PubMed İndeksli Yayınlar / PubMed Indexed Publications

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Open Access
Analysis of Facial Emotion Expression in Eating Occasions Using Deep Learning
(Springer, 2023) ELİF, YILDIRIM; AKBULUT, FATMA PATLAR; Çatal, Çağatay
Eating is experienced as an emotional social activity in any culture. There are factors that influence the emotions felt during food consumption. The emotion felt while eating has a significant impact on our lives and affects different health conditions such as obesity. In addition, investigating the emotion during food consumption is considered a multidisciplinary problem ranging from neuroscience to anatomy. In this study, we focus on evaluating the emotional experience of different participants during eating activities and aim to analyze them automatically using deep learning models. We propose a facial expression-based prediction model to eliminate user bias in questionnaire-based assessment systems and to minimize false entries to the system. We measured the neural, behavioral, and physical manifestations of emotions with a mobile app and recognize emotional experiences from facial expressions. In this research, we used three different situations to test whether there could be any factor other than the food that could affect a person’s mood. We asked users to watch videos, listen to music or do nothing while eating. This way we found out that not only food but also external factors play a role in emotional change. We employed three Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures, fine-tuned VGG16, and Deepface to recognize emotional responses during eating. The experimental results demonstrated that the fine-tuned VGG16 provides remarkable results with an overall accuracy of 77.68% for recognizing the four emotions. This system is an alternative to today’s survey-based restaurant and food evaluation systems.
Open Access
Are There Any Changes in Mothers' Attitudes? Analysis of the Impact of the Covid-19 Quarantine on Child-Rearing Attitudes
(Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd., 2022) TORAN, MEHMET; Özden, Bülent
The present study aims to examine the impact of the time spent by mothers at home with their children during the quarantine period that was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mothers' child-rearing attitudes, taking into consideration some variables and the experiences of mothers. The study was designed using embedded mixed design, in which qualitative and quantitative research methods were used together. The quantitative research group consisted of 673 mothers and the qualitative research group consisted of 16 mothers. The research data was gathered online using the Lime Survey platform, and the interviews with the mothers were also held online. Demographic information form, the Child Rearing Attitude Scale, and a semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools. Moderator variable analysis was used for the quantitative research data and descriptive analysis was used for the qualitative research data in support of the quantitative data. The findings revealed that the mothers' child-rearing attitudes changed depending on the variables concerning the children; however, the quarantine period instituted due to COVID-19 had an impact on the mothers' child-rearing attitudes depending on the variables of age and number of children. The qualitative findings obtained from the interviews supported the quantitative findings. However, it was revealed that the mothers' attitudes towards their children underwent changes during the quarantine period under COVID-19.
Open Access
Assessing the Efficacy of a Novel Sperm-Washing Medium Enriched With Serotonin, L-Carnitine, and Coenzyme Q10: An Observational Cohort Study
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2024) DOĞAN, SİNEM; Aydın, Turgut; Koroglu, Nadiye; Yılmazer, Yasemin; Albayrak, Nazlı; Çetin, Fadime; Moshfeghi, Elnaz; ÇELİK, ÖZGE
This observational cohort study investigated the potential of a novel sperm-washing medium (SWM) enriched with serotonin (5-HT), L-carnitine (L-C), and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to enhance sperm motility and reduce DNA damage. It compared this innovative medium (5-HT/L-C/CoQ10 SWM) with two widely used commercial media (SWM 1 and SWM 2). Ninety-eight volunteers from an infertility clinic provided semen samples, which were divided into three aliquots for analysis in different SWMs: group 1, SWM was composed of hydroxyethyl piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES), sodium bicarbonate, human serum albumin (HSA), taurine, and gentamicin sulfate (SWM 1); group 2, SWM was composed of HEPES, sodium bicarbonate, and HSA (SWM 2); and group 3, SWM was composed of HEPES-buffered human tubal fluid supplemented with 5-HT, L-C, and CoQ10 (5-HT/L-C/CoQ10 SWM). Sperm motility was categorized as progressive, nonprogressive, or immotile. Apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and DNA fragmentation were also assessed. There were no significant differences in total or progressive sperm motility among the groups. Spermatozoa in group 3 exhibited reduced apoptosis, necrosis, and ROS levels and increased viability. No significant differences were observed in the DNA fragmentation index among groups. The 5-HT/L-C/CoQ10 SWM reduced sperm oxidative stress and apoptosis compared with those of the two commercially available SWMs, suggesting that 5-HT/L-C/CoQ10 SWM could be useful for enhancing in vitro fertilization success rates.
