol ekstrelerinin AChE inhibitör aktiviteleri spektrofotometrik Ellman yöntemi ile ELISA mikroplak okuyucuda 25, 50 ve 100 μg/ml konsantrasyonlarda test edilmistir. Ekstrelerin antioksidan aktivitesi ise 2,2-difenil-1-pikrilhidrazil (DPPH) radikal süpürücü etki ve demir iyonu-selasyon etkisinin tayini yoluyla gerçeklestirilmistir. Sonuçta, bu testlerde en aktif bulunan S. fruticosa diklorometan ekstresine, çesitli kromotografik tekniklerle aktiviteyönlendirmeli fraksiyonlama uygulanarak, aktif alt fraksiyon elde edilmistir. Đlaveten, ekstrede demir-indirgeme antioksidan gücü testi ile toplam fenol ve toplam flavonoit miktar tayini yapılmıstır. Diğer taraftan, S. fruticosa uçucu yağı elde edilmis ve GK-KS ile kimyasal bilesimi belirlenmistir. Uçucu yağın AChE ile bütirilkolinesteraz (BChE) inhibisyonu ve antioksidan aktivitesi incelenmis, orta derecede anti-AChE etkiye sahip olduğu bulunmustur. Sonuçlarımız, Salvia türlerinin hafıza güçlendirici amaçla geleneksel kullanımı ile uyum içindedir.Salvia species (Lamiaceae) known as “adaçayı” in our country, are one of the important medicinal and aromatic plants. Since Salvia species have been reported to be used for memory-enhancing purpose traditionally in Europe and China, in this study, it was aimed to determine acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibiting potentials, which is the most effective strategy used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and antioxidant activity of 55 Salvia taxa growing in Turkey, 28 of which are endemic. AChE inhibitory activities of the dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts prepared from these species have been tested at 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml concentrations by spectrophotometric Ellman method in ELISA microplate reader. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was performed via determination of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric on-chelating effect. As a result, active subfraction was obtained by applying activity-guided fractionation with various chromatographic techniques to the dichlorometane extract of S. fruticosa, which was found to be the most active. In addition, in the extract, ferric-reducing antioxidant power test as well as total phenol and total flavonoid contents were carried out. On the other hand, essential oil of S. fruticosa was obtained and its chemical composition was established by GC-MS. AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil were examined and found that it had moderate anti-AChE effect. Our results are in accordance with traditional utilization of Salvia species for memory-enhancing purpose

GIS-based mappings of park accessibility at multiple spatial scales: a research framework with the case of Izmir (Turkey)

With a concern of social needs in the redistribution of benefits of parks, recent research assesses park accessibility but usually at one spatial scale (e.g. city, neighbourhood, or park). As a case in Izmir (Turkey), this study explores how to develop research with a multi-scalar focus on park accessibility. It proposes a framework with the research stages deploying GIS-based tools. The first stage identifies "park-rich", "park-moderate" and "park-poor" neighbourhoods. The second and third stages evolve in three park-rich neighbourhoods and at 112 local parks. All stages deal with preparing various socio-spatial data from online sources and field observations and assess the data according to a list of themes about "accessibility" and "diversity". The results highlight that regardless of their high park coverages per person, park-rich neighbourhoods have multiple blocks, buildings, and parks with the features hindering park accessibility for some local groups with different walking capacities and needs. The GIS-based mappings of these features can provide decision-making tools about local parks and neighbourhood interventions

Use and design of neighborhood parks as parochial realms by mothers and elderly: a case study in Izmir, Turkey

Book of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017Neighborhoods parks are core living environments that create an important part of the public life which help to fulfill residents’ social needs and satisfaction through social relations of neighborliness and familiarity. Neighborhood parks can ideally provide various opportunities for the well-being of especially those whose daily lives are bounded to their place-of-residence, such as women, children and elderly people. In fact, they can be used as parochial realms by these “groups-in-need.” In daily life, however, not all of these groups do and can use neighborhood parks in the ways as desired, because the access to park use is not equitable among all. In order to improve urban planning and urban design strategies that support equitable access to neighborhood parks, we need to investigate the factors causing inequitable access to the use of neighborhood parks and especially how neighborhood parks evolve on daily basis as the parochial realms by the groups-in-need. Literature mostly tends to analyze neighborhood parks as public realms. However, as Bose (2005) also state studies that are limited to “binary conceptualization (public-private)” loose the interconnections between public and private realms and obscure the experiences of women in betwen these realms as (Bose, 2005). So this study considers that especially “groups-in-need” use neighborhood parks as their parochial realm. Ultimately, the physical and social factors that cause these perceptions should be investigated.Published versio

Examining early literacy skills of children aged 60-72 months in terms of certain socio-demographic characteristics : Examining early literacy skills of children

In this study, it was aimed to determine whether the children aged 60-72 months were in the risk group for early literacy skills, and whether their certain socio-demographic characteristics are effective on their early literacy skills. In line with this purpose, relational screening model was used in the research. The study group was comprised of 165 children aged 60-72 months who were attending the preschool. As the data collection tools, the Personal Information Form developed by the researchers and the Test of Early Literacy (TEL) developed by Kargin, Ergül, Büyüköztürk and Güldenoğlu (2015) were used. In the analysis of the data, the TEL scores of children were calculated and those in the risk group were determined through the cut points. The Chi Square test was used to compare categorical data. Based on the Chi Square test results, variables with statistically significant differences, binomial logistical regression, and odds ratio were calculated. The scores of the participant children obtained from the whole TEL and its sub-dimensions were below the cut points at a rate ranging from 15, 85% to 60, 98%, and were in the risk group in terms of early literacy skills. It was concluded that the gender variable has no effect on being within the risk group in terms of early literacy skills. It was concluded that the educational status and income levels of the parents increase the early literacy skills of children, in other words, it was concluded that having parents with high educational status and high income levels prevents the early literacy skills of children from being below the cut points, and from being disadvantageous

Performance Analysis of Axial-Flux Induction Motor with Skewed Rotor

In recent years, with developing technology in the field of electrical machines, more efficient and high power density electric motors have been produced. The use of high energy efficiency motors gains importance due to the increase in global energy demand. The main purpose of this study was to design an Axial Flux Induction Motor (AFIM) with the same efficiency class as the Radial Flux Induction Motor (RFIM) in premium efficiency (IE3) class which is used commonly in industrial applications. Various AFIMs are designed with different rotor slot numbers and performance analyses as efficiency and torque ripple changes are investigated. It is known that torque ripple is one of the key parameters in electrical machine design which should be kept as low as possible without decreasing efficiency and torque. Accordingly, AFIMs’ rotor slots are skewed considering the stator and rotor slot numbers. The use of a Soft Magnetic Composites (SMC) material in design is also investigated. As a result of the analyses, many premium efficiency classes for AFIMs are obtained. In addition, using SMC material and skewing the rotor slots provides that torque ripples be reduced