71 research outputs found
The effects of zoledronic acid treatment on depression and quality of life in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: A clinical trial study
No full textBackground: Osteoporosis affects quality of life (QoL) and may lead to depression in women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) treatment on depression and QoL in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PO). Materials and Methods: A total of 88 newly diagnosed women with PO were included in this study. All patients were treated with once-yearly ZA (5 mg). A QoL questionnaire from the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and Beck Depression Inventory were given to patients at baseline and at 12 months. The results for baseline and post - 12th month were compared, and bone mineral density (BMD) levels were compared. Results: The consumption of once-yearly ZA (5 mg) treatment increases BMD at levels of lumbers 1–4 (P = 0.026), total Hip T score's P value is same as femoral neck (P: 0,033). ZA 5 mg treatment also improved QoL (P = 0.001) and reduced depression (P = 0.001). Conclusion: ZA treatment increases BMD levels and QoL while reducing depression. Once-yearly ZA (5 mg) may be considered for postmenopausal women as a first-line treatment
Near-Optimal Feedback Guidance for Low-Thrust Earth Orbit Transfers
No full textThis research proposes a near-optimal feedback guidance based on nonlinear control for low-thrust Earth orbit transfers. For the numerical simulations, two flight conditions are defined: (i) nominal conditions and (ii) nonnominal conditions that account for the orbit injection errors and the stochastic failures of the propulsion system. Condition (ii) is studied through an extensive Monte Carlo Analysis, to demonstrate the nonlinear feedback guidance’s numerical stability andconvergence properties. To illustrate the performance under both conditions, an orbit transfer from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit is considered. Near-optimality of the feedback guidance comes from carefully selecting the nonlinear control gains. Comparison of the transfer with an existing study that uses optimal control reveals that orbit transfers based on feedback orbit control are very close to the optimal solution.Control & Simulatio
Marine-Lenhart syndrome with papillary thyroid carcinoma
No full textGraves′ disease with accompanying functioning nodules is known as Marine-Lenhart syndrome. Autonomously functioning thyroid nodules (AFTNs) also within Graves′ thyroid tissue are almost always bening in nature. A 45-year-old man developed hyperthyroidism due to the coexistence of Graves′ disease and AFTN. Total thyroidectomy was performed. The hyperfunctioning nodule with centrally hypoactive foci detected by technetium-99m thyroid scanning was histologically diagnosed as papillary thyroid carcinoma that was 2.5 cm in diameter. We report the presence of papillary thyroid carcinoma within AFTN in patients with Marine-Lenhart syndrome, which has not been reported so far
Error Analysis of Turkish EFL Learners: A Case Study
No full textAbstractWhat foreign language learners can do and cannot do could reveal important messages to language teachers about what is happening in their interlanguage. Therefore, this study aims to find out the types and frequency of learners⿿ written errors in the final examination of the English course at a state university research center. The participants were 32 elementary level students who participated in English courses for three months. They were taught certain lexico-grammatical structures in each unit and given a writing assignment related to the vocabulary and grammatical structures taught. In the final exam, there were three different topics and the students were expected to choose one of them and write a paragraph. The participants⿿ errors in the final examination were identified and the interview data questioning their feelings about their writing assignments and the feedback sessions were analyzed with content analysis while demographic variables were analyzed with SPSS 16. The error categories include prepositions, verbs, articles, sentence structure, punctuation, gerunds, pluralism, possessives and word choice. In addition, the categories were divided into sub-categories like omission, overuse and misuse. The results offer important insights into what kind of errors Turkish EFL learners make and their attempts to make inferences about the target language. Interview results also promote various perspectives for English language teachers how to treat learner errors
Online teaching practicum procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish EFL context
No full textThis case study aimed to reveal the reflections of pre-service English teachers on online teaching practicum procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish EFL context. There were 20 participants, and the data were gathered through an online interview form. The interview items focused on course requirements, observation Taşks, mentor-supervisor feedback, and benefits and challenges of online teaching procedures. The gathered data were subjected to summative content analysis and the results indicated that although the participants mentioned various professional gains, the challenges of online teaching practicum experiences outweighed its benefits. In light of the findings, it can be claimed that relevant stakeholders can be offered training about online teaching practices, and the existing infrastructure can be improved in the form of hybrid settings in order to facilitate transition to online educational platforms and to improve university-school collaboration in the future. © The Author(s) 2023
Negative differential resistance observation and a new fitting model for electron drift velocity in GaN-based heterostructures
