Announcing the New Website of Balkan Medical Journal

At the end of the last year, we, editorial team, decided to redesign our website to better serve our readers, reviewers and authors. After much hard work, we are excited to officially announce the new and improved Balkan Medical Journal website. You can now reach us at http://balkanmedicaljournal.org/ We thought that it was important to renew the website to reacha wider audience. So, we wanted to have good, clear, easy-tofollow navigation throughout our website. The new website will remain both open access and free of article processing charges.We hope that the website will respond better to our readers'needs and interests

INFANT TODDLER EDUCATION BELIEF SCALE FOR PRE-SERVICE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS (ITEBS4PECES): VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ANALYSIS

The aim of the current study is to develop a scale that measure pre-service early childhood educators’ beliefs about infant and toddler education(I/TE). 384 candidate early childhood educators from different public universities were constituted the sample of the study. Reliability and validity analysis were run for the 60-items “Infant Toddler Education Belief Scale for pre-service early childhood educators (ITEBS4PECES)”. Explanatory and Confirmatory factor analysis of ITEBS4PECES indicated that ITEBS4PECES is a 5-Likert scale with 35 items and four factors. Factor loading values ranged between .439 and .762. The total variance explained by the scale is 39.02%. The reliability coefficients of Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.81 to 0.85 for factors. As one of the first attempts to measure beliefs about infant-toddler education of pre-service teachers, this valid and reliable scale is believed to lead more research on infant toddler education and by this way contribute a lot to early childhood education field.   Article visualizations

From modernisation to globalization Turkey’s path

The people of different societies are feeling the effects of globalization very strongly in their daily life. The rapid advances in the technological arena as well as the high-speed communication made the transformation harsher for developing countries. Turkey is one of those countries which experiences transformation even harder than many other developing countries in the globe, as a result of turmoil it has been enduring in the last 30 years. In this paper we analyze why Turkey has been experiencing all this turbulence much more severe and in a more complex way. As a requirement, we have had a short look at the foundation of the Turkish republic and its progress towards modernization. Then, we have assessed the recent developments occurring in Turkey from the globalization perspective as well the effects of the globalization process on this country.

Nd:yag lazer kaynağı ile birleştirilen farklı türdeki dp600-dp1000 çeliklerinde mekanik ve mikroyapı özellikleri

In this study, the DP600 and DP1000 steel sheets were joined with the pulsed Nd:YAG (Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Y3Al5O12)) laser welding and, mechanical and microstructure properties of the dissimilar welds were experimentally investigated. As known, there is a demand in modern automotive industry for performing dissimilar weld of DP steel sheets. In the laser welding operation, the selection of welding parameters affects the final properties of welds substantially. So, the main aim of this study was determining the influence of pulse frequency on the mechanical properties of pulsed Nd:YAG laser welded DP600-DP1000 steel sheet joints. For this purpose, dissimilar (DP600-DP1000) steel sheets were doublesided welded with the butt joint. To analyze the welding performance, microstructural studies, tensile tests and microhardness measurements were carried out. The weld cross-sections of the joints revealed three main distinct macrostructural zones: Base metal and heat affected zone of both steels, and fusion zone. Moreover, a transition zone was observed between the base metal and heat affected zone on the DP1000 sides. Higher pulse frequency led to deeper penetration and larger fusion zone and heat affected zone. The laser welded joints without filler material had macro porosities in the fusion zones. The tensile strength of the joints significantly increased with increasing pulse frequency. The tensile strengths obtained in this study may be quite satisfactory for automotive industrial applications. Fusion zone had the highest microhardness values. However, the lower microhardness values than base material were measured in the transition zone on DP1000 side.Bu çalışmada DP600 ve DP1000 çelik sacları darbeli Nd:YAG (Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Y3Al5O12)) lazer kaynağı ile birleştirilmiş ve farklı türdeki sacların kaynağında mekanik ve mikro yapı özellikleri deneysel olarak incelenmiştir. Bilindiği gibi modern otomotiv endüstrisinde farklı türdeki DP çeliklerimin birleştirilmesine talep vardır. Lazer kaynak işleminde kaynak parametrelerinin seçimi kaynak nihai özelliklerini önemli ölçüde etkiler. Bu yüzden bu çalışmanın amacı Nd:YAG lazer kaynaklı DP600- DP1000 çeliklerinde darbe frekansının mekanik özelliklere etkilerinin belirlenmesidir. Bu amaçla farklı türdeki (DP600-DP1000) çelik saclar çift taraflı olarak alın kaynağı ile birleştirilmiştir. Kaynak performansını analiz etmek için mikro yapı çalışmaları, çekme testleri ve mikro sertlik ölçümleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Kaynak kesitinde temel malzeme, ısı tesiri altındaki bölge ve ergime bölgesinden oluşan 3 farklı makro yapısal bölge ortaya çıkmıştır. Ayrıca DP1000 tarafında ısı tesiri altındaki bölge ile temel malzeme arasında bir geçiş bölgesi gözlenmiştir. Yüksek darbe frekansı derin penetrasyon ve daha geniş ergime bölgesi ve ısı tesiri altındaki bölgeye neden olmuştur. Dolgu teli olmadan gerçekleştirilen kaynaklar ergime bölgesinde makro gözenekler içermektedir. Kaynaklı birleştirmenin mukavemeti darbe frekansındaki artışla beraber önemli ölçüde artmıştır. Bu çalışmada elde edilen çekme mukavemetleri otomotiv endüstrisi için oldukça tatmin edicidir. Ergime bölgesi en yüksekmikro sertlik özelliklerine sahiptir. Fakat DP1000 geçiş bölgesinde temel malzemeden daha düşük sertlik değerleri ölçülmüştür

