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The present study aims to examine the effect of the life skills training guide on the development of pre-service science teachers' professional knowledge of entrepreneurial skills. The study included 82 pre-service science teachers studying in the third year of a public university in Turkey during the 2019-2020 academic year. The data of the study, which was conducted with a one-group pre-test-post-test experimental design, were collected using the entrepreneurship skills professional knowledge test. The data were analyzed using the professional knowledge assessment rubric and entrepreneurship skill indicators. The results of the study revealed that there was a significant difference between the pre-and post-test scores of the pre-service teachers in favor of the post-test scores. Following the experimental process, their professional knowledge about entrepreneurship increased. However, the number of pre-service teachers who were able to improve their professional knowledge scores to a high level was limited. Furthermore, following the experimental process, there was an increase in the number of pre-service teachers who were able to develop appropriate activities for students to gain entrepreneurial skills and to prepare tools for measuring and evaluating students' entrepreneurial skills in a way to include stressed indicators. Consequently, the present study provides science teacher educators with educational activities that they can model within the scope of teaching professional knowledge of entrepreneurship skills to pre-service science teachers.

This study aims to examine pre-service science teachers' (PSTs') model-based (MB) content knowledge (CK) and knowledge of students' understanding (KSU) of chemical bonds. The participants of the study consist of 229 senior pre service science teachers. The study is a case study from qualitative research designs. The data of the study were collected by using the "Chemical Bonds Model Knowledge Test (CBMKT)". The obtained data were analyzed using the "Model Based-Content Knowledge Rubric (MB-CK Rubric)" and "Model Based-Knowledge of Students' Understanding Rubric (MB-KSU Rubric)". The findings showed that PSTs mostly have an understanding of wrong modeling and not being able to make any modeling in terms of MB-CK on chemical bonds. In addition, it has been determined that the majority of pre-service teachers have an invalid and weak level in terms of MB-KSU. These findings indicate that PSTs' professional knowledge of chemical bonds in their undergraduate education should be supported by model-based teaching.

Artificial intelligence (AI) introduces new tools to the educational environment with the potential to transform conventional teaching and learning processes. This study offers a comprehensive overview of AI technologies, their potential applications in education, and the difficulties involved. Chatbots and related algorithms that can simulate human interactions and generate human-like text based on input from natural language are discussed. In addition to the advantages of cutting-edge chatbots like ChatGPT, their use in education raises important ethical and practical challenges. The authors aim to provide insightful information on how AI may be successfully incorporated into the educational setting to benefit teachers and students, while promoting responsible and ethical use.

School leadership is a concept being discussed in recent studies regarding educational administration. This study examines the relationship between school leadership and teacher professionalism, focusing on the mediating effects of trust in the administrator on the relationship between school leadership and teacher professionalism. The study has adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The sample consists of 269 (Türkiye) and 134 (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) teachers. The structural equation model was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the variables. Considering the findings of the study, school leadership is positively related to teacher professionalism as mediated by trust in the school administrator. In conclusion, the researchers recommend that school leaders implement practices that encourage powerful trust among teachers in their administrators.

For K-12 teachers to improve effective teaching skills, cognitive presence (CP) integration into teaching and learning process is of utmost value. CP strategy training can serve as a facilitating component in supporting K-12 teachers' instructional capacity. This study presents findings of a teacher professional development training aiming CP strategy implementation at K-12 level. Following a mixed-method methodology, the present research was carried out with 53 teachers from four different campuses and grade levels, who were guided to implement CP strategies in their teaching context. The data sources were CP-integrated lesson plans, trainers' feedback on these lesson plans, teacher responses on a questionnaire. The data collection methods were utilizing an end-of-the-training questionnaire directed to teachers, lesson plan evaluation through a CP rubric, content analysis of trainer feedback on lesson plans and revised lesson plans. Results unveiled that this professional development training designed and implemented for K-12 teachers led to significantly positive changes in teachers' CP strategy integration into lesson plans regardless of levels, subjects or topics. This study could also provide important contributions to designing teacher professional development training for researchers, practitioners and teacher trainers, particularly in CP dimension.

Exploring science teachers' classroom assessment behaviors is a way to understand the professional knowledge competencies underlying effective teaching practices. One of the most important components of in-class assessments is teacher questions. However, studies examining teacher questions that provide support to accurately determine student learning and manage the lesson effectively are quite limited. This research presents a case study of a science teacher in Turkey regarding the question types and questioning proficiency in the teaching of 5th grade "Measurement of Force and Friction" and "Matter and Change". The data have been collected through course observations. The study used an observation evaluation protocol to analyze the video recordings taken from the science teacher's lectures. The results of this study showed that about half of the questions that the science teacher has asked in his class remain at a partially appropriate and inappropriate level, and that the teacher mostly prefers questions that aim to evaluate real information and summarize what is important in his courses. These results point to the need for professional development on a teacher's questioning practices. Therefore, it can be said that those who plan professional development programs for science teachers should consider efforts to improve teacher questioning practices.

