Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Conference Object
    Assessment of Online Exam System Perception in Covid-19 Pandemic Era
    (IADIS Press, 2021) Eryılmaz,M.; Genis-Gruber,A.
    The swift conversion of courses to online exams has labelled the recent Covid-19 pandemic era. In educational agenda, all educators in the globe have faced the obstacles of abrupt adoption of distance education learning methods. Although distance education methods have been exercised in the past decade, the usage was not common. The pandemic has brought not only the sudden transformation of education format, but also online security issues. The online exam solution in e-learning techniques, tools and adoption has been a popular topic to research. Recent literature review shows various analyzes in the field, however the outcome of the research proves that the challenges are similiar in the globe. The aim of this research is to determine the essential problems and develop solutions based on the students perception of online exams which became compulsorily transitioned during the pandemic process. The custom-made survey was conducted on 165 students to have an insight on their approach to e-learning and online exam. Descriptive statistics method is used to describe the features of the data in the study. © 2021
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 4
    Citation - Scopus: 4
    Molecular/Antigenic Mimicry and Immunological Cross-Reactivity Explains Sars-Cov Autoimmunity
    (Elsevier, 2025) Adiguzel, Yekbun; Bogdanos, Dimitros P.; Shoenfeld, Yehuda
    COVID-19 pandemic is over, but its effects on chronic illnesses remain a challenging issue. Understanding the influence of SARS-COV-2-mediated autoimmunity and overt autoimmune disease is of paramount importance, as it can provide a critical mass of information regarding both infection-mediated (and vaccination-induced) autoimmune phenomena in susceptible individuals during the disease course, and short or long-term post-disease sequelae. The high prevalence of organ and non-organ specific autoantibody positivity in patients with COVID-19 led to studies attempting to delineate the origin and the underlying mechanism responsible for their induction nature, identifying novel autoantigens, and the self-epitope sequences which could be the impetus for the initiating autoreactive responses. Herein, we provide a meticulous review of the studies reporting those mimicking sequences that have been experimentally validated, based on the assumption that molecular mimicry and immunological crossreactivity may account for autoantibody development. Most reports are based on bioinformatics approaches, and only a disproportionally small number of studies currently demonstrate immunological crossreactivity. We took the opportunity to further review and searched for the linear human epitope sequences of human, through the epitopes deposited at the Immune Epitope Database. This included an analysis of autoimmune disease as the disease data to comprehensively understand the subject matter. The critical overview of the findings underscore the urgent and immense need for further research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms involved and the anticipated appraisal that molecular mimicry and immunological crossreactivity is indeed central to the loss of immunological tolerance during SARS-COV-2 infection.
  • Article
    Experiences of Parents Who Have Children With Disabilities: A Qualitative Study From Türkiye During Covid-19
    (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2025) Acar, S.; Er, D.M.; Volk, K.T.; Spence, C.M.
    This study aimed to understand the experiences of parents who have young children with disabilities in Türkiye during COVID-19. We conducted a qualitative analysis of semistructured virtual interviews with eight parents. We used a collective within-case and across-case approach to analyze and interpret the interviews. Parents noted difficulties with the EI/ECSE programs and the need for individualized and functional services for their children. Furthermore, parents reported the need for high-quality, inclusive early childhood programs and the importance of well-trained educators. Parents also expressed interest in learning more about how to support their child's development and learning. Results may inform research, policy, and practice initiatives for children with disabilities and their families. The findings highlight the importance of including parent voices in the continued capacity-building efforts of EI/ECSE systems. Copyright © 2025 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Conference Object
    Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Activity in an Emerging Economy in the Case of Turkey: the Role of the Covid-19 Pandemic
    (Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited, 2024) Usul, N.; Karadeniz, E.; Özdemir, Ö.
    This paper seeks to study factors influencing the early stages of entrepreneurship within the context of coronavirus pandemic, specifically within an emerging country. We utilize from a unique dataset collected by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor which is the sole global research repository compiling data on entrepreneurial activities and individual entrepreneurial attributes across 50 countries worldwide. In particular, this study focuses on the GEM survey data pertaining to Turkey during the period coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2021. The analysis is done by binary logistic regression with dependent variable being total entrepreneurship activity. Findings indicate that opportunity-driven respondents, with high-status aspirations, possessing necessary skills and acknowledging the challenges of their entrepreneurial environment, are the ones who show a higher probability of engaging in entrepreneurial activities. While these variables have been scrutinized in existing literature, our contribution lies in examining their effects within an emerging market, a relatively understudied context, particularly in the aftermath of a global pandemic. Results suggest that the individuals reporting a substantial increase in income during the pandemic, and perceiving a harder business environment to start a new venture show elevated probabilities of becoming an entrepreneur. These two are the pandemic-related variables demonstrating statistical significance, which highlights the fact that this period created its entrepreneurs, who exploit high resilience and dynamic capacity to adapt to crisis times. They experienced a significant increase in their income, capitalized on their comparative advantage in entrepreneurial skills within an environment where starting a business is not easy and took advantage of the opportunities seeking for high status using their adaptive capacity. These findings are consistent with Theories of Resilience and Dynamic Capabilities. Finally, younger respondents are more inclined to engage in entrepreneurial activity, which is consistent with the existing literature. In light of these findings, policymakers are encouraged to invest in educational programs for potential entrepreneurs to enhance their self-efficacy, given that the necessary skills for business initiation emerge as a pivotal factor for engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, creating platforms for successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences could amplify the perceived prestige associated with entrepreneurship, which may attract potential entrepreneurs. © 2024 Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 3
    Citation - Scopus: 3
    Predicted Sars-Cov Mirnas Associated With Epigenetic Viral Pathoge-Nesis and the Detection of New Possible Drugs for Covid-19
    (Bentham Science Publ Ltd, 2021) Cetin, Zafer; Bayrak, Tuncay; Ogul, Hasan; Saygili, Eyup Ilker; Akkol, Esra Kupeli
    Objective: The outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has promptly spread worldwide. This study aimed to predict mature miRNA sequences in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, their effects on protein-protein interactions in the affected cells, and gene-drug relationships to detect possible drug candidates. Methods: Viral hairpin structure prediction, classification of hairpins, mutational examination of precursor miRNA candidate sequences, Minimum Free Energy (MFE) and regional entropy analysis, mature miRNA sequences, target gene prediction, gene ontology enrichment, and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis, and gene-drug interactions were performed. Results: A total of 62 candidate hairpins were detected by VMir analysis. Three hairpin structures were classified as true precursor miRNAs by miRBoost. Five different mutations were detected in precursor miRNA sequences in 100 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes. Mutations slightly elevated MFE values and entropy in precursor miRNAs. Gene ontology terms associated with fibrotic pathways and immune system were found to be enriched in PANTHER, KEGG and Wiki pathway analysis. PPI analysis showed a network between 60 genes. CytoHubba analysis showed SMAD1 as a hub gene in the network. The targets of the predicted miRNAs, FAM214A, PPM1E, NUFIP2 and FAT4, were downregulated in SARS-CoV-2 infected A549 cells. Conclusion: miRNAs in the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome may contribute to the emergence of the Covid-19 infection by activating pathways associated with fibrosis in the cells infected by the virus and modulating the innate immune system. The hub protein between these pathways may be the SMAD1, which has an effective role in TGF signal transduction.