Orogenic architecture of the Mediterranean region and kinematic reconstruction of its tectonic evolution since the Triassic

The basins and orogens of the Mediterranean region ultimately result from the opening of oceans during the early break-up of Pangea since the Triassic, and their subsequent destruction by subduction accommodating convergence between the African and Eurasian Plates since the Jurassic. The region has been the cradle for the development of geodynamic concepts that link crustal evolution to continental break-up, oceanic and continental subduction, and mantle dynamics in general. The development of such concepts requires a first-order understanding of the kinematic evolution of the region for which a multitude of reconstructions have previously been proposed. In this paper, we use advances made in kinematic restoration software in the last decade with a systematic reconstruction protocol for developing a more quantitative restoration of the Mediterranean region for the last 240 million years. This restoration is constructed for the first time with the GPlates plate reconstruction software and uses a systematic reconstruction protocol that limits input data to marine magnetic anomaly reconstructions of ocean basins, structural geological constraints quantifying timing, direction, and magnitude of tectonic motion, and tests and iterations against paleomagnetic data. This approach leads to a reconstruction that is reproducible, and updatable with future constraints. We first review constraints on the opening history of the Atlantic (and Red Sea) oceans and the Bay of Biscay. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the architecture of the Mediterranean orogens, from the Pyrenees and Betic-Rif orogen in the west to the Caucasus in the east and identify structural geological constraints on tectonic motions. We subsequently analyze a newly constructed database of some 2300 published paleomagnetic sites from the Mediterranean region and test the reconstruction against these constraints. We provide the reconstruction in the form of 12 maps being snapshots from 240 to 0 Ma, outline the main features in each time-slice, and identify differences from previous reconstructions, which are discussed in the final section

Tectonic evolution and paleogeography of the Kırşehir Block and the Central Anatolian Ophiolites, Turkey

In Central and Western Anatolia two continent-derived massifs simultaneously underthrusted an oceanic lithosphere in the Cretaceous and ended up with very contrasting metamorphic grades: high pressure, low temperature in the Tavsanli zone and the low pressure, high temperature in the Kirsehir Block. To assess why, we reconstruct the Cretaceous paleogeography and plate configuration of Central Anatolia using structural, metamorphic, and geochronological constraints and Africa-Europe plate reconstructions. We review and provide new Ar-40/Ar-39 and U/Pb ages from Central Anatolian metamorphic and magmatic rocks and ophiolites and show new paleomagnetic data on the paleo-ridge orientation in a Central Anatolian Ophiolite. Intraoceanic subduction that formed within the Neotethys around 100-90 Ma along connected N-S and E-W striking segments was followed by overriding oceanic plate extension. Already during suprasubduction zone ocean spreading, continental subduction started. We show that the complex geology of central and southern Turkey can at first order be explained by a foreland-propagating thrusting of upper crustal nappes derived from a downgoing, dominantly continental lithosphere: the Kirsehir Block and Tavsanli zone accreted around 85 Ma, the Afyon zone around 65 Ma, and Taurides accretion continued until after the middle Eocene. We find no argument for Late Cretaceous subduction initiation within a conceptual "Inner Tauride Ocean" between the Kirsehir Block and the Afyon zone as widely inferred. We propose that the major contrast in metamorphic grade between the Kirsehir Block and the Tavsanli zone primarily results from a major contrast in subduction obliquity and the associated burial rates, higher temperature being reached upon higher subduction obliquity.European Research Council ; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO

Türkiye Romatizma Araştırma ve Savaş Derneği ankilozan spondilit ulusal tedavi önerileri

