The Effect of STEM-Based Robotic Applications on the Creativity And Attitude of Students

In the present study, the effects of STEM based robotics applications on students' creativity and scientific attitudes in the Electricity Unit of 7th grade have been investigated by using the nested pattern of the mixed method. Sixty students, 30 of whom are the experimental group and the other 30 constitute the control group, attending a post-school course in Istanbul  in the academic year of 2018-2019, participated 2 weeks of pre-applications and 4 weeks of applications. TOSRA,to measure attitude towards science, and “Torrance Creative Thinking Test”,to measure creativity, were applied as pre and posttest. The data gained from the tests were analyzed with SPSS 21. Semi-structured interviews' data were analyzed by using content analysis. As a result, it was observed that STEM based robotics applications significantly increased students' creativity and attitudes towards science. Interview findings show that students enjoy using STEM applications that contain applications instead of theoretical knowledge. Using robotic and complex software materials to solve daily life problems, they felt like scientists during the practices and the applications affected their future career choices.Keywords STEM; creativity; robotic application; attitude; TOSR

O Papel do Ecoturismo no Desenvolvimento Regional em Perspectiva Teórica-Prática: o Caso de Sapanca

Development theories are described as a comprehensive philosophy that underpins development policies. Tourism, which is used as a development tool for developing countries, is a field that is influenced by developmental theories and shaped by the perspectives of these theories. Therefore, understanding development theories is important for understanding the development process of tourism. This study was carried out in Turkey which is one of the countries where ecotourism is used as a development tool. In this context, Turkey's emerging ecotourism area of Sapanca, which is defined as the study of the universe and the new regionalism theory shaping tourism policy aimed to investigate the reflections of real life through ecotourism. In this regard, a questionnaire answered by 395 local people were matched for the reflection of regional development theories in the region base on the theory and practice.  From the research results, it was concluded that ecotourism policies prepared under the new regionalism theories have a positive effect on the development of the region. Therefore, the answers of the questionnaire has proved that ecotourism has been successfully applied within the scope of the new regionalism theory in the regional development of Sapanca both in theory and practice. Key words: Regional Development; Ecotourism; Regional Development Theory; Sapanca; Turkey.Las teorías del desarrollo se describen como una filosofía integral que sustenta las políticas de desarrollo. El turismo, que se utiliza como herramienta de desarrollo para los países en desarrollo, es un campo que está influenciado por las teorías del desarrollo y moldeado por las perspectivas de estas teorías. Por lo tanto, comprender las teorías del desarrollo es importante para comprender el proceso de desarrollo del turismo. Este estudio se centró en Turquía, es uno de los países donde el ecoturismo como herramienta de desarrollo. En este contexto, el área de ecoturismo emergente de Turquía de Sapanca, que se define como el estudio del universo y la nueva teoría del regionalismo que configura la política turística, tiene como objetivo investigar los reflejos de la vida real a través del ecoturismo. En esta dirección, se aplicó un cuestionario a 395 personas de la población local y se emparejó la teoría y la práctica para la reflexión de las teorías del desarrollo regional en la región. Como resultado de la investigación se concluye que las políticas de ecoturismo elaboradas bajo las nuevas teorías del regionalismo tienen un efecto positivo en el desarrollo de la región. Por tanto, las respuestas dadas demuestran que el ecoturismo se ha aplicado con éxito en el ámbito de la nueva teoría del regionalismo en el desarrollo regional de Sapanca tanto en la teoría como en la práctica. Palabras clave: Desarrollo Regional; Ecoturismo; Teoría del Desarrollo Regional; Sapanca; Turquía.As teorias de desenvolvimento são descritas como uma filosofia abrangente que sustenta as políticas de desenvolvimento. O turismo, utilizado como ferramenta de desenvolvimento para os países em desenvolvimento, é um campo influenciado pelas teorias do desenvolvimento e moldado pelas perspectivas dessas teorias. Portanto, a compreensão das teorias do desenvolvimento é importante para a compreensão do processo de desenvolvimento do turismo. Este estudo tratou da Turquia, um dos países onde o ecoturismo como ferramenta de desenvolvimento está. Neste contexto, a emergente área de ecoturismo de Sapanca, que se define como o estudo do universo e a nova teoria do regionalismo que molda a política de turismo, teve como objetivo investigar os reflexos da vida real através do ecoturismo. Nesse sentido, foi aplicado um questionário a 395 pessoas da população local e a teoria e a prática foram combinadas para a reflexão das teorias do desenvolvimento regional da região. Como resultado da pesquisa, concluiu-se que as políticas de ecoturismo elaboradas com base nas novas teorias do regionalismo têm um efeito positivo no desenvolvimento da região. Portanto, as respostas dadas comprovam que o ecoturismo tem sido aplicado com sucesso no âmbito da nova teoria do regionalismo no desenvolvimento regional de Sapanca tanto na teoria quanto na prática. Palavras-chave: Desenvolvimento Regional; Ecoturismo; Teoria do Desenvolvimento Regional; Sapanca; Turquia

