APPROACHES OF DESIGNERS IN THE DEVELOPED EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES OF INFOGRAPHICS’ DESIGN PROCESSES

Infographics enable users to receive information by using various visuals such as texts, pictures, drawings, diagrams, graphs and so on in an organized structure. The use of infographics, which can be designed in different platforms from visual design programs to web environment developed specifically for the creation of infographics, in the learning environments becomes more widespread. The number of studies investigated design processes and view of designers in regard with infographics that are commonly used in the learning environments is very limited. In this study, views and approaches of designers in regard with infographics design process for educational purposes are presented. A total of 64 participants including 35 female and 29 male participated in the study. The results of the study show that female and male have similar understanding in terms of copyright, publicity, references, design preferences, production environments and production processes. On the other hand, designers have different approaches and preferences in terms of design concept, design process, readability level, sharing and contribution to the personal development, visual components, colors, information sources, themes and quality perception.   Article visualizations

Analysis of Use of Virtual Reality Technologies in History Education: A Case Study

Today, many innovations have been experienced in technology. These innovations progressively take their places in education environments. Virtual reality environments are among activity areas that have been frequently discussed and used in education environments in the recent years. In this context, this study aimed to determine general opinions of undergraduate students who were included to study scope about virtual reality technologies, and privately, to determine the students’ opinions about use of virtual reality glasses in history education and to determine their suggestions in this subject. Case study method was preferred in this study. Sampling was created as selecting 25 undergraduate students according to the study purpose. Data was collected with interview technic and analyzed with content analysis method. According to study results, it was concluded that virtual reality implementations were liked by participants. Additionally, participants stated that use of the current technology in course activities would be beneficial. It was thought that especially the feelings of reality and being present in the location, which were caused by virtual reality implementations, were among the factors that affected participants and increased their interest in the course. Moreover, virtual reality implementations were thought to be technologies that could enable the individuals, especially those with disabilities or had different inadequacies (i.e. financial, time etc.), to actively involve in learning processes. Similarly, virtual reality technology was thought to contribute, at least partially, equal opportunities concept in education

FLIPPED CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION IN SCIENCE TEACHING

Internet teknolojisinde ki hızlı gelişme ile birlikte her geçen gün yeni öğrenme ve öğretme yaklaşımları kullanılmaya başlamıştır. Bu yaklaşımlardan birisi olan ters yüz öğrenme modelinde öğretmen seçtiği kaynakları öğrencileri ile ders öncesinde paylaşmakta ve ilgili konu öğretimi bu kaynaklar ile sınıf dışında gerçekleştirilmekte; sınıf içinde ise konu pekiştirme çalışmaları etkileşimli, aktif ve işbirlikli problem çözme etkinlikleri ile sağlanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda bu çalışmanın amacı; Ters Yüz Sınıf modelinin ortaokul 8. sınıf fen bilimleri dersi Maddenin Isı ile Etkileşimi konusunda öğrencilerin akademik başarılarına etkisini ve Ters Yüz Sınıf modeliyle ilgili görüşlerini ortaya koymaktır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, 2017-2018 öğretim yılında, Konya il merkezindeki bir devlet ortaokulunda öğrenim gören toplam 63 sekizinci sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada, nicel ve nitel veri toplama yöntemlerinin birlikte kullanılması yoluyla, araştırma sonuçlarını bütünleştirilmesine imkân sağlayan karma yöntem kullanılmıştır. Nicel veri toplama aracı olarak alanında uzman dört fen bilgisi öğretmeni ve araştırmacı tarafından hazırlanan ‘Başarı Testi, nitel verilerin toplanmasında ise araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır Araştırmada son test kontrol gruplu yarı deneysel desen kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda; deney grubunun akademik başarısının kontrol grubuna göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ve olumlu yönde yüksek olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Deney grubu öğrencileri; ters-yüz sınıf uygulamasıyla başarılarının arttığını, daha iyi öğrendiklerini, ders katılımlarının arttığını, mevcut programa göre ders işlenen sınıftaki konu anlatımını dinlemekten daha eğlenceli bulduklarını ifade etmiştir. Öğrenciler evlerinde internetin olmaması ya da hızının yetersiz olması, bilgisayarlarının donanımlarının yetersiz olmasından dolayı karşılaştıkları sorunları uygulamanın dezavantajları olarak ifade etmişlerdir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Ters-yüz sınıf modeli, fen öğretimi, akademik başarıAlong with the fast development in the internet technologies, every day new learning and teaching approaches are introduced and implemented. In flipped learning model, one of these approaches, sources selected by the teacher are shared with the students before the class and students study and learn the subject before the class, out of the classroom, and in the classroom, subject reinforcement exercises are made in an active manner, using collaborative problem solving activities. In this context, the aim of this research is to reveal the effect of Flipped Classroom model on the academic success of the students for the subject of Interaction of Matter with Heat of 8th grade Science course and opinions of students on the Flipped Classroom Model. Study group of the research consists of a total of 63 8th grade students, studied in a state middle school located in the central part of city of Konya during the 2017-2018 school year. In the research, mixed methods, a method that allows integration of research results via utilization of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods conjointly. As the quantitative data collection tool, the "Achievement Test" developed by a group of four, consisting of four professionalist science teachers and researchers, and as the qualitative data collection tool, "Semi-Structured Review" form, developed by the researcher have been used. In the research, a quasi-experimental design with a posttest control group has been used. As the result of the research; It was concluded that the academic achievement of the experimental group was statistically significant and positively higher than the control group. Students consisting the experimental group has expressed that with the flipped classroom application, their success and their participation to the class has improved and they found this method to be more fun than listening to the lecturing as per the current program requires. Also, the students have stated their absence of internet access at home and the problems they encounter due to hardware inadequacies of their computers are the drawbacks of the implementation. Keywords: Flipped classroom model, science teaching, academic achievement