Objectives: To develop Turkish League Against Rheumatism (TLAR) National Recommendations for the management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Materials and methods: A scientific committee of 25 experts consisting of six rheumatologists and 19 physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists was formed by TLAR. Recommendations were based on the 2006 ASsessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis International Working Group(ASAS)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations and a systematic review of associated publications between January 2005 and September 2010. A Delphi process was used to develop the recommendations. Twelve major recommendations were constructed for the management of AS. Voting using a numerical rating scale assessed the strength of each recommendation. Results: The 12 recommendations include patient assessment, patient follow-up along with pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. Some minor additions and changes have been made to the ASAS/EULAR recommendations. All of the recommendations had sufficient strength. Conclusion: National recommendations for the management of AS were developed based on scientific evidence and consensus expert opinion. These recommendations will be updated regularly in accordance with recent developments.Türkiye Romatizma Araştırma ve Savaş Derneği᾽nin (TRASD) Ankilozan Spondilit (AS) için ulusal tedavi önerilerinin oluşturulmasıdır. Gereç ve yöntemler: TRASD tarafından altı Romatoloji ve 19 Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon uzmanı olmak üzere toplam 25 kişiden oluşan bir bilimsel kurul oluşturuldu. Önerilerde 2006 yılında yayınlanan Ankilozan Spondilit Değerlendirme Uluslararası Çalışma Grubu (ASAS)/Romatizmaya karşı Avrupa Ligi (EULAR) önerileri ve Ocak 2005 - Eylül 2010 arasında yayınlanmış olan ilişkili yayınlar konusundaki sistematik bir inceleme temel alındı. Öneriler oluşturulurken Delphi süreci kullanıldı. Ankilozan spondilit tedavisi ile ilgili 12 ana öneri oluşturuldu. Oylama yapılarak önerilerin güçlülük düzeyi bir nümerik derecelendirme skalası ile belirlendi. Bulgular: On iki öneri hasta değerlendirilmesini, hasta takibini ve farmakolojik ve non-farmakolojik yöntemleri içermektedir. ASAS/EULAR önerilerine bazı ilaveler ve önerilerde bazı küçük değişiklikler yapılmıştır. Tüm öneriler yeterli kuvvete sahipti. Sonuç: Bilimsel kanıtlar ve uzmanların görüş birliği ile AS tedavisine yönelik ulusal öneriler oluşturulmuştur. Bu öneriler, yeni gelişmeler doğrultusunda düzenli olarak güncellenmelidi

Sosyal bilgiler dersinde öğrenme nesnelerinin kullanımı : akademik başarı, tutum ve derse katılım

This study aimed to compare 6th grade students who used learning objects and did not use learning objects in their social studies lessons in terms of their academic achievement, attitudes toward the lesson and engagement in the lesson. Further it investigated the teachers’ and students opinions about using learning objects in the instructional process. To achieve the aforementioned aims, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data throughout the spring semester of 2011-2012 academic year. The participants of this study were 137 students studying at the 6th grade in a public primary school in Bolu. An experimental study was conducted to compare students’ achievement, their attitudes toward social studies lesson, and their engagement in the social studies lesson with and without using learning objects. Using the survey method, students’ evaluations of their learning objects were examined. Students were observed in the classroom environment during the experimentation in order to reveal how they used the learning objects. Teachers and students were interviewed to elicit their opinions about using learning objects in the instructional and the learning process. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and variance, and inferential statistics like paired-samples t-test, independent samples t-test, Mann Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test for paired samples test and Spearman’s rho test. On the other hand, qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The quantitative findings of the study showed that experimental group students’ scores were significantly higher than those of the control group students in the social studies achievement test, attitude scale and course engagement scale. Students in the experimental group had positively evaluated the learning objects of the study. In addition, positive correlation was identified between the achievement and course engagement, and between the achievement and learning object evaluation scores. The qualitative results of the study indicated that the characteristics and design principles of learning objects influenced the course achievement, attitude and engagement of students. These emerging results and the discussion have some important implications for teachers and instructional designers. The study contributes to a well-grounded understanding of learning objects approach and provides a basis for further empirical studies on learning objects.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

Effectiveness of Learning Objects in Primary School Social Studies Education: Achievement, Perceived Learning, Engagement and Usability

