THE WHATSAPP APPLICATION USE AS A SUPPORT SERVICE IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: A CASE ANALYSIS

This study aims to reveal the strengths and limitations of the WhatsApp application as a support service in distance education, conducted through a learning management system during the Covid-19 pandemic, and make suggestions on improving its use in this capacity. Despite the lack of readiness on the part of the students and the lack of sufficient knowledge regarding distance education during the pandemic, many universities had to revert to emergency remote teaching. This situation necessitated the intensive use of various support services for the students to get the most out of their emergency remote teaching However, their lack of experience with distance education prevented them from using the support services offered by learning management systems. Due to the increasingly widespread use of mobile technologies, one of the support services used by course instructors became the WhatsApp application. The following research is a qualitative case study. The sample for the study was determined through purposive sampling. The data was analyzed using the content analysis method. Nvivo qualitative data analysis software was used to contribute to the detailed and versatile data analysis. The most important results of the study were that the application supported and strengthened distance learning by allowing instant communication, but that the absence of a moderator caused various limitations in this communication. In addition, it was concluded that incorporating natural language processing techniques into learning management systems and clearly stated rules by course instructors improved the use of such instant communication applications as a support service for distance education © 2023,Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. All Rights Reserved.

Analysis of Dynamic Connectedness Relationships among Clean Energy, Carbon Emission Allowance, and BIST Indexes

Understanding and examining energy markets correctly is crucial for stakeholders to attain maximum benefit and avoid risks. As a matter of fact, the volatility that occurred in energy markets and recent crises had major impacts on national economies. Dynamic connectedness relationships (DCRs) can make quite powerful predictions for both low-frequency data and limited time-series data. The objective of this study is to explicate the dynamic connectedness relationships among the BIST sustainability index, BIST 100 index, S&P Global Clean Energy index (S&P GCEI), and S&P GSCI carbon emission allowances (EUA). The daily data obtained over the period 11 April 2014–11 November 2022 were used for the research study. The DCRs among the variables used in the study were investigated by employing the time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model. As a result of the study, the volatility from carbon emission allowances was determined to spill over to S&P GCEI, BIST 100, and BIST sustainability indexes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant reductions were detected in the volatility spillover (VS) from carbon emission allowances to S&P GCEI, BIST 100, and BIST sustainability indexes. Moreover, it was revealed that a weak VS existed from S&P GCEI to BIST sustainability and BIST 100 indexes. The findings reveal the importance of policymakers taking some incentive measures in EUA prices and also its role in portfolio diversification. © 2023 by the authors.

Agreement Between Nurses' Anxiety And Depression Levels And Their Compliance With Isolation Measures During The Covid 19 Pandemic: An Online Cross-Sectional Study

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between nurses' anxiety and depression levels and their compliance with isolation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background(s): The global COVID-19 pandemic has had severe psychological impacts on nurses. Method(s): Following receipt of the requisite approvals, data were collected actively from 289 nurses consenting to participate in the study through an online questionnaire using theinternet/ social media. Result(s): Mean stress, anxiety, and depression scores were higher among carers for COVID-19 patients than in non-Covidcarers. Analysis revealed significant positive correlation between Isolation Precautions Compliance Scale scores and stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. Conclusion(s): Burnout increased while compliance with isolation precautions decreased in this study as stress, anxiety, and depression increased. Copyright © 2023, Ibn Sina Trust. All rights reserved.

Prognostic value of clinical and radiological findings in COVID-19 pneumonia br

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We aimed to examine the demographic, clinical, and imaging characteristics of patients with COVID???19 pneumonia and also to identify the factors affecting mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was designed as a retrospective single???center observational study. A total of 126patients with COVID???19 pneumonia who were polymerase chain reaction confirmed and underwent thorax computer tomography(CT) were analyzed. The patients' demographic and clinical data were obtained from the electronic medical record. Thorax CT findings were re???evaluated retrospectively by thoracic radiologists according to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pneumonia guidelines of the Radiological Society of North America. The extent of lesions was evaluated by CT lobe score, which was the sum of individual lobe scores(0-5 point) of the lungs. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 60.4 +/- 18.6years and 54%(n=68) were male. The most common symptoms included cough, fever, and shortness of breath. The average time interval between the onset of symptoms and thorax CT acquisition was 6.6 +/- 8.3days. The most common radiological findings included ground???glass opacity(98.4%), consolidation(72.2%), and vascular enlargement(69.8%), respectively. The deceased patients had more common consolidation, vascular enlargement, and high lobe scores in thorax CT as compared to survivors. According to logistic regression analysis age(P=0.003), lobe score(P=0.001), numbers of comorbidities(P=0.017), symptoms duration(P=0.034), and vascular enlargement(P=0.045) were independent risk factors on 30???day mortality. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that age, symptoms duration, the number of comorbidities, lobe score, and vascular enlargement in thorax CT are associated with the prognosis of COVID???19 pneumonia

A novel combined index of D-dimer, fibrinogen, albumin, and platelet (FDAPR) as mortality predictor of COVID-19.