Image-text relationship in children’s picture books and evaluations of some taxonomies: a meta-synthesis study

Geçmişten günümüze resimli çocuk kitapları ile ilgili yapılmış olan çalışmalarda resimli çocuk kitaplarının kritik düşünme becerilerini geliştiren, karmaşık olan kavramların anlaşılmasını sağlayan, kelime hazinesi üzerinde olumlu etkileri olduğu düşünülen araçlar olduğu belirtilmiştir. Literatürde kitaplarda yer alan illüstrasyonlar ve metnin karşılıklı etkileşimi ya da anlatılan bir hikâyenin görsel ve metin ile desteklenmesi şeklinde tanımları olan resimli çocuk kitaplarında önemli olan noktalardan birisi kitapta yer alan görsel ve metinlerin sahip olduğu ilişki türüdür. Yapılan araştırmalarda birçok araştırmacı birbirinden farklı resim-metin ilişkisinden bahsetmektedir. Kitaplarda yer alan resim-metin ilişkileri basit şekilde olabildiği gibi, yorum yapmaya müsait olan, zıtlıklar barındıran ögelere de sahip olabilmektedir. Bu araştırma, çocuk edebiyatı, resimli çocuk kitapları ve yararları, resimli çocuk kitaplarında resim-metin ilişkisi ve önemi, uluslararası literatürde çeşitli araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulmuş resim-metin ilişkilerine dair sınıflandırmaların incelenmesi, hangi tür ilişkilerin düşük düzey becerilerin kazanımını sağlarken, hangi tür ilişkilerin daha üst düzey beceriler kazanmada etkili olduğu konuları üzerinde durmakta ve incelenen sınıflandırmalardan yola çıkarak yeni ortak bir sınıflandırma oluşturmayı amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden meta-sentez kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizi sürecinde ise içerik analizinden yararlanılmıştır. Oluşan yeni sınıflamada yer alan başlıklar “örtüşüm”, “iyileştirme”, “bütünlük”, “çelişki”, “görsellik” ve “yoruma dayalı” ilişkilerdir.It has been stated in the studies about children's picture books from past to present that picture books are tools that develop critical thinking skills, enable understanding of complex concepts, and are thought to have positive effects on vocabulary. In the literature, one of the important points in children's picture books, which are definitions such as the interaction of illustrations and text in the books or the support of a story with visual and text, is the type of relationship that the visuals and texts in the book have. In the researches, many researchers talk about different image-text relationships. The image-text relationships in the books can be simple, as well as have elements that are suitable for interpretation and contain contrasts. This study, children literature, picture books and their benefits, image-text relationship and its importance in children’s picture books, the examination of the classifications of image-text relationships created by various researchers in the international literature, which types of relationships provide the acquisition of low-level skills, which types of relationships are It focuses on the subjects that it is effective in gaining level skills and aims to create a new common classification based on the classifications examined. Metasynthesis, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. Content analysis was used in the data analysis process