Open Access
Atiprimod Triggered Apoptotic Cell Death Via Acting on PERK/eIF2 alpha/ATF4/CHOP and STAT3/NF-Kappa B axis in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 Breast Cancer Cells
(Springer, 2021) Çoker-Gürkan, Ajda; CAN, ESİN; ŞAHİN, SEMANUR; ARISAN, ELİF DAMLA; YERLİKAYA, PINAR OBAKAN
Purpose The constitutive activation of STAT3 through receptor tyrosine kinases triggered breast cancer cell growth and invasion-metastasis. Atiprimod impacts anti-proliferative, anti-carcinogenic effects in hepatocellular carcinoma, lymphoma, multiple myeloma via hindering the biological activity of STAT3. Dose-dependent atiprimod evokes first autophagy as a survival mechanism and then apoptosis due to prolonged ER stress in pituitary adenoma cells. The therapeutic efficiency and mechanistic action of atiprimod in breast cancer cells have not been investigated yet. Thus, we aimed to modulate the pivotal role of ER stress in atiprimod-triggered apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells. Results Dose- and time-dependent atiprimod treatment inhibits cell viability and colony formation in MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. A moderate dose of atiprimod (2 mu M) inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation at Tyr705 residue and also suppressed the total expression level of p65. In addition, nuclear localization of STAT1, 3, and NF-kappa B was prevented by atiprimod exposure in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. Atiprimod evokes PERK, BiP, ATF-4, CHOP upregulation, and PERK (Thr980), eIF2 alpha (Ser51) phosphorylation's. However, atiprimod suppressed IRE1 alpha-mediated Atg-3, 5, 7, 12 protein expressions and no alteration was observed on Beclin-1, p62 expression levels. PERK/eIF2 alpha/ATF4/CHOP axis pivotal role in atiprimod-mediated G1/S arrest and apoptosis via Bak, Bax, Bim, and PUMA upregulation in MDA-MB-468 cells. Moreover, atiprimod renders MDA-MB-231 more vulnerable to type I programmed cell death by plasmid-mediated increased STAT3 expression. Conclusion Atiprimod induced prolonged ER stress-mediated apoptosis via both activating PERK/eIF2 alpha/ATF4/CHOP axis and suppressing STAT3/NF-kappa B transcription factors nuclear migration in TBNC cells.
Open Access
Augmented Reality Experience in an Architectural Design Studio
(Springer, 2023) Alp, Neşe Çakıcı; YAZICI, YASEMİN ERKAN; Öner, Dilan
Thanks to the developing technology, different methods and tools are used in architectural representation, and architects contribute to developing these tools. Architects can easily model their designs with computer technologies and even make them visible in the environment with augmented reality technologies. Also, it is thought that these technologies will become widespread in basic architectural education over time. This study conducted a practice at the undergraduate architecture level using augmented reality technology. Within the scope of the study, the predisposition of students who experience augmented reality technologies to new representation, gender, course period, familiarity with playing computer games, the effect of computer programs that they can use in their previous augmented reality experience and designs if any, and the correlation between them has been tried to be revealed with this study. In this context, a study was carried out with thirteen students in the architectural design studio. Students were expected to parametrically design indoor exhibition elements using Rhinoceros 3D software and the Grasshopper plugin in the study. Then, an experimental augmented reality study was conducted with the Fologram, in which the students transferred these virtual exhibition elements they designed to the real indoors and reshaped them according to the space. Afterwards, a questionnaire consisting of five independent and ten dependent variables was applied to the students. The survey results were analysed with the IBM SPSS Statistics program. According to the results obtained, significant results were determined between 4 independent variables and one dependent variable.
Open Access
Benchmarking the Anisotropy of Nitroxyl Radical Solvation With IR Spectroscopy
(The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024) Bras, Elisa M.; Zimmermann, Charlotte; FAUSTO, RUI; Suhm, Martin A.
