The mediating role of general self-efficacy in the relationship between metacognition and academic success of university students

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between metacognition, general self-efficacy, and academic success among university students, and to examine the mediating role of general self-efficacy in these relationships. The study used a correlational research design and 360 university students participated by completing the Demographic Information Form, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Metacognition Scale-30. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationships between variables, while structural equation modeling was employed to test the mediating role of general self-efficacy. The findings showed that there were positive associations between academic success and both metacognition and general self-efficacy. Furthermore, general self-efficacy was found to partially mediate the relationship between metacognition and academic success. The results suggested that supporting students' general self-efficacy beliefs could lead to increased metacognitive awareness and improved academic success. The implications of these findings were discussed in terms of higher education policies. In summary, the study highlights the importance of metacognition and general self-efficacy for academic success among university students and underscores the need for interventions that aim to enhance these factor

Thin-Film PZT based Multi-Channel Acoustic MEMS Transducer for Cochlear Implant Applications

AuthorThis paper presents a multi-channel acoustic transducer that works within the audible frequency range (250-5500 Hz) and mimics the operation of the cochlea by filtering incoming sound. The transducer is composed of eight thin film piezoelectric cantilever beams with different resonance frequencies. The transducer is well suited to be implanted in middle ear cavity with an active volume of 5 mm × 5 mm × 0.62 mm and mass of 4.8 mg. Resonance frequencies and piezoelectric outputs of the beams are modeled with Finite Element Method (FEM). Vibration experiments showed that the transducer is capable of generating up to 139.36 mVpp under 0.1 g excitation. Test results are consistent with the FEM model on frequency (97%) and output voltage (89%) values. Device was further tested with acoustic excitation on an artificial tympanic membrane and flexible substrate. Under acoustic excitation, 50.7 mVpp output voltage generated under 100 dB Sound Pressure Level (SPL). Output voltages observed in acoustical and mechanical characterizations are the highest values reported to the best of our knowledge. Finally, to assess the feasibility of the transducer in daily sound levels, it was excited with a speech sample and output signal was recovered. Time-domain waveforms of the recorded and recovered signals showed close patterns

Determination of Transesterification Reaction Parameters Giving the Lowest Viscosity Waste Cooking Oil Biodiesel

AbstractThis study aims determination of transesterification reaction parameters to produce the lowest kinematic viscosity waste cooking oil biodiesel by using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as catalyst and ethanol (C2H5OH) as alcohol. For this purpose, the individual effects of main reaction parameters such as catalyst concentration (0.50-1.75%), reaction temperature (60-90°C), reaction time (60-150min.) and alcohol/oil molar ratio (6:1-15:1) on the kinematic viscosities of produced biodiesels were investigated, respectively. According to results, reaction parameters giving the lowest kinematic viscosity of 4.387 cSt were determined as 1.25% catalyst concentration, 70°C reaction temperature, 120minutes reaction time and 12:1 alcohol/oil molar ratio

Oral Findings and Health Status among Turkish Geriatric Patients with or without Dementia (Oral Lesions and Dementia Patients)

SummaryBackgroundIn this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of oral mucosal lesions and systemic disease in patients with or without dementia.MethodsThe patient group comprised patients from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Darulaceze Retirement Home and the control group consisted of patients who attended university clinics. The examination took place in a quiet room within the nursing home in the company of a member of the care staff well-known to the patient, and the control group was collected from participants who wanted to be included in the study. The study group consisted of 250 patients with dementia (110 male, 140 female) with a mean age of 74.1 ± 10.9 years and 200 control patients (90 male, 110 female) with mean age of 70.5 ± 10.2 years. We examined patients using a mouth mirror. Medical information was collected from patients and nurses.ResultsIn this study, 164 patients with dementia (64.8%) and 109 control patients (54.5 %) had one or more oral mucosal lesions (p = 0.016). Eighty-eight patients with dementia (35.2%) and sixty control patients (30%) were edentulous (p > 0.05), and 28 in the patient group (31.8 %) and 43 in the control group (71.6 %) were able to use prostheses (p < 0.05).ConclusionOral mucosal lesions are more common in patients with dementia and dental care should be performed regularly for this group. In addition, because removable prostheses can be lost by patients with dementia, implant-supported fixed prostheses should be preferred for this group

Synchronous tumors of the female genital tract: A 20-year experience in a single center

Objective: To evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics and the clinical outcome of synchronous malignant neoplasms of the female reproductive tract. Material and Methods: Patients who were operated and diagnosed with synchronous malignant tumor of the genital system (n=25) at the Dokuz Eylul University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gynecologic Oncology Unit between 1992 and 2012 were included into this study. Recurrent, metastatic and metachronously detected tumors were not included. Age at diagnosis, parity, menopausal status, hormone use, presenting sign or symptoms and the clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results: 20 of 25 patients had endometrial-ovarian cancer. The mean age at diagnosis was 53,6 years. The most common presenting symptom was abnormal uterine bleeding. The median follow-up duration for all patients was 69 months. Overall survival for all patients was 87 months and 81 months for patients with endometrial-ovarian cancer. 5-year survival rate was 73% for all patients and 68% for patients with endometrial-ovarian cancer. Conclusions: Endometrial-ovarian cancer togetherness is the most common in synchronous gynecologic malignancies. They occur at a younger age and have more favorable prognosis than metastatic primary gynecologic tumors

Bütüncül Kanal Pazarlama Yaklaşımında Dijital Dönüşümün Geleceği: Yükseköğretime Yönelik Kavramsal Bir Araştırma