Effects of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) powder on broiler performance parameters and histopathology of internal organs

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the addition of tarragon in the diet of broiler chickens affects their performance and histological structures of internal organs. A total of 240 day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were used. The experiment included four treatment groups, with six replications per treatment. The experiment lasted 42 days and the chickens were provided with feed and water ad libitum. Experimental groups were given basal diet only (control group), basal diet + 0.1% tarragon powder (T1 group), basal diet + 0.2% tarragon powder (T2 group) and basal diet+ 0.5% tarragon powder (T3 group). The tarragon additive did not affect the values of the daily feed intake (DFI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) during the trial periods, while the highest daily weight gain (DWG) was recorded in the control group (P<0.05) on days 29-35 and 36-42. The longest jejunum villi was observed in the T2 group (P<0.05). The results indicate that different amounts of tarragon powder additive did not affect the DFI and FCR as performance parameters, while they had a negative impact on DWG. In addition, the livers, kidneys and intestinal tissue structures did not change. Therefore, the tarragon powder had no negative effects on the health of chickens

Hepatitis B virus prevalence, immunization and immune response in people living with HIV/AIDS in Istanbul, Turkey: a 21-year data analysis

Objective: We aimed to determine Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence, immune status, and the prevalence of antibody response in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Istanbul, Turkey. Methods: The study includes PLWHA aged 18 years and older who were followed-up for at least 6 months from 1997 to 2018. Results: Of the 653 patients with PLWHA, 99 (15.2%) were both antiHBc-IgG and antiHBs positive, 120 (18.3%) were antiHBc-IgG positive/antiHBs negative. HBsAg was positive in 40 (6.1%) patients. HBsAg positive coinfection (≤40 years 4.6% vs. >40 years 21.7%, p<0.001) and antiHBc-IgG positivity/antiHBs negativity (≤40 years 14.0% vs. >40 years 26.5, p<0.001) were higher in PLWHA older than 40 years. The prevalence of HIV/HBV coinfection reached a peak level of 22.2% in 2004, and it decreased to 3.3% in 2018. The prevalence of immunization before HIV diagnosis was low (15.6%). The prevalence of antibody response (anti-HBs>10 IU/L) after immunization for HBV was 50%. A higher protective response was associated with CD4+≥350 cell/mm3 (59.3%, p=0.014). Conclusion: HBV coexistence in PLWHA remains an imperatively important problem. The most conclusive methods in solving this problem are to prevent transmission by immunization and control measures. Also, HBV screening should in no manner be neglected in PLWHA. Keywords: HIV; Hepatitis B; prevalence

Shortest hop multipath algorithm for wireless sensor networks

AbstractShortest hop or distance path is one of the most common methods used for relaying messages in a wide variety of networks. It provides an efficient message relaying to destination in terms of energy and time. There are many algorithms for constructing shortest hop or distance path. However, according to our knowledge, no algorithm for constructing a shortest hop multipath for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has yet been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed shortest hop multipath algorithm for WSNs in order to generate energy efficient paths for data dissemination or routing. The proposed algorithm generates shortest hop braided multipath to be used for fault-tolerance or load-balancing. It guarantees the BFS tree and generates near optimal paths in O(V.D+V) message complexity and O(D2) time complexity regarding the communication costs towards the sink after termination of algorithm

Long-term evaluation of laser retinopexy in retinal breaks: a review and the importance of lifetime follow-up

