Afyon Kocatepe University

Abstract Social media and social media applications that build consumer communities involving rich user-generated content are new marketplaces and/or tools for marketers. This study aims to specify the factors affecting consumers' attitudes toward marketing with social media. Given this context, a 7-factor, consumer-based attitude scale that contains 32 items was developed, and a questionnaire was completed by undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 24. Frequencies, t-test, ANOVA, factor analysis, and regression analysis were used for data analysis. In the end, six factors were found to affect consumers' attitudes toward marketing with social media. KEYWORDS: consumer attitudessocial mediasocial media marketingsocial Web Notes Note. VIF = variance inflation factor. Mashups define the new generation of Web-based applications that combine at least two different services (Akar Citation2009, 51). Dündar and Yörük's (2009) methodology was followed in this empirical study.

Selective photocatalytic conversions are offering an alternative green route for replacing environmentally hazardous processes with safe and energy efficient routes. This paper reports the most recent advances in the application of heterogeneous photocatalysis to synthesize valuable compounds by selective oxidation and reduction.

This study proposes the best clustering method(s) for different distance measures under two different conditions using the cophenetic correlation coefficient. In the first one, the data has multivariate standard normal distribution without outliers for and the second one is with outliers (5%) for . The proposed method is applied to simulated multivariate normal data via MATLAB software. According the results of simulation the Average (especially for ) and Centroid (especially for and ) methods are recommended at both conditions. This study hopes to contribute to literature for making better decisions on selection of appropriate cluster methods by using subgroup sizes, variable numbers, subgroup means and variances.

Cancer is one of the major deadly diseases globally. The alarming rise in the mortality rate due to this disease attracks attention towards discovering potent anticancer agents to overcome its mortality rate. The discovery of novel and effective anticancer agents from natural sources has been the main point of interest in pharmaceutical research because of attractive natural therapeutic agents with an immense chemical diversity in species of animals, plants, and microorganisms. More than 60% of contemporary anticancer drugs, in one form or another, have originated from natural sources. Plants and microbial species are chosen based on their composition, ecology, phytochemical, and ethnopharmacological properties. Plants and their derivatives have played a significant role in producing effective anticancer agents. Some plant derivatives include vincristine, vinblastine, irinotecan, topotecan, etoposide, podophyllotoxin, and paclitaxel. Based on their particular activity, a number of other plant-derived bioactive compounds are in the clinical development phase against cancer, such as gimatecan, elomotecan, etc. Additionally, the conjugation of natural compounds with anti-cancerous drugs, or some polymeric carriers particularly targeted to epitopes on the site of interest to tumors, can generate effective targeted treatment therapies. Cognizance from such pharmaceutical research studies would yield alternative drug development strategies through natural sources which could be economical, more reliable, and safe to use.

The aim of this study is to investigate the affect of firm size on profitability. In this study, data of 200 companies which were active in Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) between the years 2008-2011 has been used.  “Return on Assets” (ROA) has been used as indicators of firm profitability and total assets, total sales and number of employees have been used as indicators of size. Multiple regression and correlation methods have been used in empirical analyses.  The result of analysis indicates a positive relation between size indicators and profitability of firms. Control variables as the age of the firms and leverage rate have been found in a negative relation with ROA, but liquidity rate and ROA have been determined to have a positive relation. Keywords: Firm size, Profitability, Firm Performance, Turkey