Comparison of low-dose contrast computed tomography angiography findings with surgical results in living kidney donors

Aim: To analyze the image quality and diagnostic performance of CT angiography using low dose (60 ml) contrast medium for living kidney donors and compare with surgical results. Material and Method: Angiographic findings of 81 renal donor Candidates in 128-slice MDCT were evaluated by two independent radiologists in terms of renal artery number, early bifurcation, renal vein variations, pelvicalyceal system and ureter variations. Results were compared with intraoperative findings. The image quality, diagnostic performance and interobserver agreement of MDCT obtained with low dose contrast material were analyzed. Results: The mean age of the 81 living kidney donors included in the study was 49±12 (24-68) years. Left nephrectomy was performed in 71% (n=64) and right nephrectomy in 29% (n=17) of the donors. Intraoperative accessory arteries were detected in 22.2% (n:18) of the donors. The specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy for detecting accessory artery variation in MDCT were 100%, 88.9%, and 97.5%, respectively. Early bifurcation was observed in 21% (n=17) of the donors. Specificity, sensitivity and accuracy for early bifurcation detection were 98.4%, 94.1% and 97.5%, respectively. Renal vein variation was detected in 12.3% (n=10) of the donors. Specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy for renal vein variation detection were 100%. Variations of the pelvicalyceal system and ureter were observed in 3.7% (n=3) of the donors. The specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy for detecting pelvicalyceal system and ureteral variations were 100%. Interobserver agreement was excellent in detecting variations of accessory arteries, renal venous anomalies, pelvicalyceal system and ureters by MDCT (kappa: 1,000; p< 0.001). It was higher in early bifurcation detection (kappa: 0.853; p< 0.001). Conclusion: MDCT angiography with a lower dose of iodine contrast at 60 mL in kidney donors is sufficient to detect vascular anomalies and provide anatomical information. It is possible to reduce the contrast agent dose in CTA without affecting the preoperative evaluation

Black Carrot Extract Containing Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Nanofibers%253A Structural Characterization and Determination of Total Oxidant-Antioxidant Capacity

In this study three different electrospun nanofiber samples, named as polyvinly alcohol (PVA), polyvinly alcohol %2Bblack carrot extract (PVAB) and polyvinly alcohol%2Bblack carrot extract%2Btin dioxide (PVABT), were produced successfully using the electrospinning method. According to characterization analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it has been found that PVA nanofibers were continuous and they preserved their uniform structure and average diameters were measured as 215.76plusmn%253B75.47. With the addition of black carrot extract, fiber diameters increased to 637.97plusmn%253B91.85 nm. On the other hand, for PVABT accumulation of new structures observed and diamater thickness increased to 658.66plusmn%253B101.5 nm respectively. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy elemental mapping results of PVABT sample proved the binding and integration of the tin dioxide to the surface of the electrospun nanofibers. Antioxidant properties are also compared to determine how nanofiber coating of plant extracts effect on Total Oxidant Level (TOL) ndash%253B Total Antioxidant Level (TAL). While the antioxidant level of the black carrot extract covered with nanofiber was ~62%25 higher than the extract without nanofiber, it was determined that the extract-metal oxide combination showed higher antioxidant results. In addition, no oxidant was detected in electrospun nanofiber samples. Overall, it has been concluded that nanofibers can be fabricated in combination with plant extract and metal oxides and addition of these materials have ability to effect characteristic properties and antioxidant properties. Therefore, metal oxides and plant extracts have the potential to be used as an active food packaging ingredients for further applications in food industry. In the future, it will be important to determine other properties such as thermal stability, mechanical properties, or water vapor permeabilities of these nanomaterials

Evaluation of the relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction value and coronary artery diameters by multi-slice computed tomography