No full textThe aim of this paper is an investigation of electric field-dependent drift velocity characteristics for Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/GaN heterostructures without and with in situ Si3N4 passivation. The nanosecond-pulsed current-voltage ( {I}-{V} ) measurements were performed using a 20-ns applied pulse. Electron drift velocity depending on the electric field was obtained from the {I}-{V} measurements. These measurements show that a reduction in peak electron velocity from \text {2.01} \times \text {10}^{\text {7}} to \text {1.39} \times \text {10}^{\text {7}} cm/s after in situ Si3N4 passivation. Also, negative differential resistance regime was observed which begins at lower fields with the implementation of in situ Si3N4 passivation. In our samples, the electric field dependence of drift velocity was measured over 400 kV/cm due to smaller sample lengths. Then, a well-known fitting model was fitted to our experimental results. This fitting model was improved in order to provide an adequate description of the field dependence of drift velocity. It gives reasonable agreement with the experimental drift velocity data up to 475 kV/cm of the electric field and could be used in the device simulators.Manuscript received September 3, 2017; revised November 24, 2017 and December 26, 2017; accepted January 15, 2018. Date of publication February 8, 2018; date of current version February 22, 2018. This work was supported in part by the International Bilateral Research Project between RFBR and TUBITAK under Project 113F364, in part by the Projects DPT-HAMIT, DPT-FOTON, NATO-SET-193, and TUBITAK through the Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, Turkey under Project 113E331, Project 109A015, and Project 109E301, in part by the Distinguished Young Scientist Award of Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA-GEBIP 2016), and in part by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation with the unique identifier of the project RFMEFI57717X0250. The work of E. Özbay was supported by the Turkish Academy of Sciences. The review of this paper was arranged by Editor K. Kalna. (Corresponding author: Gökhan Atmaca.) G. Atmaca, P. Narin, E. Kutlu, and S. B. Lis¸esivdin are with the Lisesivdin Research Group, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Gazi University, 06500 Ankara, Turkey (e-mail: gokhanatmaca@ kuark.org)
Caffeic acid phenethyl ester and vitamin E moderates IL-1 beta and IL-6 in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats
No full textThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), which has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancerogenic, and antioxidant effects, and vitamin E on IL-1 beta and IL-6 in bleomycin-induced (BLM-induced) pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into four groups as untreated control, bleomycin, bleomycin + CAPE, and bleomycin + vitamin E groups. At the end of the treatment, blood IL-1 beta and IL-6 levels were quantified. Bleomycin application to the rats resulted in a significant increase in the cytokine levels as compared to the controls. Administration of CAPE and vitamin E prevented the increase of blood IL-1 beta and IL-6 levels compared to the rats treated with bleomycin alone. Data presented here suggest that CAPE and vitamin E play a protective and moderator role against BLM-induced lung injuries by decreasing the primary inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1 beta and IL-6. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Gonadal Function in Male Mountain Bikers
No full textSome studies reported testicular disorders associated with biking in mountain cyclists, which include injuries, erectile dysfunction, and higher scrotal temperatures. But none of these studies evaluated gonadal function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate gonadal function in male mountain bikers. Twenty-two male professional mountain bikers and 30 healthy noncyclist controls were included in the study. The mean age and body mass index were similar in both groups. Fasting blood samples for the measurement of the levels of total testosterone (TT), sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were obtained from all study participants before any physical activity. In addition, because insulin sensitivity and leptin modulate gonadal function, the concentrations of insulin, glucose, and leptin were also measured in the same samples. Calculated free testosterone (cFT) and bioavailable testosterone (bioT) were calculated from SHBG and TT. Basal hormonal levels including insulin, leptin, LH, FSH, SHBG, TT, glucose, and homeostasis model assessment scores were similar between the groups. However, bioT and cFT levels were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) in the mountain bikers than those in the controls. Despite the lower mean testosterone levels in the study group, the levels of LH and FSH were similar to controls. Insulin and leptin do not contribute to lower testosterone levels. In conclusion, male mountain bikers have lower testosterone concentrations compared to controls. This alteration cannot solely be explained by testicular dysfunction. The etiology of lower testosterone levels in cyclists appears to be complex and requires further research. The influence of such a decline on the athlete's performance, quality of life, and muscle strength is not known as yet
“Thinking about drinking tea but not drinking tea”: Pre-service English teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish EFL context
No full textThis phenomenological research aimed to investigate the reflections of 34 pre-service English teachers and 31 lecturers on distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. An online interview form was employed as data collection tool. The participants were Şent the online form to collect their reflections on their online learning/teaching experiences during the pandemic. These reflections were analysed using phenomenological research steps. At the end of the analyses, distance education was found to be useful for improving the participants’ technological literacy skills and delivering theoretical courses. However, it was found to be inappropriate for practical courses such as teaching practicum and community service practices. Furthermore, the participants used various metaphors to define their online teaching/learning experiences like emergency exit, one-sided mirror, frozen lake, growing in a cage, driving a car, and sky. The participants mostly did not receive any training before using the online platform. In light of the findings, it can be claimed that necessary arrangements should be made to improve the quality of online learning platforms and both pre-service English teachers and their lecturers should receive training to benefit from distance education more effectively. In this way, pre-service English teachers can be better prepared for their future teaching in case of distance education. © The Author(s) 2023
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