Two simple nitroxyl radicals, di-tert-butyl nitroxyl (DTBN) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxyl (TEMPO) are solvated by one or two water, methanol, tert-butyl alcohol or phenol molecules. The resulting low temperature IR spectra of the vacuum-isolated microsolvates in the OH stretching range are assigned based on harmonic DFT predictions for closed shell solvent dimers and trimers and their offset from experiment, to minimise theory-guided assignment bias. Systematic conformational preferences for the first and second solvent molecule are observed, depending on the conformational rigidity of the radical. These assignments are collected into an experimental benchmark data set and used to assess the spectral predicting power of different DFT approaches. The goal is to find inexpensive computational methods which provide reliable spectral predictions for this poorly explored class of microsolvates.
Open Access
Biochemical and Proteomic Analyses in Drought-Tolerant Wheat Mutants Obtained by Gamma Irradiation
(MDPI, 2024) Şen, Ayşe; GÜMÜŞ, TAMER; Temel, Aslıhan; Öztürk, İrfan; ÇELİK, ÖZGE
The bread wheat cultivar (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Sagittario) as a parental line and its mutant, drought-tolerant lines (Mutant lines 4 and 5) were subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced drought. Drought stress resulted in decreased chlorophyll levels and the accumulation of proline and TBARS, despite increases in activities of catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase enzymes. Transcription of the genes encoding these enzymes and delta-1-pyrroline 5-carboxylase synthetase was induced by drought. 2-DE gel electrophoresis analysis identified differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the mutant lines, which are distinguished by "chloroplast", "mitochondrion", "pyruvate dehydrogenase complex", and "homeostatic process" terms. The drought tolerance of the mutant lines might be attributed to improved photosynthesis, efficient ATP synthesis, and modified antioxidant capacity. In addition to proteomics data, the drought tolerance of wheat genotypes might also be assessed by chlorophyll content and TaPOX gene expression. To our knowledge, this is the first proteomic analysis of gamma-induced mutants of bread wheat. These findings are expected to be utilized in plant breeding studies.
Open Access
Biosignals, Facial Expressions, and Speech as Measures of Workplace Stress: Workstress3d Dataset
(Elsevier, 2024) Doğan, Gülin; AKBULUT, FATMA PATLAR; Çatal, Çağatay
WorkStress3D is a comprehensive collection of multimodal data for the research of stress in the workplace. This dataset contains biosignals, facial expressions, and speech signals, making it an invaluable resource for stress analysis and related studies. The ecological validity of the dataset was ensured by the fact that the data were collected in actual workplace environments. The biosignal data contains measurements of electrodermal activity, blood volume pressure, and cutaneous temperature, among others. High-resolution video recordings were used to capture facial expressions, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of facial cues associated with tension. In order to capture vocal characteristics indicative of tension, speech signals were recorded. The dataset contains samples from both stress-free and stressful work situations, providing a proportionate representation of various stress levels. The dataset is accompanied by extensive metadata and annotations, which facilitate in-depth analysis and interpretation. WorkStress3D is a valuable resource for developing and evaluating stress detection models, examining the impact of work environments on stress levels, and exploring the potential of multimodal data fusion for stress analysis.
Open Access
Co-Chaperone Bag-1 Plays a Role in the Autophagy-Dependent Cell Survival Through Beclin 1 Interaction
(MDPI, 2021) Türk, Miray; Tatlı, Özge; Alkan, Hamza Furkan; KILBAŞ, PELİN ÖZFİLİZ; Alkurt, Gizem; Dinler Doğanay, Gizem
Expression levels of the major mammalian autophagy regulator Beclin 1 and its interaction with Bcl-2 regulate the switch between autophagic cell survival and apoptotic cell death pathways. However, some of the regulators and the precise mechanisms of these processes still remain elusive. Bag-1 (Bcl-2 associated athanogene-1), a member of BAG family proteins, is a multifunctional pro-survival molecule that possesses critical functions in vital cellular pathways. Herein, we report the role of Bag-1 on Bcl-2/Beclin 1 crosstalk through indirectly interacting with Beclin 1. Pull-down experiments suggested a molecular interaction between Bag-1 and Beclin 1 in breast cancer cell lines. On the other hand, in vitro binding assays showed that Bag-1/Beclin 1 interaction does not occur directly but occurs through a mediator molecule. Bag-1 interaction with p-Beclin 1 (T119), indicator of early autophagy, is increased during nutrient starvation suggesting involvement of Bag-1 in the autophagic regulation. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Bag-1 knock-out in MCF-7 cells hampered cell survival and proliferation and resulted in decreased levels of total LC3 under starvation. Collectively, we suggest that Bag-1 modulates cell survival/death decision through maintaining macroautophagy as a component of Beclin 1-associated complexes.