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of laser retinopexy in retinal breaks and the recurrence cases.Materials and Methods: 45 eyes of 25 patients who underwent laser retinopexy in retinal breaks between the period of July 2009 and January 2013 are included. All the breaks and suspicious areas for possible breaks are treated with laser photocoagulation. The breaks were surrounded with three rows of laser spots. After the routine controls, the patients are called every 6 months and advised to come immediately to our clinic if new flashing or floaters occur.Results: The patients were followed-up for an average period of 29.65 ± 10.45 months. New breaks were treated again and evaluated for the possible reasons. We found in three patients new breaks after an average period of 27.33 ± 2.03 months. No specifications are observed in these subjects.Conclusion: Retinal breaks can occur even a long time after. It is not known why this process is progressing and new tears develop. For this reason, patients who underwent a laser therapy because of retinal breaks should followed-up for a lifetime. We advise that, unsymptomatic patients who underwent laser retinopexy, should be examined every 6 months and every new complaint of flashing and big floaters should be carefully taken into consideration to prevent retinal detachments.Keywords: Laser retinopexy, posterior vitreous detachment, retinal break

Reappraisal of properties soils encountered in the Golden Horn

Haliç üstünde inşa edilen ve edilmekte olan Haliç Köprüsü, Yeni Galata Köprüsü, Haliç Metro Geçiş Köprüsü sondajlarından ve yapım sırasında elde edilen bilgiler, bu bölgedeki zeminlerin özellikleri hakkında ayrıntılı bilgiler elde edilmesini sağlamaktadır. Membadan mansaba doğru bu köprüler Haliç Köprüsü, Haliç Metro Geçiş Köprüsü, Yeni Galata Köprüsü olarak sıralanmaktadır. Yeni Galata Köprüsü kazıklarının girdiği çakıl tabakası, yaklaşık 80 m derinliktedir. Haliç Metro Metro Geçiş Köprüsü ekseninde kaya tabakasının derinliği, Azapkapı tarafında 55 metreden, Unkapanı tarafında 80 metreye alçalmaktadır. Yeni Galata Köprüsü kazıklarının oturduğu çakıl tabakası, Haliç Metro Geçiş Köprüsü yerindeki kaya tabakasına göre yatay olarak kabul edilebilir. Buna karşılık, Haliç Metro Geçiş Köprüsü’nün Unkapanı tarafında taban kayasında derin bir çukur bulunmaktadır. Böyle bir çukurun varlığı, Haliç’te kaya yüzeyinin enine ve boyuna doğrultudaki genel eğimlerine uymayan bir durum oluşturmaktadır. Kaya tabakaları çok yumuşak, kalın kil/silt tabakaları ile örtülüdür. Kıyılarda kalın şehir dolgusu bulunmaktadır. Yumuşak tabakaların üst yüzü hemen hemen yataydır ve bu durum zeminin yüksek su muhtevasını yansıtmaktadır. Likit limit kıvamında tabakalar, bir çanak şeklindeki taban kayasını doldurmaktadır. Haliç’in büyük ekseni boyunca kaya tabakasının derinliği, Haliç’in ağız kısmına doğru büyük bir eğimle alçalmakta ve 80 m kadar derinliğe ulaşmaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Haliç (Golden Horn), yumuşak killi zeminler, çatlaklı ayrışmış kayalar.The Golden Horn is a seven and half kilometres long natural inlet of Boğaziçi Strait. It has a maximum width of about 700 m near its entrance. At its deepest part its  depth is 40 m. The Golden Horn divides historical part of the city from the rest. The geology of the Istanbul area has been studied by many investigators. Penck was first to recognize the shales and graywackes as the oldest of the formations encountered in the area. He named them as the Thrace series. Subsequent investigations indicated the existence of various lithological and paleontological zones in Thrace series, and it is concluded that they belonged to the Early Carboniferous Period of the same era. Over centuries, the detritus brought by Alibey, Kâğıthane, and other creeks, heavy industrial and domestic wastes, and uncontrolled fills have changed drastically almost the entire cross section of the Golden Horn. Along the shores, many valleys have been levelled off by generally uncontrolled fills, and comparatively large areas have been reclaimed.The thickness of the man-made fill is over 40 m along the south shore and over 30 m along the north shore on the axis of the New Galata Bridge. The thickness of the fill decreases with increasing distance from the shore. Man-made fill is underlain by sedimentary deposits consisting of sand, silt and clay in varying proportions. In general it is described as grey-dark organic silty clay of marine origin. On the Eminönü (South) site of the New Galata Bridge, the soft layers are underlain by a few meters thick weathered shale. Over the deeper part of the waterway and towards the Karaköy side soft layers is underlain by cobbly gravel. The design of new bridges over the Golden Horn was subject to severe constraints. The New Galata Bridge is founded on large diameter tubular steel piles. Piles were driven into limestone, diabase and sandstone origined gravel which is encountered between the depths of 76 m and 88 m. Most of the piles of the New Galata Bridge were driven into the shuttered rock bottom. The adoption of a closed end pile having a diameter as large as 2000 mm is well suited to the soil conditions and the design requirements – the damage of the pile tip is prevented, settlement criteria are satisfied. The piles of the New Galata Bridge were designed to carry high working loads (up to 12 000 kN) in end bearing and to comply with severe restrictions on allowable settlement.  A box girder  bridge carried on temporary  supports was constructed over the test pile and was loaded by ingots. Four hydraulic jacks were placed on the head of the test pile to obtain a total reaction of 2000 tonnes. The composite piles of the Metro Crossing Bridge extended to depths over 100 m. They were designed to carry even higher loads (up to 47 000 kN). Osterberg type of loading tests was made on Metro Crossing Bridge. In general dynamic measurements are not considered as a reliable substitute to static pile loading test. On the Metro Crossing Bridge site, dynamic analysis (PDA) is carried out and dynamic response during pile driving is also recorded. Results are found consistent with  the exploration data. Depth of water on the axis of Metro Crossing Bridge is about 34 m. Soil profile is overlain by very soft, almost at liquid consistency, silt clay layer. The thickness of clay layer varied between 30 m and 50 m. Very soft silty clay layer is underlain by sandstone, siltstone and mudstone layers. Depth of rock is 55 m at Azapkapı (North) and 80 m at Unkapanı (South) side of the Bridge. Sea bottom at Golden Horn Bridge site is very shallow. Depth of rock is more than 70 m and is overlain by a gravel layer. The depth of exploration at Metro Crossing Bridge site was well over 100 m. Special attention was given to ascertain the level and characteristics of a suitable stratum. Form the initial data indicated existence of weathered rocks and alternating strong and weak rock formations. Soil investigations and pile driving provided ample information about the rock bottom of the Golden Horn. Rock levels at the site of Golden Horn Bridge and at the site of New Galata Bridge are almost flat in comparison with that of the Metro Crossing Bridge. Furthermore transversal profile of the rock bottom at Metro Crossing Bridge contains a deeper section near Unkapanı (South). Existence of such depression is not confirming with the general slopes of the rock strata. Keywords: Golden Horn, soft clayey soils, soft rocks