Learning objects originated from the object oriented approach in computer science and defined as "any digital resource that can be reused to support learning" (Wiley, 2001), and they are also used in learning and teaching environments. However, literature on learning objects focus on their technical characteristics and metadata. Research on the effects of learning objects on teaching-learning environments especially in social studies lessons is scarce. So, this study examines the effectiveness of learning objects in 6th grade social studies lesson in order to fill the gap between the theory and application of learning objects. The study was pretest-posttest control-treatment group quasi experimental study and was implemented in a primary school in Bolu with 137 students in 6th grade during 24 lesson hours in 8 weeks. At the end of the study, the learning objects developed for the study were evaluated by the students through Learning Object Evaluation Scale (LOES). The findings showed that when learning objects were used with teacher's guidance, academic achievement of students was higher than their achievement in traditional teaching environments. Further investigation revealed that students found LOs beneficial for their learning, highly engaging and well designed

Türk üniversite öğrencileri arasında problemli internet kullanımı: İnternet etkinlikleri ve demografik özelliklere göre çok boyutlu bir inceleme

 This study investigates the Turkish undergraduate university students’ problematic Internet use (PIU) levels on different dimensions based on demographics (e.g., gender, Internet use by time of day), and Internet activities (e.g., chat, entertainment, social networking, information searching, etc.).Moreover, the study explored some predictors of PIU on different dimensions among the Turkish undergraduate students (N=610). The results indicate that the female students (N=358) had significantly lower PIU levels on all dimensions (i.e., social comfort, loneliness/depression, diminished impulse control and distraction) than those of the males (N=252). Furthermore, the results reveal that the students who use the Internet for entertainment (e.g., game) chat and social networking purposes have significantly higher PIU levels on all dimensions than the students who do not use the Internet for such purposes. However, the students who use the Internet for educational purposes have a significantly lower PIU level on distraction dimension, and the students who use the Internet for information searching demonstrate a significantly lower PIU level on the dimension of diminished impulse control. Moreover, multiple regression analyses reveal that Internet activities such as chat, entertainment and social networking are significant predictors of the all dimensions of PIU.  Bu çalışma lisans düzeyinde öğrenim gören Türk üniversite öğrencilerinin farklı boyutlardaki problemli İnternet kullanım (PİK) seviyelerini demografik özellikleri (cinsiyet, gün içerisinde İnternet kullanım zamanı) ve İnternet etkinliklerine (sohbet, eğlence, sosyal iletişim, bilgi araştırma, vs) göre incelemektedir. Ayrıca,  bu çalışma Türk öğrencileri (N=610) arasında farklı boyutlardaki PİK yordayıcılarını araştırmaktadır. Bulgular kızların (N=358) bütün PİK alt boyutlarında (sosyal destek, yalnızlık-depresyon, azalmış dürtü kontrolü, dikkat dağıtma) erkeklerden (N=252) daha düşük PİK seviyelerine sahip olduklarını göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, sonuçlar İnterneti eğlence (örn. oyun), sohbet, ve sosyal iletişim amaçlı kullanan öğrencilerin bütün PİK boyutlarında İnterneti bü tür amaçlar için kullanmayan öğrencilerden daha yüksek PİK seviyelerine sahip olduklarını göstermektedir. Fakat, İnterneti eğitimsel amaçlı kullanan öğrenciler dikkat dağıtma alt boyutunda, ve İnterneti bilgi araştırma amaçlı kullanan öğrenciler de azalmış dürtü alt boyutunda daha düşük PİK seviyeleri göstermektedir. Ayrıca, çoklu regresyon analizi sonuçları sohbet, eğlence ve sosyal iletişim gibi İnternet etkinliklerinin bütün alt boyutlarda PİK yardayıcısı olduğunu açıklamaktadır

