Search

This study examines the impact of crude oil prices on Turkey's transportation sector stock returns. For this purpose, ARDL Bound Test approach is utilized to investigate both long-run and short-run impacts. Research findings show that crude oil prices have an adverse impact on stock returns in the short-run since oil is a crucial input for transportation firms. However, in the long-run, increasing oil prices enhance stock returns in the sector. The oligopolistic market structure of the industry can explain this result. This study also investigates the impact of other factors on stock returns, such as macroeconomic activity, aggregate stock market performance, and global economic policy uncertainty. The results imply that transportation sector returns are also highly sensitive to macroeconomic and aggregate stock market performances. On the other hand, global economic policy has no significant impact on stock returns in the sector. Besides its academic contribution to the literature, the findings of this research offer precious practical implications for financial investors, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.

Objective:Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has obvious advantages over open surgery, such as shorter hospital stay, lower morbidity, better cosmetic results and faster return to daily activities. However, in some cases, conversion to open technique may be inevitable for patient safety or for the management of complications having occurred. Although various risk factors have been identified in many studies, variables such as technical facilities, surgical technique and experience affect risk factors. Our study aims to identify these risk factors.Method:In this study, 2,483 cholecystectomy cases performed in the general surgery clinic of our hospital between December 2013 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. 110 cholecystectomy cases initiated with open surgery and performed during another operation were excluded from the study, and 88 patients who were started laparoscopic surgery and converted to open surgery were selected for the study. Information on the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients was obtained from hospital records. The data of an equal number of consecutively selected patients from the patients who were completed laparoscopically were obtained and compared, and whether these factors had a significant effect on conversion to open surgery was evaluated.Results:The rate of conversion from laparoscopic cholecystectomy to open surgery was 3.7%. The most common reason for conversion to open surgery was adhesion due to inflammation (n=65, 73.9%). While male gender, advanced age, diabetes, median incision above the umbilicus, multiple millimetric calculus and increased wall thickness in ultrasonography had a significant effect on the conversion to open surgery (p0.05). The durations of hospitalization and operation were found to be significantly longer in the open group (p

The COVID-19 epidemic has precipitated a rapid and widespread adoption of online education, leading to its normalization in contemporary society. Online education is evident across several educational levels. However, assessing the efficacy and effectiveness of these training programs can only be achieved by implementing a suitable evaluation methodology. One of the primary challenges associated with online education is the difficulty in assessing its quality and effectiveness. One of the contributing factors to this issue is the instructor's lack of technological skills and knowledge relevant to online teaching. This research aims to develop a scale (Online Evaluation Awareness-OnEvA) to determine the instructors' awareness of online evaluation. 165 participants' data from 63 universities was used for exploratory factor analysis. The items of the scale are designed to measure awareness in both pedagogical and technological dimensions. The items in the pedagogical dimension include the essential competencies that instructors should possess, and alternative evaluation methods offered online. In the technological dimension, the items are created to determine instructors' awareness of the use of technological platforms and tools. For the next step, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to establish the scale's construct validity with 161 instructors. Additionally, the scale's internal consistency was determined to be high, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.964. It is affirmed that this awareness scale developed within the scope of this research will contribute to the development of future models or frameworks related to the dimensions of evaluation knowledge in online learning.

Artificial intelligence is a popular technology that affects many fields today. Its impact is noticeable daily, especially in education, design, and other essential areas. This technology, which stands out with the convenience it creates for users and its help in organizing the workflow, will play a critical role in our lives in the future. This study is aimed to touch upon the innovations provided by artificial intelligence in the field of education and some of its basic features. Some software, especially ChatGPT, is included based on the potential of language models and their essential usage areas. In addition, in the study, it is mentioned how artificial intelligence can be evaluated as a material in text and visual form, the essential functions of artificial intelligence technologies, which are rapidly changing today, are explained in this article, and stimulating points about the current situation are mentioned for those who will work in the field.