A research on milk traits and milk quality traits of montbeliarde and holstein-friesian cows reared at some dairy farms in Aydın province: milk traits

Bu çalışmada, Aydın İlinde Montbeliarde (MB) ve Siyah-Alaca (SA) ırklarını birlikte yetiştiren 22 işletmenin 2001-2008 yılları arasında tutulmuş kayıtlarından laktasyon süresi (LS), laktasyon süt verimi (LSV) ve 305-g süt verimine (305-gSV) ait fenotipik ve genetik parametre tahminleri yapılmıştır. Parametrelerin tahmininde 418 baş SA ve 209 baş MB ırkı ineğe ait olan toplam 1,005 adet LS, 987 adet LSV ve 1,100 adet 305-gSV kaydı kullanılmıştır. MB ırkı için LS, LSV ve 305-gSV ortalamalarısırasıyla 317.16±4.748 gün, 6,546.41±114.937 kg ve 6,227.12±68.469 kg olarak hesaplanmış, özelliklerin kalıtım derecesi (h ) ise sırasıyla 0.07±0.06, 0.32±0.07 ve 0.36±0.07 olarak tahmin edilmiştir. SA ırkı için LS, LSV ve 305-gSV ortalaması sırasıyla 328.32±4.492 gün, 7,241.85±108.885 kg ve 6,748.61±64.080 kg, kalıtım derecesi (h ) ise 0.09±0.05, 0.26±0.05 ve 0.36±0.04 olarak tahmin edilmiştir. İşletme ve buzağılama yılı etkisi süt verim özellikler için önemli (P<0.01), ırk etkisi LSV ve 305-gSV için P<0.01, LS için P<0.05 düzeyinde önemli bulunmuştur. Buzağılama ayı etkisi 305-gSV için (P<0.01), laktasyon sırası etkisi ise LSV ve 305-gSV için önemli (P<0.01) bulunmuştur. SAırkı MB'den 11.2 gün uzun LS'ye ve sırasıyla 695.4 kg ve 521.5 kg yüksek LSV ve 305-gSV'ye sahip olmuştur.In this research, phenotypic and genetic parameters of lactation length (LL), lactation milk yield (LMY), 305-d milk yield (305-dMY) from the records kept between 2001-2008 for Montbeliarde (MB) and Holstein-Friesian (HF) cows reared together at 22 dairy farms were estimated. For the estimation of the parameters, 1005 LL, 987 LSV and 1100, 305-dMY data belonging to 418 heads HF and 209 heads MB were used. For MB breed LL, LMY and 305-dMY averages were 317.16±4.748 d, 6,546.41±114.937 kg and 6,227.12±68.469 kg, respectively and the heritability estimates for these traits were 0.07±0.06, 0.32±0.07 and 0.36±0.07, respectively. For HF breed the averages of LL, LMY and 305-dMY were 328.32±4.492 d, 7,241.85±108.885 kg and 6,748.61±64.080 kg, the heritability estimates for these traits were 0.09±0.05, 0.26±0.05 and 0.36±0.04, respectively. Herd (p<0.01) and calving year effects on milk traits, bred effects on LMY (p<0.01) , 305-dMY and LL were found to be statistically significant (P<0.01). HF had 11.2 d longer LL and 695.4 kg and 521.5 kg higher LMY and 305- dMYthan those of MB, respectively

BIM Dimensions and Application Areas for Enhancing Sustainability and Affordability of Affordable Housing: As a Key for Effective Housing Policies