Amaç: Çok kesitli bilgisayarlı tomografi (ÇKBT) koroner arter anatomisini ve kardiyak morfolojiyi iyi bir şekilde değerlendirmekle beraber sol ventrikül fonksiyonlarının güvenilir ve doğru şekilde hesaplanmasını da sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada amacımız, fonksiyonel değerlerden olan ejeksiyon fraksiyon (EF) ile koroner arter çapları arasında ilişkinin varlığını ve derecesini araştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmada Ocak 2015-Eylül 2015 tarihleri arasında ÇKBT tetkiki yapılan 36 hasta (25 erkek, 11 kadın) retrospektif olarak incelenmiştir. Yaş, cinsiyet, vücut kitle indeksi (VKİ), interventriküler septal kalınlık, sol ana koroner arter (LMA), sol ön inen arter (LAD), sirkümfleks (Cx) arter proksimal kesim çapları, sol ventrikül end diyastolik volüm (EDV), sol ventrikül end sistolik volüm (ESV), sol ventrikül EF değerleri incelendi. Bulgular: Çalışmamıza dahil olan hastaların yaşları ortalama (minimum- maksimum) 45 yıl (29-60 yıl) idi. Çalışmamızda LMA çapı 4.02±0.54 mm, LAD çapı 3.47±0.53 mm, Cx arter çapı 2.97±0.48 mm olarak ölçüldü. İnterventriküler septal kalınlık ortalama 10.80±1.65 mm idi. EDV değerleri ortalama 153.89±23.00 ml, ESV değerleri ortalama 64.29±11,64 ml, EF (%) ortalama %57.95±4.87 olarak hesaplandı. Hastaların yaş, cinsiyet, boy, kilo ve VKİ ölçümleri ile EF (%) ölçümleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir ilişki yoktu (p> 0.05). Hastaların LMA, LAD ve Cx arter çapları ile EF (%) ölçümleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki saptanmamıştır (p>0.05). EDV, ESV değerleri ile koroner arterlerin çapları arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki saptanmadı (p>0.05). Ayrıca interventriküler septal kalınlık ile EF (%) ölçümleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki saptanmamıştır (p>0.05). Sonuç: ÇKBT, koroner arterlerin patolojileri, varyasyonlarının tanısı ve kalbin morfolojisinin değerlendirilebilmesi için önemli bir tekniktir. Ayrıca EDV, ESV, EF (%) değerleri gibi fonksiyonlarının kantitatif ölçümüne olanak sağlar. Koroner arter çapları ile kardiyak fonksiyonlar arasında koroner arter patolojisi olmayanlarda istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişki mevcut değildir.Objective: Multi-slice Computed Tomography (MSCT) provides a reliable and accurate calculation of left ventricular functions, as well as evaluating coronary artery anatomy and cardiac morphology. Our aim is to investigate the existence and degree of the relationship between the functional values of ejection fraction (EF) and coronary artery diameters. Material and Methods: Thirty-six patients (25 men, 11 women) who underwent MSCT examination between January 2015 and September 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), interventricular septal thickness, left main coronary artery (LMA), left anterior descending artery (LAD), circumflex artery (Cx) proximal segment diameters, left ventricular end diastolic volume (EDV), left ventricular end systolic volume (ESV), left ventricular EF values were examined. Results: The mean age of the patients included in our study was 45 (29-60). LMA, LAD and Cx artery diameters and interventricular septum thickness were 4.02 ± 0.54 mm, 3.47 ± 0.53 mm, 2.97 ± 0.48 mm, 10.80 ± 1.65 mm, respectively. The mean EDV, ESV, EF values were calculated as 153.89 ± 23.00 ml, 64.29 ± 11.64 ml, 57.95% ± 4.87, respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between the age, gender, height, weight and BMI measurements of the patients and EF (%) measurements (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between the LMA, LAD, Cx diameters and interventricular septal thickness with EF (%) measurements of the patients (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between EDV, ESV values and the diameter of the coronary arteries (p>0.05). Conclusion: MSCT is an important technique for diagnosing the pathologies and variations of coronary arteries and evaluating the morphology of the heart. It also enables quantitative measurement of functions such as EDV, ESV, EF (%) values. There is no statistically significant relationship between coronary artery diameters and cardiac functions in patients without coronary artery pathology

Biyoloji Öğrenmeye Yönelik Akademik Motivasyon Ölçeği: Ölçek Geliştirme Çalışması

