An environmental assessment of risk in achieving good environmental status to support regional prioritisation of management in Europe

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in Europe's Seas. The requirement for regional sea authorities to identify and prioritise issues for management has meant that standardized methods to assess the current level of departure from GES are needed. The methodology presented here provides a means by which existing information describing the status of ecosystem components of a regional sea can be used to determine the effort required to achieve GES. A risk assessment framework was developed to score departure from GES for 10 out of the 11 GES descriptors, based on proposed definitions of 'good' status, and current knowledge of environmental status in each of the four regional seas (North-East Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea). This provides an approach for regional evaluation of environmental issues and national prioritisation of conservation objectives. Departure from GES definitions is described as 'high', 'moderate' or low' and the implications for management options and national policy decisions are discussed. While the criteria used in this study were developed specifically for application toward MSFD objectives, with modification the approach could be applied to evaluate other high-level social, economic or environmental objectives. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Etkileşimli kitap okuma: Korunmaya muhtaç çocukların alıcı ve İfade edici dil becerilerine etkileri

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the "Dialogic Book Reading Program (DBRP)" on the receptive and expressive language skills of 4-5- year-old children who were in need of protection. The study included nine children (4 girls and 5 boys) living in an orphanage and who were identified as developmentally delayed based on the results of Denver Developmental Screening Test II. Children's language skills were pre- and post tested. Results showed that DBRP was effective to improve expressive language skills (number of different words) of participating children. Findings were discussed based on the results of previous research

Okul Öncesi Öğretmenlerinin “Erken okuryazarlık” kavramına İlişkin bilgi düzeyleri ve sınıf uygulamaları

This study investigates early childhood teachers’ knowledge on early literacy, and their classroom practices promoting children’s early literacy acquisition. The “Teacher Interview Form” was developed by the researchers to determine teachers’ knowledge and practices on early literacy. Interviews were conducted individually with 17 kindergarten teachers. The data were analyzed using content analysis which is a technique used in qualitative research. The results revealed that an important number of the teachers did not have sufficient knowledge about early literacy, and that their classroom practices were not designed to adequately promote children’s early literacy acquisition. The findings are discussed within the context of the relevant literature and early childhood education system in Turkey. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are presented. © 2014, Ankara University. All rights reserved

Primary Anetoderma in an Infant: A Case Report From Southeast Asia

Ghaznawie M, Widjajahakim R, Effendy I. Primary Anetoderma in an Infant: A Case Report From Southeast Asia. Journal of Skin and Stem Cell. 2020;7(2): e102241.Anetoderma is an elastolytic disorder, categorized by singular or multiple areas of macules or papules, which can lead to the herniation of subcutaneous tissue. Anetoderma is rare, and its incidence is unknown. Primary anetoderma or idiopathic anetoderma occurs when there is no underlying associated skin disease with unknown pathogenesis. It can be classified into two major forms: (A) the Jadassohn-Pellizzari type and (B) the Schweninger-Buzzi type. Little is known about the specific pathophysiologic processes underlying anetoderma, although the phagocytic destruction of the elastic fibers has been postulated as a major role-player in the lesions. Our case highlights the incidence of primary anetoderma in a Southeast Asian adolescent girl with the onset during infancy that spread throughout the child’s development, without a family history of the disease

Early childhood teachers’ knowledge and classroom practices on early literacy [Okul Öncesi Öğretmenlerinin “Erken okuryazarlık” kavramına İlişkin bilgi düzeyleri ve sınıf uygulamaları]

This study investigates early childhood teachers’ knowledge on early literacy, and their classroom practices promoting children’s early literacy acquisition. The “Teacher Interview Form” was developed by the researchers to determine teachers’ knowledge and practices on early literacy. Interviews were conducted individually with 17 kindergarten teachers. The data were analyzed using content analysis which is a technique used in qualitative research. The results revealed that an important number of the teachers did not have sufficient knowledge about early literacy, and that their classroom practices were not designed to adequately promote children’s early literacy acquisition. The findings are discussed within the context of the relevant literature and early childhood education system in Turkey. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are presented. © 2014, Ankara University. All rights reserved

Longitudinal investigation of endogenous and exogenous predictors of early literacy in Turkish-speaking kindergartners

This study investigated endogenous and exogenous predictors of early literacy in Turkish-speaking children. Whether children’s language and working memory performances (as the endogenous factors) and home literacy environment (as the exogenous factor) in the beginning of kindergarten predict the children’s current and year-end early literacy skills (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, receptive and expressive vocabulary) was examined. The participants consisted of 441 kindergarten children. Results showed that language development, working memory, and home reading environment predicted children’s both current and year-end phonological awareness. Language and home writing activities were significant predictors of the year-end letter knowledge. Working memory was a significant predictor for both the current and year-end letter knowledge. Language, working memory and home reading environment significantly predicted the acquisition of receptive and expressive vocabulary. In conclusion, results suggest that each of the early literacy skills is related to both the developmental characteristics of children and their home literacy environment. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Anti-endothelial cell antibodies, endothelial proliferation and von Willebrand factor antigen in Behçet's disease

Endothelial cell dysfunction has previously been demonstrated in Behcet's disease which has vasculitic features. In this study we investigated antiendothelial cell antibodies (AECA)and von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF) levels in patients with Behcet's disease. In vitro effects of patient sera on endothelial cell proliferation were also evaluated

First-language skills of bilingual Turkish immigrant children growing up in a Dutch submersion context

The interdependence between the first and second language of bilingual immigrant children has not received sufficient attention in research. Most studies concentrate on mainstream language skills of immigrant pupils. In some studies, the gaps in the language development of immigrant children are documented by comparing mainstream pupils with immigrant children. The competence in the first language receives very little attention. In order to show the role of first language competence in second-language acquisition and lower school achievement, we present the findings of our empirical study by comparing bilingual Turkish immigrant children (n = 30, mean age = 67.27 months) in the Netherlands and monolingual Turkish speakers (n = 30, mean age = 66.97 months) in Turkey. The evidence presented in this paper shows that compared to monolingual Turkish speakers, Turkish immigrant children lag behind in their first language cognitive concepts, lexical, syntactic, and textual skills. Mothers’ education level turns out to be an important factor in explaining the performance differences of immigrant children. This would have an effect on their concept and cognitive development as well as on their second-language acquisition