Background: In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARSCoV2 viruses, coagulation abnormalities are strongly correlated between disease severity and mortality risk. Aims: The aim was to search for new indices to determine mortality risk. Fibrinogen times D-dimer to albumin times platelet ratio calculated with the formula (FDAPR index: ((Fibrinogen × D-dimer)/(Albumin × Platelet)) investigated as a mortality marker in COVID-19 patients. The hospitalization data of 1124 patients were analyzed from the electronic archive system. Hemogram, coagulation, and inflammatory markers were investigated in the study group. Materials and Methods: All statistical analyses like the student t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox hazard ratio, were performed with the SPSS 22.0 program. Results: Prothrombin time was prolonged significantly in patients (P < 0.05) compared to healthy subjects (n = 30). D-dimer and fibrinogen were high, and albumin and platelet counts were low in COVID-19 patients (all, P < 0.001). When the data of 224 non-survivors and 900 survived patients were compared, D-dimer and fibrinogen were higher, and albumin and platelet lower (all, P < 0.001) compared to mild and severe patients. At the cut-off value of 0.49, the FDAPR index was performed with 89.1% sensitivity and 88.6% specificity. FDAPR index had the highest mortality predictive power (P < 0.01; HR = 5.366; 95% CI; 1.729-16.654). Conclusions: This study revealed that the FDAPR index could be used as a mortality marker of COVID-19 disease.

Evaluation of the Effects of Favipiravir Combined with Vitamin C on Alveolar Bone in Rats.

Introduction: Favipiravir and Vitamin C (Vit C) were used together in the treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effects of favipiravir on the periodontium are still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Favipiravir and Vit C treatment on alveolar bone metabolism. Experimental: Fifty healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (2-3 months old) were randomly divided into five equal groups (n = 10): Control, Favi 20, Favi 100, Favi 20+Vit C, Favi 100+Vit C. Favipiravir (20 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, i.m.) and Vit C (150 mg/kg/day, oral) were administered to the rats for 14 days. Alveolar bone loss (ABL) and histopathological changes were examined using a light microscope. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), caspase-3, bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP-2) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the bone tissues. Results: Favipiravir increased the levels of RANKL and caspase-3 expression but decreased BMP-2 and ALP levels in a dose-dependent manner. Favi 20+Vit C and Favi 100 +Vit C groups showed decreased RANKL and caspase-3 levels in addition to increased BMP-2 and ALP levels. Conclusion: Favipiravir can cause histopathological damage to the periodontium, but administration of favipiravir combined with Vit C can provide a protective effect against this damage.

Demographic and Laboratory Findings of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic COVID-19 in Children

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly described pathogen that is usually transmitted by droplets between person to person. Although the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic disease to the development of severe acute respiratory distress, children are generally milder than adults. It was aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory values of symptomatic and asymptomatic children followed up with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in this study. Materials and Methods: The records of children with nasopharyngeal swab SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction test positive were analyzed retrospectively. Children with symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea and/or vomiting were accepted as symptomatic, and children with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR in a nasopharyngeal swab taken only due to contact history and have no symptoms were considered asymptomatic. Results: A total of 197 patients, 47 (23.8%) symptomatic and 150 (76.2%) asymptomatic, were included in the study. The mean age of the children was 9.1±5.2 years (range, 1 month-17 years). Cough (8.6%) was the most common symptom at admission. When the symptomatic and asymptomatic children were compared in terms of white blood cell (WBC), WBC subgroups, C-reactive protein there was no statistically significant difference. No significant increase was found in the CRP values of symptomatic patients. Ground-glass opacities compatible with COVID-19 was detected in only 10 (30%) of 33 symptomatic patients who underwent thoracic tomography. Conclusion: COVID-19 is usually mild in children. At the same time, a significant change in laboratory parameters and imaging findings may not be observed in symptomatic and/or asymptomatic children with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR. © 2021, Galenos Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Expert Perspectives on Distance Special Education Interventions for Students with Special Needs and Their Families in Turkey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: In this study, it was aimed to reveal the distance special education interventions carried out for students with different special needs and their families in Turkey during the restriction period due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through expert perspectives. When schools were closed during COVID-19, the changing lives negatively affected not only students with special needs but also their families. Method: In this study which was designed as a collective case study, a total of 15 academics constituted the direct participants of the study to report their own experiences and observations. Findings: According to the results of the study, it was observed that distance education-based interventions for students with special needs and their families were provided by official, private institutions and individuals along with the rapid transition to distance education in Turkey. The interventions were not systematic in that they could not be spread across the country. This clearly demonstrated that there were lessons to be learned from this process, such as enriching mobile applications for each disability group, and establishing family-oriented support mechanisms. Discussion: It is predicted that the results of the study may help to draw a forward-looking road map in planning special education interventions in different countries, especially in Turkey. In response to the lockdown conditions, the special education practice in Turkey has become one of the good examples in the process of transition. In the study, suggestions were presented to decision makers, schools, institutions, experts, and families.