Open Access
Comparison of Kinesio Taping, Trigger Point Injection, and Neural Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Study
(Kare Publishing, 2023) Ay, Saime; Tur, Birkan Sonel; Karakaş, Merve; Gökmen, Derya; ALTINBİLEK, TURGAY; Evcik, Deniz
Objectives: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a regional painful soft-tissue disorder, characterized by trigger points (TrPs) and taut bands in the muscles. In this study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of kinesio taping (KT), TrPs injection, and neural therapy (NT) on pain and disability in acute MPS.Methods: 104 patients with MPS in the cervical region were allocated into three groups. Group 1 (n=35) were treated with KT, Group 2 (n=35) received local anesthetic (LA) (lidocaine of 0.5%) TrPs injection, and Group 3 (n=34) received NT with the same LA solution. Patients were assessed by means of pain, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and disability. Pain severity was measured by Visual Analog Scale. The neck pain disability scale was used for assessing disability. PPT was measured by using an algometer. Measurements were taken before and after treatment of 3(rd) and 7(th) days.Results: There were improvements on pain and disability in all groups at the end of treatments at 3(rd) day and during follow-up period (p<0.001) and no differences were found between the groups. There was significant difference in PPT values in TrPs injection and NT groups in comparisons between all time periods, however, the change, depending on time in the KT group, was not statistically significant.Conclusion: The results of this study show that all these three treatment methods found to be effective on pain relief and disability in acute MPS. In terms of PPT, injection treatments seem to be superior than KT.
Open Access
Correction to: Residual Gait Deviations in Children Treated by Medial Open Reduction for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip at Long-Term Follow-up: A Comparison With Healthy Controls (International Orthopaedics, (2024), 48, 10, (2661-2671), 10.1007/s00264-024-06263-9)
(Springer Nature, 2024) Demirel, Mehmet; EVRENDİLEK, HALENUR; AKALAN, NAZİF EKİN; Bilgili, Fuat; Meriç, Emre; Kuchimov, Shavkat; ÖNERGE, KÜBRA
The correct affiliation of Kübra Önerge should be affiliation 2: Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, İstanbul Kültür University, Istanbul, Turkey. and not affiliation 3. The original article has been corrected. © The Author(s) 2024.
Open Access
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Bag-1 Knockout Increased Mesenchymal Characteristics of MCF-7 Cells Via Akt Hyperactivation-Mediated Actin Cytoskeleton Remodeling
(Public Library of Science, 2022) KILBAŞ, PELİN ÖZFİLİZ; Can, Nisan Denizce; Kızılboğa, Tuğba; Ezberci, Fikret; Doğanay, Hamdi Levent; Doğanay, Gizem Dinler; ARISAN, ELİF DAMLA
Bag-1 protein is a crucial target in cancer to increase the survival and proliferation of cells. The Bag-1 expression is significantly upregulated in primary and metastatic cancer patients compared to normal breast tissue. Overexpression of Bag-1 decreases the efficiency of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, whereas Bag-1 silencing enhances the apoptotic efficiency of therapeutics, mostly in hormone-positive breast cancer subtypes. In this study, we generated stable Bag-1 knockout (KO) MCF-7 breast cancer cells to monitor stress-mediated cellular alterations in comparison to wild type (wt) and Bag-1 overexpressing (Bag-1 OE) MCF-7 cells. Validation and characterization studies of Bag-1 KO cells showed different cellular morphology with hyperactive Akt signaling, which caused stress-mediated actin reorganization, focal adhesion decrease and led to mesenchymal characteristics in MCF-7 cells. A potent Akt inhibitor, MK-2206, suppressed mesenchymal transition in Bag-1 KO cells. Similar results were obtained following the recovery of Bag-1 isoforms (Bag-1S, M, or L) in Bag-1 KO cells. The findings of this study emphasized that Bag-1 is a mediator of actin-mediated cytoskeleton organization through regulating Akt activation. © 2022 Kilbas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Open Access
Deciphering the Mechanism of Melatonin-Induced Enhancement of Photosystem II Function in Moderate Drought-Stressed Oregano Plants
(MDPI, 2024) Moustaka, Julietta; Sperdouli, Ilektra; İŞGÖREN, SUMRUNAZ; Şaş, Begüm; Moustakas, Michael