Mobil kanalların, tabletlerin ve sosyal medyanın ortaya çıkışı, bu yeni kanalların ve cihazların çevrimiçi ve çevrimdışı perakendecilikle entegrasyonu sayesinde, müşterilerin alışveriş süreçlerinde çoklu dağıtım ve iletişim kanallarını kullanarak kesintisiz ve sorunsuz bir deneyim yaşamalarına imkân tanımıştır. Bütüncül kanal (omnichannel) pazarlama olarak adlandırılan bu bütüncül yaklaşım, perakende sektöründe büyük bir dönüşüme yol açmıştır. Pazarlama alanında başarılı şekilde uygulanan bütüncül yaklaşım, başka alanlarda da etkin ve verimli olarak kullanılmaktadır. Eğitim dünyasındaki dijital teknolojilerin sürekli artan önemi, yükseköğretimde bütüncül kanal stratejilerinin uygulanmasını gittikçe daha önemli kılmaktadır. Bu stratejiler, öğrenci memnuniyetini artırmak, daha geniş kitlelere ulaşmak ve öğrenme ortamını daha esnek ve mobil hale getirmek gibi avantajlar sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, yükseköğretimde bütüncül kanal stratejilerinin ve uygulamalarının nasıl hayata geçirileceğine dair mevcut yol haritasının eksikliklerini gidermektir. Bu amaçla, çalışma öncelikle bütüncül kanal pazarlama yaklaşımının temel ilkeleri, yükseköğretimde dijital teknolojilerin önemi, uygulama zorlukları ve yükseköğretimde bütüncül kanal yaklaşımının avantajları, başarılı uygulamalardan elde edilen bilgiler incelenmiştir. Bu bilgiler ışığında, yükseköğretim kurumlarının bütüncül kanal yaklaşımını ve uygulamalarını sistemlerine nasıl entegre edebilecekleri konusunda bir uygulama modeli oluşturulmuştur. Ayrıca, yükseköğretimde bütüncül kanal uygulamaları için en iyi uygulamalar ve başarı faktörleri belirlenmiş, bu sayede öğrencilere başarılı bir dijital dönüşüm, tutarlı bir öğrenme ve hizmet deneyimi sağlama hedefinde olan üniversitelere öneriler sunulmuştur. Çalışmanın literatüre katkısı, yükseköğretim kurumlarına bütüncül kanal pazarlama stratejileri ile öğrenci beklentilerini karşılamada ve iletişim kurmada bir rehber olmasıdır. Ayrıca, başarılı bir dijital dönüşüm, tutarlı bir öğrenme ve hizmet deneyimi ve öğrenci memnuniyeti sağlamayı hedefleyen üniversitelere yönelik uygulama başarı faktörleri ve gelecek çalışmalar için öneriler sunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, bütüncül kanal pazarlama stratejilerinin yükseköğretimde nasıl etkili bir şekilde uygulanabileceğini anlamaya ve bu alanda başarıya ulaşmak için bir yol haritası çizmeye yardımcı olmayı hedeflemektedir

Acute Serum Calcium Level Changes Following Non-Massive Blood and Blood Product Transfusion in Emergency Department; a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The specific impact on calcium dynamics after non-massive blood transfusions remains relatively unexplored. This study aimed to compare pre- and post-transfusion calcium levels in patients receiving blood and blood product in the emergency department. Methods: This is a single-center, prospective, cross-sectional study conducted at the Emergency Department of Gazi University Health Research and Application Center Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020. The study included adult patients who underwent blood and blood product transfusions, and serum calcium levels were measured and compared from samples taken before and after transfusion. Results: A total of 292 participants were enrolled in the study, with 242 participants included in the final analysis. The mean total calcium level was 8.41 ± 0.76 mg/dL before transfusion and 8.34 ± 0.71 mg/dL after transfusion (p=0.012). When examining the corrected calcium values after receiving blood products based on the type of blood products, participants who received apheresis platelets had a post-transfusion corrected calcium value of 8.26 ±0.41 mg/dL, with a pre-transfusion value of 9.09 ±0.49 mg/dL (p<0.01). The post-transfusion ionized calcium value for participants receiving apheresis was 1.04 ±0.08 mg/dL, compared to 1.15 ±0.09 mg/dL for those who did not receive apheresis (p=0.049). There was a significant relationship between receiving fresh frozen plasma and post-transfusion ionized calcium values (p=0.024). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that transfusion-associated hypocalcemia can occur even at mild levels in patients receiving blood and blood product transfusions in the emergency department. However, it is suggested that the clinical effects of hypocalcemia, even when occurring based on the type and quantity of blood products, are minimal and negligible

Effect of mucinous differentiation in endometrioid type endometrial cancers on prognosis

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of mucinous differentiation in endometrioid endometrial cancer regarding spread and prognosis. Material and methods: Endometrioid endometrial cancer cases between 2015 and 2020 were collected retrospectively and divided into two groups according to the cytoplasmic mucin including. Prognostic factors and cancer spread related parameters were evaluated. Results: A total of 219 patients were enrolled in this study. One hundred twenty-two (55.7%) were endometrioid and 97 (44.3%) were in the mucinous differentiated endometrioid catagory. Age was similar between the groups (59.3 vs 58.7, p = 0.62), however, grade 3 lesions were more frequent in endometrioid type endometrial cancer (8.7% vs 1.4%, p &lt; 0.01). Poor prognostic factors including myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), lymph node metastases, peritoneal cytology, endocervical involvement, and stage were not significantly different between groups (p = 0.23, p = 0.49, p = 0.40, p = 0.15, p = 0.17, p = 0.55). The median overall survival time of endometrioid and mucinous differentiated endometrioid type endometrial cancer patients was determined 88.5 and 96.8 months, respectively (p = 0.46). Conclusions: Mucinous differentiation in the endometrioid type of endometrial cancer does not seem to affect the prognosis in endometrioid endometrial cancer patients