The association between prognosis and sarcopenia assessed by psoas muscle measurements in elderly male patients with covid-19

Introduction: Sarcopenia, which is defined as a generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, is an important clinical condition, especially among elderly patients with comorbidities. This study assesses the association between prognosis and sarcopenia assessed by psoas muscle measurements in elderly male patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Materials and Methods: This study included 130 consecutive elderly male patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019. The participants were followed until their time of discharge or death. The psoas muscle cross-sectional area, psoas density, and psoas muscle index measurements were performed based on a single-axial computed tomography section at the L2 vertebral corpus. The outcome measurements of the patients were determined as intensive care unit admission and mortality. Results: During the clinical course of these patients, 29.2% (38) were transferred to the intensive care unit, and 13.1% (17) died. The interclass correlation coefficients for the psoas muscle cross-sectional area and density were 0.91 and 0.93, respectively, between observers. Low psoas muscle index is significantly associated with mortality (p = 0.001), and the probability of mortality increases approximately 5–30 times as the psoas muscle index decreases. No factors were identified as being significantly associated with intensive care unit admission. Conclusion: In elderly male patients who are hospitalized due to coronavirus disease 2019, an assessment of the psoas muscle may provide additional information on the prognosis of the disease. © 2021, Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.

The role of oxidized phospholipids in COVID-19-associated hypercoagulopathy.

OBJECTIVE: There is more pronounced hypercoagulation in COVID-19 infection than in other viral lung infections. Oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) appear in COVID-19-infected lungs due to oxidative stress, after which they promote the induction of tissue factor (TF) expression and inflammatory programmers in monocytes, as well as activate endothelial cells to recruit and bind to monocytes. Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate the role of OxPLs in inflammatory and procoagulant responses in COVID-19 infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test and ten healthy donors were included in the study. Peripheral blood was drawn at inclusion for OxPAPC, IFN-γ, and CCL2 serum level measurements. Clinical data were collected from electronic patient medical files. The serum levels of OxPAPC, IFNγ, and CCL2 were measured by immune assays. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were included in the study. OxPAPC and CCL2 were higher in the patients than in the controls (<0.003 and 0.011, respectively). INF-γ did not significantly differ between groups. There was no difference between the patients with lung involvement and those without CCL2, INF-γ, and OxPAPC. D-dimer, CRP, and ferritin were higher in the patients with lung involvement. Serum levels of INF-γ and CCL2 were positively correlated with each other (r:0.757, p<0.0001), but no correlation was detected between OxPAPC and INF-γ or CCL2. There was no correlation between OxPAPC and hematologic or biochemical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: OxPAPC, which is thought to contribute to hypercoagulability, was found to be high in the patients with Covid-19 infection. The role of OxPLs in COVID-19-associated hypercoagulopathy should be investigated further in experimental models and in larger patient groups.

Performance management of OECD countries on Covid-19 pandemic: a criticism using data envelopment analysis models

Purpose The Covid-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world and required strict restriction plans and policies. In most countries around the world, the outbreak of the disease has been serious and has greatly affected the health system and the economy. The factors such as the number of patients with chronic diseases, the number of people over 65 years old, hospital facilities, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, the recovering Covid-19 cases and the number of deaths affect the rate of spread of Covid-19. This study aims to evaluate the performances of 21 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries against the Covid-19 outbreak using three data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the performance of 21 OECD countries to manage the Covid-19 process has been analysed weekly via DEA which is widely used in various practical problems and provides a general framework for efficiency evaluation problems using the inputs and outputs of decision-making units. Findings The analysis showed that 11 countries out of 21 countries were efficient for selected weeks. According to the DEA results from the 20-week review (09 April 2020-20 August 2020), information about the course of the epidemic prevention and the normalization process for any country can be obtained. Originality/value In this study, due to the problem of the discrimination power of DEA, the cross-efficiency model and the super-efficiency model also used. In addition, the output-oriented model was preferred in this study for Covid-19 management efficiency.