Bu çalışmada; neonatal ishalli buzağılarda farklı etiyolojik faktörlerin hemogram parametreleri üzerine etkisinin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Araştırmada 1-20 günlük yaşta 44 ishalli, 18 sağlıklı toplam 62 buzağı kullanıldı. Rektumdan alınan dışkı örneklerinde Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Rotavirus ve Coronavirus etkenlerine yönelik immunokromatografik test kitleriyle bakılıp buzağılar gruplandırıldı. Vena jugularis’den alınan kanlarda total lökosit, granülosit, lenfosit, monosit, eritrosit ve hematokrit parametreleri ölçüldü. Deney grubu buzağıların total lökosit, granülosit ve monosit düzeylerinin kontrol grubuna göre önemli düzeyde yüksek (p0,05) belirlendi. Sonuç olarak hemogram parametrelerinin ishalli buzağılarda önem arz ettiği ancak etiyolojik faktörlere göre farklılık göstermediği görüldü. Bu değişikliklerin etiyolojik faktörlerin tipi, sayısı, hayvanın durumu, tablonun şiddeti/süresi gibi birçok faktörden etkilenebileceğinden dolayı değişiklik göstermediği kanısına varıldı. Konuyla ilgili daha fazla hayvan üzerinde ve çevresel faktörlerin kontrol altına alındığı çalışılmaların yapılması gerektiği görüldü.

Objective:This study aimed to prospectively investigate the predictive value of ureteral jet dynamics measured by Doppler ultrasonography (D-US) to differentiate postrenal obstruction from other reasons after double-J stent (DJS) removal in patients who underwent renal transplantation (RTx) due to chronic renal failure.Materials and Methods:Patients who underwent RTx between 2017 and 2018 were prospectively evaluated. After RTx, D-US was performed on all patients following DJS removal. Renal Artery Resistive index (RA-Ri), renal pelvis anterior–posterior diameter (RP-APD), pelvicalyceal system dilation (PCSD), and ureteral jet flow dynamics [maximum (JETmax) and average velocity (JETave)] were measured by D-US. Patients’ demographics, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), acute rejection, and hemodialysis (HD) time were investigated. Patients were divided into two groups as patients without PCSD (group 1) and patients with PCSD during follow-up (group 2). In addition, group 2 was also divided into two subgroups as patients with postrenal obstruction (group 2a) and without postrenal obstruction (group 2b). All values were compared between the groups.Results:A total of 28 patients were evaluated in the study. HD time and RP-APD were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p

This study aims to examine the lesson plan development processes and related experiences of prospective teachers, and determine the potential effects their lesson plan development efforts on their perceived TPACK. The research was conducted as part of a 14-week Mathematics Teaching course. During the course, prospective teachers underwent a six-week training program focused on designing technology-supported mathematics lessons, followed by an eight-week period dedicated to developing lesson plans for different topics and objectives within the mathematics curriculum. Data for this case study was collected from sample of 44 prospective teachers through participant diaries, observation notes, interviews, and pre- and post-lesson administration of the Turkish version of Schmidt et al.'s (2009) TPACK scale. Qualitative data was thematically analyzed to complement quantitative analysis using a t-test. The findings indicate that engaging in lesson plan preparation activities during mathematics teaching courses positively influenced prospective teachers' perceived TPACK levels. Specifically, an increase in TPACK levels was observed after attending the course. Furthermore, several factors have been identified that enable prospective teachers' perception of TPACK to be positively affected. These findings suggest the need for technology-supported course design within the mathematics curriculum of teacher training programs. Providing elective courses that offer prospective teachers additional opportunities to develop lesson plans is recommended.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of anodization and air-particle abrasion surface treatments on shear bond strength between Ni-Cr and ceramics.Material and Methods: 30 cylindrical Ni-Cr specimens (7x10 mm) were divided into three groups according to the surface treatments [control group (no-treatment), air-particle abrasion group (110 µm Al2O3at 75 psi from 20 cm for 30 seconds), and anodization group]. One sample from each group was evaluated by using SEM. Ceramics with a dimension (5x3 mm) built-up on specimens and shear bond strength tests were performed by using universal testing machine with a 1 mm/min crosshead speed. Stereomicroscope was used to evaluate the failure mode of specimens. One-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey’s test was used to analyze the differences in shear bond strength values.Results: The shear bond strength of air-particle abrasion (21,35∓4,64) was higher than anodization group (20,92∓4,85) however, no statistically significant difference was detected. Both groups showed higher bond strength than control group (8,02∓1,47).Conclusion: Anodization process can be used in order to increase the metal-ceramic bond strength. However, according to the failure mode, air-particle abrasion forms stronger bond strength than anodization.

Although the Rasch model is used to measure latent traits like attitude or ability where there are multiple latent structures within the dataset it is best to use a technique called the Mixture Rasch Model (MRM) which is a combination of a Rasch model and a latent class analysis (LCA). This study used data from a survey for teachers, teacher candidates, and teacher education program faculty with a sample of 296 candidates, 648 graduates, and 501 program faculty. Survey items based on these competencies were administered to in one Western state to ascertain how well the program candidates attended prepared them for the teaching profession. The 40 items common to surveys of the three groups were submitted to mixture Rasch analysis to determine whether distinct patterns of item response were discernible. Analyses yielded two classes which brings the construct validity of the survey into question. Results showed that the Mixture Rasch Model is and can be useful to determine subgroups for survey researchers. This research presents a demonstration of usefulness of the Mixture Rasch Model for the analysis of survey data.

