A research on determining the impact of word of mouth marketing on percieved service quality and customer satisfaction

Araştırma kapsamında sağlık hizmetleri pazarlamasında algılanan hizmet kalitesi ve müşteri memnuniyeti üzerinde ağızdan ağıza pazarlamanın etkisi incelenmektedir. Bu bağlamda Karaman’da bulunan hastanelerden sağlık hizmeti almış kişilere anket uygulanmıştır. Algılanan hizmet kalitesi ve müşteri memnuniyeti, tavsiye davranışı üzerinde oldukça etkilidir. Sağlık hizmetinden memnun ayrılan müşteriler, aynı hizmeti tekrar tercih etmektedir ve yakınlarına tavsiye etmektedirler. Müşterilerine ulaşmak zorunda kalan ve onlara ürün ve hizmet sunan her kuruluş gibi, sağlık hizmeti sunan hastanelerin de hizmet kalitesi ve müşteri memnuniyeti gibi konulara odaklanması gerekmektedir. Sağlık kuruluşları, müşterilerin hizmet deneyimlerine ilişkin beklentilerini iyi anlamak, bu beklentilerini etkin bir şekilde karşılamak ihtiyacındadırlar. Müşterilerin beklentilerini karşılamaya yönelik gerekli yatırım ve çalışmaların yapılmasının özellikle olumlu ağızdan ağıza pazarlama davranışını teşvik ederek, sağlık kuruluşlarına önemli getiriler sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.In this research, the word of mouth marketing effect on perceived service quality and customer satisfaction is investigated in health service marketing. In this context, survey applied to the persons who bought health service from the hospitals in Karaman. Perceived service quality and customer satisfaction are considerably effective on attitude of recommendation. The satisfied customers for health service also prefer the same service again and they recommend it to their surroundings. Health service supplier hospitals have to focus on subjects like service quality and customer satisfactions like every organization that has to reach their customers and supply goods and services. Health organizations have to well understand their customers’ expectations related their service experiences and they have to meet these expectations effectively. It is thought that carrying out investments for satisfying customer expectations will bring substantial returns to health organizations by promoting affirmative worth of mouth marketing

Kişilik Renklerinin Performans İle İlişkisi Kamu Kurumları Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Bu çalışmanın amacı, kamu kurumlarında çalışan personelin kişilik rengi ile performansı arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemektir. Araştırma Konya’nın Bozkır ilçesinde görev yapan kamu personeli üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Örneklem yoluna gitmeden Bozkır’da görev yapan tüm kamu personeline ulaşılmaya çalışılmış, 151 personele hazırlanan anketler dağıtılmış ve uygulanmıştır. Verileri toplamak amacıyla kişilik renkleri testi için Toktamışoğlu ve Alkış 2005 ’ın, performans değerlendirme ölçeği için ise Odabaş 2004 ’ın çalışmasındaki sorular kullanılmıştır. Araştırma bulguları SPSS 22.0 programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Analizler sonucu güçlü kırmızı’nın ortalaması 4.49, mükemmel mor’un ortalaması 4.61, popüler pembenin ortalaması 3.91 ve soğukkanlı beyaz’ın ortalaması 4.02 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Yapılan ANOVA testi sonucunda ise kişilik renkleri ile kamu personelinin performansı arasında anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur

Relationship between pterygomaxillary fissure morphology and maxillary/mandibular position

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between maxillary and mandibular positioning via cephalometric analysis with pterygomaxillary fissure (PMF) morphology using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods In this study, CBCT images from 825 individuals (448 female, 377 male; age range was 18-91 years with this cohort) were analyzed; PMF length and width were measured. Three-dimensional cephalometric analysis was also performed using cephalometric analysis software. The landmarks and measurements in relation to maxillary and mandibular positions were identified and performed for the cephalometric analysis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparison of the parameters, while the Bonferroni test was used for multiple comparisons. Pearson’s test was also used to assess the correlations between the parameters. Results The results showed that males had significantly larger PMF length (p< 0.001) and width (p< 0.001) compared to females. The mean PMF length was 17.7mm (standard deviation [SD] 3.2mm) for right and 17.7mm (SD 3.3mm) for left but were not significantly different (p> 0.05). In terms of the cephalometric measurements, a significant correlation was found between upper central incisor (U1toAperp2D) and posterior facial height (PostFaceHtSGo2D) and PMF length, while correlations were found between PMF width and several cephalometric parameters such as lower lip (LwLiptoEPln2D and LwLiptoHLine2D) and occlusal plane (OPtoFHAng2D) (p< 0.05). Conclusion A significant relationship was observed between PMF morphology and the position of the maxilla or mandible. PMF lengths and widths were larger in males than females. Posteroanterior maxillary and mandibular lengths and posterior facial height are associated with PMF length and width