Engineering Students’ Attitudes Towards Programming

Son on yılda programlama öğretimi ilköğretimden yetişkin eğitimine kadar geniş bir kitlede önem kazanmıştır. Fakat programlama mühendislik eğitiminde diğer bilim dallarına göre yeni bir konu değildir ve önemli bir yere sahiptir. Mühendislik fakültelerinde öğrencilerin programlama başarısını etkileyen önemli faktörlerden biri olan programlamaya yönelik tutumların belirlenmesi önemli bir konudur, ancak bu konu yeterince incelenmemiştir. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma, mühendislik fakültesi öğrencilerinin programlamaya yönelik tutumlarını incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca çalışmada öğrencilerin programlamaya yönelik tutumlarının cinsiyete, bölüme ve programlama üzerine alınan ders sayısına göre farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığı incelenmektedir. Bu amaçla nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan tarama çalışması tasarlanmış ve bir devlet üniversitesinin mühendislik fakültesinde öğrenim görmekte olan 742 lisans öğrencisi çalışmanın örneklemini oluşturmuştur. Verileri toplamak için Bilgisayar Programlamaya Yönelik Tutum ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde ortalama ve standart sapma testlerinin yanı sıra parametrik olmayan testler ile gruplar arası karşılaştırmalar incelenmiştir. Betimsel istatistiklerle yapılan veri analizinde öğrencilerin genel olarak programlamaya yönelik yüksek düzeyde olumlu tutuma sahip oldukları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Öğrenciler bilişsel boyutta orta düzeyde tutuma sahipken duyuşsal ve davranışsal boyutta ise yüksek düzeyde tutuma sahiptir. Ayrıca parametrik olmayan istatistiksel test sonuçlarına göre öğrencilerin tutumu cinsiyete göre farklılık göstermezken bölümlerine ve programlama üzerine almış oldukları ders sayısına göre farklılaşmaktadır. Bilgisayar mühendisliği öğrencilerinin programlamaya yönelik tutumlarının diğer bölüm öğrencilerinin tutumlarından daha yüksek olduğu söylenebilir. Programlama üzerine alınan ders sayısı arttıkça programlamaya yönelik tutum da artmaktadır. Çalışmanın sonuçları doğrultusunda mühendislik fakültesi öğrencilerinin programlamaya yönelik tutumlarını geliştirmek için aldıkları programlama derslerinin sayısının artırılması tavsiye edilebilir.During last decade, programming education has gained importance in a wide range from primary education to adult education. However, programming is not a new topic in engineering education compared to other disciplines and it has an important place in engineering education. It is critical to determine the attitudes towards programming, which is one of the important factors that affect the students' programming success in engineering faculties. However, it has not been researched enough. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate engineering students’ attitudes towards computer programming. In addition, it was examined whether students' attitudes towards programming differ according to gender, department and number of courses on programming. With this aim, a survey study which is a type of quantitative research methods was adopted, and 742 higher education students studying at the engineering faculty of a state university in Turkey were the sample of this study. The data were collected through the Attitude towards Computer Programming Scale. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and non-parametric statistical tests. Using the descriptive statistics, it was found that engineering students had moderately high attitudes towards programming. Although students had middle level attitude at the cognitive dimension, they had moderately high attitudes at affective and behavioral dimensions. In addition, non-parametric tests indicated that although students' attitudes did not differ according to their gender, their attitudes differed according to their departments and the number of courses they took on programming. It could be concluded that Computer Engineering students’ attitudes towards programming were found to be higher than the students of the other engineering departments. Moreover, it was found the more courses on programming taken, the higher the attitude toward programming. In line with the results of this study, the number of programming language courses taken by engineering faculty students might be increased to improve their attitudes towards computer programming

Development, Validity and Reliability Study of the Learning Object Evaluation Scale (LOES)

The purpose of the current study was to develop a Learning Object Evaluation Scale (LOES) in Turkish language. The sample consisted of 388 sixth grade students in a primary school. In the study, item-total correlation, item-remainder correlation, Cronbach's alpha, difference between upper and lower group means were analyzed. Results of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed that 30 items were loaded into three factors: perceived learning, usability and engagement. The internal consistency reliability of three factors were .88, .91 and .90 respectively. The total variance explained was 54.42%, and common factor loadings ranged between .39 and .72. Fit index values of the model was chi 2/df = 2.74, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .06, GFI = .87, AGFI = .85, CFI = .97, and NNFI = .97. These findings showed that this scale was valid and reliable instrument to evaluate learning objects