This study explored pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge levels and their blended teaching readiness. In this context, the study employed the cross-sectional survey design, and the variables were analyzed descriptively and correlationally. The study was carried out with the participation of 477 pre-service teachers. Data were collected using the Blended Teaching Readiness Instrument and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Deep (TPACK deep) Scale. The analyses put forth that pre-service teachers technological pedagogical content knowledge levels were high in the dimensions of design, exertion, and proficiency, whereas their levels were moderate in the dimension of ethics. In addition, pre-service teachers' blended teaching readiness levels were found to be high in the dimensions of dispositions, online integration, data practices, personalizing instruction, and online interaction. Furthermore, a significant and positive high-level correlation was revealed between pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge levels and their blended teaching readiness. Also, pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge levels could explain 66% of the variance in their blended teaching readiness.

The learning styles of students vary both among individuals and across different disciplines they choose to study. In higher education, academic discipline appears to be a key factor influencing students' distinctive learning styles. This study, which aims to determine the dominant learning styles and models of talented pre-service teachers, was designed with the survey model. The study group research consisted of 1019 volunteer pre-service teachers who continued their education in Physical Education and Sports, Music, and Arts & Craft Teaching departments. In the study, the VARK Learning Style Inventory was used as a data collection tool; students were asked to answer questions in a digital environment through Google Forms. According to the research results, kinesthetic style is the dominant learning preference for preservice teachers in the visual arts and sports sciences, and both kinesthetic and aural styles are the dominant learning preferences for pre-service teachers in music education. Although talented pre-service teachers tend to learn predominantly kinesthetic and aural styles when evaluated, 61.2% of pre-service teachers prefer to learn with a Multiple Learning Model, which covers the entire instructional diversity, rather than sticking to just one learning style.

We analyzed the links between access to higher education, exams, and equity in education in Türkiye. Next, we made numerous recommendations and referred to a phenomenon: "The Magnus Effect" to delve into the problems of the relevant processes. After conducting a review of the literature, we came up with four core sources that produce equity issues: tracking, stratification, socioeconomic status, and the qualifying elimination system. One of the ironies was that access to higher education institutions is enabled via high-stakes national exams, which seem to legitimize the process while leading to countless more inequities.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and the decision to be a school principal and the mediating effects of motivation-to-lead and worries-about-leadership in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 375 teachers working in public high schools in Ankara, Türkiye participated in this cross-sectional predictive study. Descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling and bootstrapping were used in the analysis of the data. Findings: Leadership self-efficacy was found to increase both motivation-to-lead and worries-about-leadership. Motivation-to-lead positively influenced the decision to be a school principal, whereas worries-about-leadership did so negatively. Furthermore, leadership self-efficacy had an indirect positive effect on the decision to be a school principal through motivation-to-lead and worries-about-leadership. Practical implications: Based on the findings, it is recommended to offer teachers training programs on school administration and leadership. Furthermore, we suggested providing teachers with administrative internship and mentorship opportunities to help them gain field experience and benefit from the experiences of incumbent school principals in school leadership. Originality/value: This study confirmed that theoretical assumptions about self-efficacy are also relevant in the decision-making process regarding the school principalship: leadership self-efficacy can be the source of both motivation and worry. This study also implied that teachers make their choices about the school principalship by considering the potential advantages and disadvantages of the position.

Vascular lesions of the head and neck include vascular neoplasms, vascular malformations, and hypervascular lesions, derived from nonvascular soft-tissue elements. We retrospectively evaluated magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography images of vascular lesions located in the head and neck. Twelve patients (seven males, five females) aged 1–68 years (mean age, 35.25 years) were included in this study. Most of the vascular lesions in our study were histologically diagnosed. The lesions were as follows: a hemangioma located in the parotid space (n=1); a hemangioendothelioma located in the parotid space (n=1); a hemangiopericytoma located in the larynx (n=1); a juvenile angiofibroma located in the nasopharynx (n=1); a glomus tumor located in the carotid bifurcation (n=1); venous malformations located in the parapharyngeal space, the pterygoid area, the orbital space, and the larynx (n=4); lymphatic malformations located in the parotid space and the supraclavicular area (n=2); and an arteriovenous malformation located in the infratemporal fossa (n=1). We present rare vascular lesions of the head and neck, which have typical radiological findings.