Melatonin (MT) is considered as an antistress molecule that plays a constructive role in the acclimation of plants to both biotic and abiotic stress conditions. In the present study, we assessed the impact of 10 and 100 μM MT foliar spray, on chlorophyll content, and photosystem II (PSII) function, under moderate drought stress, on oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) plants. Our aim was to elucidate the molecular mechanism of MT action on the photosynthetic electron transport process. Foliar spray with 100 μM MT was more effective in mitigating the negative impact of moderate drought stress on PSII function, compared to 10 μM MT. MT foliar spray significantly improved the reduced efficiency of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), and PSII photoinhibition (Fv/Fm), which were caused by drought stress. Under moderate drought stress, foliar spray with 100 μM MT, compared with the water sprayed (WA) leaves, increased the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) by 31%, at the growth irradiance (GI, 205 μmol photons m−2 s−1), and by 13% at a high irradiance (HI, 1000 μmol photons m−2 s−1). However, the lower NPQ increase at HI was demonstrated to be more effective in decreasing the singlet-excited oxygen (1O2) production at HI (−38%), in drought-stressed oregano plants sprayed with 100 μM MT, than the corresponding decrease in 1O2 production at the GI (−20%), both compared with the respective WA-sprayed leaves under moderate drought. The reduced 1O2 production resulted in a significant increase in the quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII), and the electron transport rate (ETR), in moderate drought-stressed plants sprayed with 100 μM MT, compared with WA-sprayed plants, but only at the HI (+27%). Our results suggest that the enhancement of PSII functionality, with 100 μM MT under moderate drought stress, was initiated by the NPQ mechanism, which decreased the 1O2 production and increased the fraction of open PSII reaction centers (qp), resulting in an increased ETR. © 2024 by the authors.
Open Access
Deep Learning-Based Defect Prediction for Mobile Applications
(MPDI, 2022) JORAYEVA, MANZURA; AKBULUT, AKHAN; Çatal, Çağatay; Mishra, Alok
Smartphones have enabled the widespread use of mobile applications. However, there are unrecognized defects of mobile applications that can affect businesses due to a negative user experience. To avoid this, the defects of applications should be detected and removed before release. This study aims to develop a defect prediction model for mobile applications. We performed cross-project and within-project experiments and also used deep learning algorithms, such as convolutional neural networks (CNN) and long short term memory (LSTM) to develop a defect prediction model for Android-based applications. Based on our within-project experimental results, the CNN-based model provides the best performance for mobile application defect prediction with a 0.933 average area under ROC curve (AUC) value. For cross-project mobile application defect prediction, there is still room for improvement when deep learning algorithms are preferred.
Open Access
Deep Learning-Based User Experience Evaluation in Distance Learning
(Springer, 2023) SADIGOV, RAHIM; YILDIRIM, ELİF; KOCAÇINAR, BÜŞRA; AKBULUT, FATMA PATLAR; Çatal, Çağatay
The Covid-19 pandemic caused uncertainties in many different organizations, institutions gained experience in remote working and showed that high-quality distance education is a crucial component in higher education. The main concern in higher education is the impact of distance education on the quality of learning during such a pandemic. Although this type of education may be considered effective and beneficial at first glance, its effectiveness highly depends on a variety of factors such as the availability of online resources and individuals' financial situations. In this study, the effectiveness of e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic is evaluated using posted tweets, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling techniques. More than 160,000 tweets, addressing conditions related to the major change in the education system, were gathered from Twitter social network and deep learning-based sentiment analysis models and topic models based on latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) algorithm were developed and analyzed. Long short term memory-based sentiment analysis model using word2vec embedding was used to evaluate the opinions of Twitter users during distance education and also, a topic model using the LDA algorithm was built to identify the discussed topics in Twitter. The conducted experiments demonstrate the proposed model achieved an overall accuracy of 76%. Our findings also reveal that the Covid-19 pandemic has negative effects on individuals 54.5% of tweets were associated with negative emotions whereas this was relatively low on emotion reports in the YouGov survey and gender-rescaled emotion scores on Twitter. In parallel, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on education and how users' emotions altered due to the catastrophic changes allied to the education system based on the proposed machine learning-based models.