Yildiray Topcu,1 Robbert JJ Gobbens,2– 5 Tjeerd van der Ploeg,2 Fatih Tufan6 1Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu Şehir Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkiye; 2Faculty of Health, Sports and Social Work, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 3Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland, Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 4Department Family Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; 5Tranzo, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands; 6Istanbul Esenler Avicenna Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Istanbul, TurkiyeCorrespondence: Fatih Tufan, Assoc. Prof. of Geriatrics, Istanbul Esenler Avicenna Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Istanbul, Turkiye, Tel +90 5331683458, Email fatihtufan@gmail.comPurpose: To our knowledge, there have been no comparative studies evaluating the associations of frailty defined using the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), frailty phenotype by Fried et al, and FRAIL scale with all-cause mortality in Turkiye. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the ability of these instruments in predicting all-cause mortality in outpatients admitted to the outpatient geriatrics clinic of a university hospital.Patients and Methods: This historical prospective study was performed in the geriatrics outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Istanbul, Turkiye. Consecutive older adults (aged ≥ 70 years) who provided written informed consent were enrolled in the study. The survival status of participants was checked electronically using the official death registry system. Univariate analyses and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the independent predictors of mortality.Results: A total of 198 participants with a median age of 77 years were enrolled. During the median follow-up period of 2236 days, 54 (27.3%) patients died. In univariate analyses, male sex, history of falls in the previous year, dependency in instrumental activities of daily living, malnutrition, and frailty with respect to the phenotype by Fried et al, FRAIL scale, and TFI were associated with mortality. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, frailty according to each of the three frailty instruments, male sex, older age, history of falls, and malnutrition or malnutrition risk were independently associated with mortality. The Fried scale was the best frailty tool among the three frailty instruments used to predict all-cause mortality.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that frailty, determined using each of the three instruments used in the present study, is independently associated with all-cause mortality in patients admitted to the outpatient geriatrics clinic of a university hospital in Turkiye. The Fried scale appears to be the best for predicting all-cause mortality.Keywords: Turkiye, frailty, mortality, malnutrition, falls, dependency

Background and objective: With advancement in technology, it has been possible to use minimally invasive surgical approaches for performing pyeloplasty for the treatment of ureteral strictures. This study aims to investigate the current trends of pyeloplasty and reconstructive ureteral procedures. Methods: We analyzed the nationwide German hospital billing database (Destatis) from 2006 to 2022. Linear regression models were utilized for the identification of trends over time. Key findings and limitations: A total of 34 975 pyeloplasties and 37 470 cases with ureteral reconstruction procedures were analyzed. The total number of pyeloplasties increased from 1990 procedures in 2006 to 2251 in 2019, before declining again down to 1916 procedures in 2022 (p = 0.783). Open pyeloplasty cases decreased from 79.5% in 2006 to 17.6% in 2022, while those using the robotic approach increased from 0.3% in 2006 to 35.9% in 2022 (p

Abstract Background Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) analysis relies on qualitative visual assessment or semi-quantitative measures like total perfusion deficit that play a critical role in the non-invasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease by assessing regional blood flow abnormalities. Recently, machine learning (ML) -based analysis of SPECT images for coronary artery disease diagnosis has shown promise, with its utility in predicting long-term patient outcomes (prognosis) remaining an active area of investigation. In this review, we comprehensively examine the current landscape of ML-based analysis of SPECT imaging with an emphasis on prognostication of coronary artery disease. Main body Our systematic search yielded twelve retrospective studies, investigating SPECT-based ML models for prognostic prediction in coronary artery disease patients, with a total sample size of 73,023 individuals. Several of these studies demonstrate the superior prognostic capabilities of ML models over traditional logistic regression (LR) models and total perfusion deficit, especially when incorporating demographic data alongside SPECT imaging. Meta-analysis of 6 studies revealed promising performance of the included ML models, with sensitivity and specificity exceeding 65% for major adverse cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Notably, the integration of demographic information with SPECT imaging in ML frameworks shows statistically significant improvements in prognostic performance. Conclusion Our review suggests that ML models either independently or in combination with demographic data enhance prognostic prediction in coronary artery disease.

Background Thyroid hormones (THs) have important effects on many organ systems, including the hippocampus, by modulating gene transcription. Therefore, deviations from the normal reference range of this hormone cause vital changes. However, it is not well understood how these hormones affect the expression of genes involved in the Akt1/Gsk3ß signaling pathway in hippocampus tissue. The study investigated the changes in gene expression in eight genes related to neurodegeneration in the hippocampus tissue of rats with TH disorder (Gsk3ß-mRNA, Cdk5-mRNA, Akt1-mRNA, Mapt-mRNA P35 [Anxa]-mRNA, Capn1-mRNA, Bace1-mRNA, and Psen2-mRNA). Methods Twenty-two male rats were split into three groups as control, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism. Propylthiouracil was given in drinking water for 21 days to induce hypothyroidism. L-thyroxine was administered for 21 days to induce hyperthyroidism. The levels of genes in the hippocampus were measured with the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. Results While free thyroxine (fT4) levels in blood plasma were found to be lower in the hypothyroidism group than in the control group, fT4 levels in blood plasma were found to be higher in the hyperthyroidism group. The mRNA expression levels of Cdk5, Mapt, P35, Akt1, Psen2, and Bace1 genes evaluated in hippocampus tissue showed significant differences between the groups. Conclusion THs are essential for the expression of certain genes, and these genes need to be expressed within a certain range for the body to function properly. Changes in hormone levels can partially change the expression of Akt1/Gsk3ß-mRNA, which is also associated with learning and memory.