Affordable housing plays a key role in well-being and sustainable development. The energy efficiency and sustainability performance of these houses support environmental sustainability and reduce their operational cost and energy consumption. Furthermore, enhanced energy efficiency is a significant factor in affordable houses in the fight against fuel poverty. This paper underlines the importance of sustainable affordable houses for reduced life cycle costs and enhanced welfare and well-being of its residents. Based&nbsp;on an in-depth literature review, considering the entire life cycle of affordable houses, this paper aims to investigate usage of all BIM dimensions and their application areas for enhancing sustainability and affordability of affordable housing as a key for&nbsp;effective housing policies. The integrated usage of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and energy simulation software has the potential to&nbsp;add value to the affordable houses as this integration supports energy savings and enhanced sustainability performance throughout the building's life-cycle. This paper highlights BIM’s usage for energy and facility management. Furthermore, this paper emphasises the importance of the policies for effective solutions to the housing problem and recommends holistic policies based on a systematic and interdisciplinary approach to the housing problem. This paper highlights the political economy of affordable housing policies and suggests affordable housing policies request usage of BIM throughout the entire life cycle of affordable houses

Non-opioid Analgesics and the Endocannabinoid System

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs produce antinociceptive effects mainly through peripheral cyclooxygenase inhibition. In opposition to the classical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol and dipyrone exert weak anti-inflammatory activity, their antinociceptive effects appearing to be mostly due to mechanisms other than peripheral cyclooxygenase inhibition. In this review, we classify classical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol and dipyrone as “non-opioid analgesics” and discuss the mechanisms mediating participation of the endocannabinoid system in their antinociceptive effects. Non-opioid analgesics and their metabolites may activate cannabinoid receptors, as well as elevate endocannabinoid levels through different mechanisms: reduction of endocannabinoid degradation via fatty acid amide hydrolase and/or cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition, mobilization of arachidonic acid for the biosynthesis of endocannabinoids due to cyclooxygenase inhibition, inhibition of endocannabinoid cellular uptake directly or through the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase production, and induction of endocannabinoid release

Monthly Electricity Generatıon Forecast in Solar Power Plants with LSTM

Today, with the intensive use of electrical devices, the need for electricity has increased. Fossil fuels are generally used to meet this need. However, considering the damage caused by fossil fuels to the environment, governments make various incentives for renewable energy sources. The incentives of countries for solar power plants are quite large. Recently, there are many investors who want to build solar power plants. The sunshine duration of our country is quite high. And the fact that the climatic conditions are efficient for the generation of electricity attracts many investors. However, the installation of these power plants is quite costly. It is possible to predict the amortization periods of these costs with the ever-developing artificial intelligence technology. In this study, the energy data to be produced in the future is estimated by using real solar power plant data with machine learning algorithms. Data, take from solar power plants owned by Humartaş Energy company. In the study, predictions and analyses were made using the LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) method, which is one of the artificial neural networks. The error rate of the study between 1% and 15%. It is foreseen that studies will also be implemented with other renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal, hydraulic energy data in the coming stages

Thermoeconomic assessments and optimization of a vapour compression and an ejector integrated sCO2 trigeneration systems

Two sCO2 trigeneration systems are proposed in this study to supply power, heating and cooling simultaneously, one is a vapour compression recuperation system (VCRS), the other is an ejector integrated recuperation system (EIRS). Their performance assessments are conducted from thermoeconomic point of view. In a recuperative base case scenario with cooling capacity of 100 kW, the transcritical VCRS has the ability to provide 46.5 kW power output with the trigeneration utilization efficiency of 160 % and exergy efficiency of 49.92 %, while the transcritical EIRS can deliver 54.43 kW power with the trigeneration utilization efficiency of 158 % and exergy efficiency of 54.41 %. The effects of key operational parameters are evaluated, including the maximum cycle pressure, minimum and maximum power cycle temperatures, evaporation temperature and trade-offs between thermoeconomic points. Multi-objective optimization is carried out based on the identified trade-offs. It is found that the VCRS exergy efficiency increases 4.51 % when the minimum exergy cost rate rises 13 %, the EIRS exergy efficiency improves 4.21 % as the minimum exergy cost rate goes up 14 %