Open Access
Determination of Respiratory Parameters by Means of Hurst Exponents of the Respiratory Sounds and Stochastic Processing Methods
(IEEE-Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2021) SAATÇI, ESRA; SAATÇI, ERTUĞRUL
Objectives: System approach to the human respiratory system and input/output signals which characterize the system properties were not explored in detail in the literature. The aim of this study is to propose a combination of methods to investigate the indirect relationship between the fractal properties of Respiratory Signals (RS) and Respiratory Sound Signals (RSS) and the clinically measured respiratory parameters. Methods: We used Hurst exponent to reveal the fractal properties of RS and RSS and to estimate the pressures in the respiratory system. The combination of well-known statistical signal processing methods and optimization were applied to the experimentally acquired 23 records. Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis were the chosen validation methods. Results: Considerable amounts of Hurst exponent values of RSS were found to be between 0.5 and 1, which means increasing trend or decreasing trend can be seen in RSS with fractional Gaussian process properties. Results of the pressure estimator revealed that internal pressure due to tissue viscoelasticity is higher than the pressure due to static elasticity. Feature power and skewness also provided distinctive results for all recordings. Conclusion: Hurst exponent values of the RSS are fruitful representation of the signals which bring the underlaying system characteristics into the surface. We illustrated that required number of sensors can be reduced in the feature calculation to ease implementation effort on the hardware of the handheld devices. Significance: Bland-Altman plots were very successful to demonstrate the connection between the sets of measured respiratory parameters and calculated features.
Open Access
Development of Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers' Technology Integrations Skills Through a Praxeological Approach
(Springer, 2022) Kulaksız, Taibe; TORAN, MEHMET
How to improve and what should be carried out for pre-service teachers' technological competencies for teaching purposes is still an important issue on the agenda of the higher education field. In light of this, we aimed to reflect the individual and collective technology integration knowledge and skills construction process of pre-service early childhood education teachers with democratic participation. We utilized the praxeological approach as a method and learning approach to reveal the reflections of the instructional technologies course. The participants in this study were 52 sophomore pre-service teachers in the early childhood education department. We collected the data from various sources such as interviews, portfolios, researchers' field notes, e-mails, online course evaluation form. We carried out the thematic analysis method to analyze the data. The findings indicated that three main themes emerged as initial challenges, learning process, and learning outcomes during enhancement of pre-service early childhood teachers' technology integration knowledge and skills. As a result, the praxeological approach used in instructional technologies courses in teacher education programs leads to a crucial digital transformation to be ready to become future teachers.
Open Access
Does Increased Femoral Anteversion Can Cause Hip Abductor Muscle Weakness?
(MDPI, 2023) APTİ, ADNAN; AKALAN, NAZİF EKİN
Background: Increased femoral anteversion (IFA) causes functional problems (i.e., tripping, frequently falling, and fatigue) by affecting the pelvis and lower extremity biomechanics. In the frontal plane, increased contralateral pelvic drop and ipsilateral hip adduction, which are mainly considered deteriorated hip abductor muscle mechanisms, are associated with hip and knee injuries. Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of femoral anteversion on hip abductor weakness and frontal plane pelvis-hip biomechanics during walking. Methods: The study included nine subjects with increased femoral anteversion and a control group of eleven subjects. Maximum isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) values of the hip abductor muscles were measured with a handheld dynamometer. Three-dimensional gait analysis was performed for kinetic, kinematic, and temporo-spatial gait parameters. Non-parametric tests were used for statistical analysis (p < 0.05). Results: There was no significant difference found between the MIVC values of the IFA and control groups (p = 0.14). Moreover, no significant difference was determined between the ipsilateral peak hip adduction (p = 0.088) and contralateral pelvic drop (p = 0.149) in the stance phase. Additionally, there was no correlation between the peak hip adduction angle in the stance phase and normalized MIVC values in the IFA group (r = -0.198, p = 0.44), or in the control group (r = -0.174, p = 0.55). The deviations of pelvic rotation (p = 0.022), hip internal rotation (p = 0.003), and internal foot progression (p = 0.022), were found to be higher in the IFA group than in the controls. Conclusions: IFA may not be associated with hip abductor muscle weakness, and it may not lead to the hip adduction and pelvic depression that can be seen in hip abductor weakness. Increased pelvic rotation and internal hip rotation during walking might be considered as a compensation for the femoral head-acetabulum alignment mechanism in the frontal plane.