BETTER WITH OZONE, OR NOT? AN IN-VIVO STUDY OF OZONE THERAPY AS A PRE-TREATMENT BEFORE FISSURE SEALANT APPLICATION.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical achievements of ClinproTMSealant and Teeth mate F-1 fissure sealants with or without ozone treatment as well as retention, marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation and caries formation under in-vivo conditions. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 166 patients whose ages differs between 9-12 and 3 different groups were formed above them according to split mouth technique, in order to evaluate clinical achievements of fissure sealants with or without ozone treatment. Group 1: ClinproTMSealant and Teethmate F-1 were applied on a total of 104 first lower permanent molar teeth which were randomly selected from 52 patients. Group 2: ClinproTM Sealant and ClinproTM Sealant following ozone treatment were applied on 112 randomly selected teeth of 56 patients. Group 3: Teeth mate F-1 and Teeth mate F-1 following the ozone treatment were applied on 116 first lower permanent molar teeth which were randomly selected from 58 patients. Based on the modified USPHS criteria, the impacts on general achievement, retention, marginal fit, marginal discoloration and caries formation on occlusal surfaces were evaluated in 3rd,6th,12th,18th months. Chi-Square Test and Fisher’s Exact Test were used for analyses of the data. Results: In Group 1; Clinpro™Sealant showed higher clinical success rates in all observation periods. Considering marginal adaptation and retention, Clinpro™Sealant group was statistically significantly different in 18th month observations. In group 2 and group 3, there was not statistically significantly difference (p&gt;0.05) between control and experimental groups but clinical success rates of Clinpro ™ Sealant and Teetmate F-1 with Ozone Treatment were higher than the same groups without ozone pretreatment during all observation periods. Conclusion: It was determined that, ClinproTMSealant yielded more successful results than the Teethmate F-1 under in-vivo conditions. Although there wasn’t any statistically significantly difference between Group 2 and Group 3 in which Ozone as a pretreatment method before performing fissure sealant was considered, the Ozone pretreatment method’s success rates were higher clinically according to Bravo, Alpha and Charlie Scores. It seems that performing Ozone Therapy before applying fissure sealant is a successful method for preventing pit and fissure sealants, clinically

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for identifying high- and low-risk endometrial cancer patients

Objectives: To assess the usefulness of adding PET/CT as a preoperative test for determining the extent of endometrial cancer and discriminating low- and high-risk patients to identify candidates for surgical staging. Material and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 86 patients with pathologically proven endometrial cancer who had undergone preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT. The prognostic relationships between PET/CT parameters and pathology reports were assessed. Results: The SUVmax was significantly higher in patients with FIGO stage IB or higher compared with those with stage IA; for stage III–IV compared with stage I–II; and for patients with lymph node metastasis compared with those without lymph node metastasis. Using 6.70 as a cut-off for SUVmax, low-risk patients can be identified with a sensitivity of 92.9%. Conclusions: PET/CT imaging can be used not only for determining malignancy and lymph node involvement but also for determining candidates for surgical staging with high sensitivity

The effect of preservice teachers' information and communication technologies competencies on academic self-efficacy and academic achievement

The purpose of this study was to measure the ICT competency levels and academic self-efficacy perception levels of preservice teachers and to determine if those levels were a significant predictor of their academic self-efficacy. For this purpose, the data were obtained from 411 volunteer students studying in the second, third, and fourth grades of the Teacher Training Undergraduate Programs at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Education Faculty. In total, 133 male and 278 female students participated in the study. As data collection tools, the Personal Information Form, the Information and Communication Technology Competencies Scale for Pre-service Teachers (ICTC-PT) developed by Tondeur et al. (2017) and adapted to Turkish language and culture by Alkan and Sarıkaya (2018) as well as the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) developed by Kandemir (2010) were used. The Personal Information Form included information regarding department, grade, gender, and GPA. The reliability analyses of the scales were carried out, as well as multiple and stepwise regression analyses and descriptive statistics to address the research questions. As a result, it was determined that pre-service teachers' perception of ICT self-efficacy was at a high level. A moderate level of perception was observed in the sub-dimensions of ASE-CAP, ASE-AE, and ASE-APL among the participants. ICT-ID was found to be a significant predictor of ASE-CAP, but not of CSP-ICT. Although CSP-ICT was more closely related to general competencies, ICT-ID appeared to be more closely related to the skills required by the teaching profession. Based on the results of the study, the ASE-CAP, ASE-APL, and ICT sub-dimension scores were not significant predictors of GPA, whereas the ASE-AE score was a significant and positive predictor of GPA. It could be concluded from these findings that experiences and activities aimed at improving students' self-efficacy perceptions contributed positively to academic achievement in teacher training programs