This study aimed to develop "Academic Motivation Scale for Learning Biology (AMSLB)" for high school students. The sample of the study consisted of randomly selected 472 students studying at the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades of a science high school and five Anatolian high schools located in the central district of Kars. The scale development process included three steps: (1) exploratory factor analysis, (2) replication of the exploratory factor analysis with a different sample, and (3) confirmatory factor analysis. According to the analyses results, the scale was composed of 19 items and 4 sub-scales. These sub-scales were named as Intrinsic Motivation, Amotivation, Extrinsic Motivation - Career and Extrinsic Motivation - Social. The internal consistency of the scale was computed by using Cronbach Alpha and it was revealed that the results derived from this dataset had high reliability.Bu çalışma ile lise öğrencileri için “Biyoloji Öğrenmeye Yönelik Akademik Motivasyon Ölçeği (BAMÖ)” geliştirmek amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini Kars il merkezinde bulunan, Fen ve Anadolu liselerinden rastgele seçilen 472 adet lise 9, 10, 11 ve 12. sınıf öğrencileri oluşturmaktadır. Ölçme aracının geliştirilmesi süreci, (1) açımlayıcı faktör analizi, (2) açımlayıcı faktör analizinin farklı bir örneklemle tekrarlanması ve (3) doğrulayıcı faktör analizini içerecek şekilde üç aşamada gerçekleştirilmiştir. Analiz sonuçlarına göre, ölçeğin 19 maddeden ve 4 alt boyuttan oluştuğu belirlenmiştir. Bu alt boyutlar, İçsel Motivasyon, Motivasyonsuzluk, Dışsal Motivasyon – Meslek ve Dışsal Motivasyon – Sosyal olarak adlandırılmıştır. Daha sonra ölçme aracının iç tutarlığı Cronbach Alpha ile hesaplanmış ve bu veri setinden elde edilen sonuçların oldukça yüksek güvenirliğe sahip olduğu görülmüştür

Effects of diosmine-hesperidine on experimental colonic anastomosis

Aim: Our goal was to determine the effects of a diosmine-hesperidine combination on wound healing in a rat model of colonic anastomosis. Materials and methods: In this study, 20 Wistar Albino female rats were randomized into four experimental groups containing fi ve rats in each group. A segment of 1 cm of colon was excised 4 cm proximally to the peritoneal refl ection in all rats without carrying out any mechanical or antibacterial bowel preparation. Colonic anastomosis was performed with interrupted, inverting sutures of 6/0 polypropylene. Beginning from the fi rst postoperative day, the rats in Groups II and IV received 100 mg/kg per day of diosmine-hesperidine via orogastic route by 4F fi ne feeding catheter. Results: A signifi cant difference was detected between groups in terms of their hydroxyproline levels (p<0.05); the hydroxyproline level of Group I was signifi cantly lower than that of the other groups while no signifi cant difference was noted between Groups II and III. Conclusion: The administration of diosmine-hesperidine increased the amount of collagen and bursting pressures at the anastomotic site and thus had favorable infl uences on the healing of colonic anastomosis

Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI) as a patient-reported outcome in mild psoriasis: Real life data from a large psoriatic arthritis registry

Objective: Our aim is to test the validity of the Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI), a patient-reported outcome, to assess the psoriasis severity within the scope of rheumatology. Methods: Within the PsA international database (PSART-ID), 571 patients had PSI, while 322 of these also showed body surface area (BSA). Correlations between PSI, BSA, and other patient- and physician-reported outcomes were investigated. Results: There was a good correlation between PSI and BSA (r=0.546, p<0.001), which was even higher for mild psoriasis (BSA<3 (n=164): T-0.608, p<0.001). PSI significantly correlated with fatigue, pain, and patient and physician global parameters (p<0.001). Conclusion: PSI has a good correlation with other patient- and physician-reported outcomes, and our findings support its use in rheumatology practice

Comparison of a 4-Day versus 2-Day Low Fiber Diet Regimen in Barium Tagging CT Colonography in Incomplete Colonoscopy Patients

Our aim was to compare the amount of residual feces, residual fluid, the tagging quality, and patient compliance using 4-day versus 2-day low fiber diet regimen in barium tagging CT colonography in incomplete colonoscopy patients. Methods. A total of 101 patients who underwent CT colonography were assigned to 2-day diet group (n=56) and 4-day diet group (n=45). Fecal tagging was achieved with barium sulphate while bisacodyl and sennoside B were used for bowel preparation. Residual solid stool was divided into two groups measuring <6 mm and ≥6 mm. We graded the residual fluid, tagging quality for solid stool, and fluid per bowel segment. We performed a questionnaire to assess patient compliance. Results. 604 bowel segments were evaluated. There was no significant difference between 2-day and 4-day diet groups with respect to residual solid stool, residual fluid, tagging quality for stool, and fluid observed in fecal tag CT colonography (P>0.05). The prevalence of moderate discomfort was significantly higher in 4-day group (P<0.001). Conclusion. Our study shows that 2-day limited bowel preparation regimen for fecal tag CT colonography is a safe and reasonable technique to evaluate the entire colon, particularly in incomplete conventional colonoscopy patients