Short-term effects of transcatheter aortic valve implantation on left atrial appendage function

Background: The beneficial effects of the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on echocardiographic parameters including left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) functions were described by previous studies. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of TAVI on left atrial appendage (LAA) function assessed by transthoracic and transesophageal echocar­diography. Methods: Fifty-five patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis were included in this prospective study. LAA early and late emptying velocities, LAA filling velocity, peak early diastolic (EM), late diastolic (AM), and systolic (SM) velocities were measured with pulsed wave Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging, and E/Em ratio was calculated before and 7.1 ± 2.8 days after TAVI. A subgroup analysis was performed in accordance with the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the patients and the severity of their LV diastolic dysfunction. Results: Although the post-procedure peaks and mean gradients of the patients decreased sig­nificantly, the LVEF increased significantly in those who had low LVEF before the procedure. The post-procedure E/Em ratio decreased significantly (p < 0.001). The post-procedural LAA mean filling velocity and EM velocity were significantly higher than the pre-procedural filling velocity (p < 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, the post-procedural LAA filling velocity, early and late LAA emptying velocities, in addition to the mean velocity of the EM, AM, and SM were significantly higher than before the procedure in patients with LVEF of < 50% and E/Em ratios of > 15. Conclusions: LAA function improved soon after the TAVI procedure, especially in patients with low LVEF and marked LV diastolic dysfunction

The Effects of Some Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors on Oxidative Stress, VEGF, BMP 2 and 9 in the Liver Tissue of Ovariectomized Rats

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is an important health problem and there is no effective treatment yet. phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors are promising agents for the treatment of osteoporosis. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (vardenafil, tadalafil, and udenafil) on bone morphogenic protein-2 and 9 (BMP-2 and 9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and CoQ10) in liver tissue of rats with ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis. METHODS: 50 Albino wistar female rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 10 rats per group. Groups were the sham-operated, ovariectomise (OVEX), OVEX + Tadalafil, OVEX + udenafil and OVEX + vardenafil, respectively. VEGF, BMP-2 and 9 levels were measured by ELISA kits. To detect levels of MDA and CoQ10, we used high pressure liquid chromatography method. RESULTS: The levels of VEGF, BMP-2 and 9 levels in the groups that applied PDE-5 inhibitors were significantly higher than in the sham and OVEX groups. There was no significant difference between the OVEX+vardenafil and OVEX+udenafil groups in terms of VEGF, BMP-2 and 9 levels. The levels of MDA and CoQ10 were significantly lower in the groups that applied PDE5 inhibitors than in the OVEX group. When the histological and immunohistochemical results were examined, it was seen that angiogenesis was significantly higher in PDE-5 inhibitor groups. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we can say that these inhibitors may have positi ve effects on bone mineralization and remodelling by inducing the expression of VEGF, BMP-2 and 9 in liver tissue