Assessment of the Confidence of the Adhesive Remnant Index Score With Different Methods

Objective:The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the reliability of the adhesive remnant index (ARI) score system with different assessment methods and to test the compatibility of the estimators.Materials and Methods:Sixty-eight human premolars were used in this study. The premolar brackets (SmartClip, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) were bonded with a light cure adhesive (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek). Brackets were debonded using a Lloyd LRX testing machine (Lloyd Instruments Plc., Fareham, Hampshire, UK). Special image analysis software with ×20 magnification and naked-eye assessment methods were used to evaluate the adhesive remnant. Four different investigators scored the same samples according to a 4-point scale. The Kendall rank correlation coefficient was used to test the reliability of the estimator's scores. The Friedman test, followed by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, was used to investigate significant differences in the ARI scores between the different assessment methodsResults:The Kendall rank correlation coefficients revealed no significant difference between the scores assigned by the investigators in this study. However, the ARI scores were significantly different when the special image analysis program was used (p < 0.05).Conclusion:The reliability of the ARI scores increased when quantitative measurement methods were used

Strength of selection pressure is an important parameter contributing to the complexity of antibiotic resistance evolution

Revealing the genetic changes responsible for antibiotic resistance can be critical for developing novel antibiotic therapies. However, systematic studies correlating genotype to phenotype in the context of antibiotic resistance have been missing. In order to fill in this gap, we evolved 88 isogenic Escherichia coli populations against 22 antibiotics for 3 weeks. For every drug, two populations were evolved under strong selection and two populations were evolved under mild selection. By quantifying evolved populations' resistances against all 22 drugs, we constructed two separate cross-resistance networks for strongly and mildly selected populations. Subsequently, we sequenced representative colonies isolated from evolved populations for revealing the genetic basis for novel phenotypes. Bacterial populations that evolved resistance against antibiotics under strong selection acquired high levels of cross-resistance against several antibiotics, whereas other bacterial populations evolved under milder selection acquired relatively weaker cross-resistance. In addition, we found that strongly selected strains against aminoglycosides became more susceptible to five other drug classes compared with their wild-type ancestor as a result of a point mutation on TrkH, an ion transporter protein. Our findings suggest that selection strength is an important parameter contributing to the complexity of antibiotic resistance problem and use of high doses of antibiotics to clear infections has the potential to promote increase of cross-resistance in clinics

The Effects of a 'Transient Ischemic Attack Unit' on the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Stroke and Other Vascular Events

Objective: Identifying the etiology and early treatment following a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke may prevent patients from having a disabling ischemic stroke. The primary aim of this study was to increase awareness of the symptoms of TIA and minor ischemic stroke and provide early intervention via a TIA unit. In addition, the benefits provided by the TIA unit were analyzed in terms of prognosis and length of hospital stay. Materials and Methods: Before beginning the study, brochures and posters containing information about the symptoms of a TIA and minor ischemic stroke, along with the mobile phone number of a research fellow, were distributed in the clinics and hung on the main boards of the Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Hospitals. A presentation on the TIA unit was also given to the healthcare professionals of the hospitals. Afterward, 69 patients consecutively admitted with symptoms of a TIA or minor ischemic stroke [with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of ≤5] between September 16, 2019, and September 15, 2020, were prospectively included in the study group. The hospital charts of 90 consecutive patients admitted with a TIA or minor ischemic stroke (with an NIHSS score of ≤5) were retrospectively evaluated as the control group from September 16, 2018, to September 15, 2019. The timing of the etiological diagnoses and treatments, the length of the hospital stay, and the prognoses of these two groups of patients, one comprising patients admitted before and the other comprising patients admitted after the TIA unit was established, were compared. Results: The two groups had no significant difference in vascular events and mortality. However, in the logistic regression analysis, the length of the hospital stay was significantly shorter in the study group (P = 0.015). Conclusion: A TIA and a minor stroke should be recognized quickly, and diagnostic tests should be performed as soon as possible to shorten the period of the hospital stay and reduce the costs and complications related to longer hospitalization