Open Access
The Effect of Position on Feeding Performance in Infants With Cleft Lip and Palate: Quasiexperimental Study
(Wiley, 2024) ERDOST, ŞERİFE KARTAL; Gözen, Duygu
Purpose: This single-group, quasiexperimental study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding position on the physiological parameters and feeding performance of term-born infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP) in the preoperative period. Methods: The study sample consisted of 45 infants aged 0-6 months with CLP followed up preoperatively in our outpatient clinic between January 2021 and 2022. Infants who were being fed with a specialty bottle for babies with CLP and whose families consented to participate in the study were included. After 2 h of fasting, the infants were fed in the elevated supine (ESU) position for the first meal, then in the elevated side-lying (ESL) position for the second meal after another 2 h of fasting. The infants' heart rate and oxygen saturation values before, during, and after each feed and indicators of feeding performance were compared between the positions. Results: There was no significant difference between the positions in terms of heart rate and oxygen saturation before, during, or after feeding (p > .05). There was no statistically significant difference in measures of feeding performance according to the infants' feeding position (p > .05). Conclusion: According to the findings obtained in this study, infants with CLP showed no statistically significant differences in heart rate, oxygen saturation, or feeding performance when fed in the ESL and ESU positions. Practice Implications: However, despite the lack of statistical significance, both physiological values and feeding performance tended to be better when the infants were fed in the ESL position, nurses can practice ESL position according to the infant's opposite direction of the side of the cleft lip or palate.
Open Access
Effectiveness of Motion Graphic-Based Narrative Therapy With a Cognitive-Behavioral Approach in Reducing Fluoride Varnish Therapy Anxiety for Six-Year-Old Children
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2023) SHABANI, SEVİL MOMENİ; Darabi, Fatemeh; Azimi, Ahad; Shabani, Masoud
BACKGROUND: Fluoride varnish therapy (FVT) is a dental caries preventive service that its effectiveness has been well documented. A lot of children, especially the five-year-old and six-year-old ones, are suffering with anxiety during this service and do not readily allow it. The present study aimed to cast light on the effect of motion graphic-based narrative story with a cognitive-behavioral approach in reducing FVT anxiety among six-year-old children. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study was an intervention trial type that was conducted in Ardabil city and among school students. Five children suffering from FVT anxiety were randomly selected for the intervention. First, Venham and Gaulin-Kremer's anxiety scale was completed for them. The motion graphic-based narrative therapy was implemented for six weeks. Session 1 was assigned to filling the questionnaire and collecting data. The motion graphic-based narrative therapy started from the second session. The anxiety scale was filled for the children every ten days for a total of four times. The results were analyzed by Blanchard and Schwarz's progress formula and control charts. The intervention sessions included gathering information, watching motion graphics, relaxation skills, watching the process of performing fluoride varnish therapy, teaching the advantages of fluoride varnish therapy, and in the last session performing fluoride varnish therapy with the technique of attention diversion while watching motion graphics. RESULTS: The motion graphic-based narrative therapy by the cognitive-behavioral approach proved effective in reducing anxiety. At the end of the intervention sessions, the level of anxiety decreased from 8 to 2.2 and the statistical control chart of the process shows that the intervention process is stable and the stability in order to reduce anxiety and the results are within the control limits. CONCLUSION: The results show that motion graphic-based narrative therapy can be a psychotherapy method for reducing the symptoms of dental anxiety among children.