An Investigation on the Relationship between Death Anxiety and Religious Coping of Actively Working Health Care Workers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

There have been various periods experiencing the extraordinary cases such as pandemics, earthquakes, and droughts during the history of humanity. Covid-19 pandemic period is one of them when humanity experiences helplessness. When people encounter such cases increasing their levels of anxiety, activating their death anxiety, and falling outside their power, they use religious coping despite changing in its frequency depending on types and levels of belief. The purpose of this study was to reveal the relationship between levels of death anxiety and religious coping of the health staff struggling with the pandemic in the frontline. A total of 227 health staff voluntarily took part in this study conducted for this aim, and the data were collected via Internet. Consequently, in the study, it was detected that death anxiety of actively working health staff during the covid-19 pandemic were medium while their positive religious coping were higher than medium and their negative religious coping were lower than medium. As a result of the correlation analysis, it was detected that there was a statistically significant negative relationship between death anxiety and positive religious coping and negative religious coping, additionally there was positive relationship between death anxiety and subjective religiosity perception.

Hypofibrinolysis is associated with the severity of Covid-19 infection: The role of obesity

Introduction: Obesity, by causing hypofibrinolysis and thrombotic complications, ought to be a risk factor in terms of disease severity and mortality in COVID-19 infection.We aim to investigate the effects of obesity on fibrinolytic system in coronavirus patients while studying the changes of major fibrinolytic inhibitors plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI). Material and methods: Sixty-six patients and 21 healthy donors were investigated and observed until either their recovery or death. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each person and peripheral blood used for PAI-1 and TAFI measurements. PAI-1 antigen and TAFI activated/inactivated (TAFIa/i) were measured using ELISA kits. Results: PAI-1 antigen and TAFIa/i plasma levels are higher in patients than in control group (P<00001 for both).Patients needing ICU had higher TAFIa/i values than non-ICU patients. The 15 patients who died had higher TAFIa/i levels than those staying alive.Obese patients (BMI . 30) had higher PAI-1 levels than non-obese patients. TAFIa/i is associated with D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, creatinine and neutrophile count, whereas PAI-1 is associated only with the serum creatinine level. Conclusion: Our study shows that the levels of the major fibrinolytic inhibitors PAI 1 and TAFI increase in patients with COVID-19 infection, and proves for the first time that PAI 1 levels increase more in obese patients than in non-obese ones. It is also revealed that the plasma TAFI level is associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection, which suggests that the inhibitory treatments against TAFI should be effective in preventing thrombotic complications in the course of COVID-19 infection.

The Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic on World Indices: The Entropy Approach

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak started in December 2019 in Wuhan. The virus has spread around the whole world, and it has caused a strong and serious pandemic. Symptoms such as cough, respiratory distress, diarrhea, and fatigue associated with COVID-19 are typical clinical findings. Coronavirus infection has become an important public health concern because of its increasing prevalence, serious complications, and mortality. In light of this information, we examine different entropy methods for world indices (ISE 30, FTSE 100, NIKKEI 225, SP 500, and DAX 30) in the pre-COVID-19 period (02.01.2019-17.11.2019) and the post-COVID-19 period (18.11.2019-23.11.2020) in this article. Besides, we discuss the performances of entropies such as Shannon, Renyi, Tsallis, and approximate entropy (ApEn) in detail and perform the notion of entropy for volatility measure. As a result, we present the numerical results for the data set. © 2021 Ayşe Metin Karakaş et al.

Evaluation of the Clinical Features of 81 Patients with COVID-19: An Unpredictable Disease in Children

Objective Data on the prognosis of clinical features of pediatric patients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is insufficient. This study aimed to examine the clinical, laboratory, and radiology findings of pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods A total of 81 pediatric patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 who were admitted to the pediatric clinics of our tertiary care hospital in Istanbul between March 22 and May 1, 2020, were included in the study. Results Of the patients, 40 (49.6%) were boys and 41 (50.6%) were girls. The mean age of the patients was 9.3 ± 5.5 years (range: 1 month-16 years). The most common symptoms were cough (28.4%) and fever (25.9%). A total of 26 patients (32.1%) had pharyngeal erythema. There was no significant difference between age groups in terms of symptoms, findings, clinical picture, history of contact, and clinical course (p > 0.001 for each). Abnormal findings were observed in seven (8.6%) patients on chest X-ray, and in four patients (4.9%) on thorax computed tomography. Only three of the patients were hospitalized and all of them discharged with healing. Conclusion The present study is the most comprehensive study on children diagnosed with COVID-19 in our country, which showed that the COVID-19 picture was mild in pediatric patients, but the signs and symptoms in children were not specific to the disease. Our findings also showed that the rate of asymptomatic infection in children was high and that it was difficult to recognize COVID-19 in children.