In this study, we report on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the leaf extracts of Cynara scolymus (Artichoke) using microwave irradiation and the evaluation of its anti-cancer potential with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Silver nanoparticles formation was characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Silver nanoparticles formation was also investigated the surface charge, particle size and distribution using zetasizer analysis. The cytotoxic effect of AgNPs and/or PDT was studied by MTT assay and migration by the scratch assay. The apoptotic inducing ability of the AgNPs and/or PDT was investigated by intracellular ROS analysis, antioxidant enzyme levels (SOD, CAT, GPx and GSH), Hoechst staining and Bax/Bcl-2 analysis using western blotting. The mean particle size of produced AgNPs was found 98.47±2.04 nm with low polydispersity (0.301±0.033). Zeta potential values of AgNPs show -32.3± 0.8 mV. These results clearly indicate the successful formation of AgNPs for cellular uptake. Mitochondrial damage and intracellular ROS production were observed upon treatment with AgNPs (10μg/mL) and PDT (0.5 mJ/cm2) showed significant reducing cell migration, expression of Bax and suppression of Bcl-2. Significantly, biosynthesized AgNPs showed a broad-spectrum anti-cancer activity with PDT therapy and therefore represent promoting ROS generation by modulating mitochondrial apoptosis induction in MCF7 breast cancer cells.

The aim of this paper is to explore, by estimating a cross-sectional econometric model, the determining factors of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in developing countries over the period of 2000-2004. The study is based on a sample of cross-sectional data on 38 developing countries. We have used average value of all data for the 2000-2004 period. In the models, dependent variable is FDI. Independent variables are growth rate of per capita GDP, inflation rate, telephone main lines per 1,000 people measured in logs, labour cost per worker in manufacturing industry measured in logs, degree of openness, risk and corporate top tax rate. According to the econometric results, in the main model, growth rate of per capita, telephone main lines and degree of openness have positive sign and are statistically significant. Inflation rate and tax rate present negative sign and are statistically significant. Labour cost has positive sign and risk has negative sign. However, both are not significant.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the prevalence of the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) among patients with TMD symptoms. METHODS: Between September 2011 and December 2011, 243 consecutive patients (171 females, 72 males, mean age 41 years) who were referred to the Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon were examined physically and completed a questionnaire regarding age, gender, social status, general health, antidepressant drug usage, dental status, limited mouth opening, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds, and parafunctions (bruxism, clenching). The data were analyzed using the chi-square test and binary logistic regression model (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: With a frequency of 92%, pain in the temporal muscle was the most common symptom, followed by pain during mouth opening (89%) in both genders. TMJ pain at rest, pain in the masseter muscle, clicking, grinding, and anti-depressant use were significantly more frequent in females than males. Age (p=0.006; odds ratio 0.954; 95% CI 0.922-0.987) and missing teeth (p=0.003; odds ratio 3.753; 95% CI 1.589-8.863) had significant effects on the prevalence of TMD. CONCLUSION: Females had TMD signs and symptoms more frequently than males in the study population. The most common problem in both genders was pain.

Environmental education and education for the environment today play an important role toward sustainability. Environmental education provided by higher education institutions has an important impact on training and preparing the future generation for a green society. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among perception, attitude, and environmental behavior of the university students enrolled in different specialization fields (engineering electrical, mechanical, and economic). A total of 358 students participated in this survey conducted at the North Center University of Baia Mare. To collect data to measure students’ environmental education, perception, students’ attitudes, and behavior a Likert scale was used. In this study, it was revealed that students receiving academic education are involved in activities regarding environmental protection (volunteer, warning, participation, recycling of materials) using the new product and “greener” alternative energy. As a result of the t-test performed, it was put forward that there was no difference in their level of perception regarding the importance of environmental education. As a result of the correlation analysis, a positive relation was identified between the perception, attitude, and behavior variables.

İçerik analizi; nesnel, ölçülebilir, doğrulanabilir bilgilere ulaşmak amacıyla doküman, metin ve evrak gibi pek çok farklı materyali belli kurallar dahilinde (örnekleme, kodlama, kategori vs.) analiz etmeyi amaçlayan nitel araştırma yöntemi içerisinde yer alan bir tekniktir. Çalışmanın amacı sosyoloji ve iletişim bilimleri alanlarında içerik analizi tekniğinin anlaşılması ve uygulamasında ne tür benzerlik ve farklılıkların olduğunu belirlemektir. İçerik analizinin ne olduğu, hangi türlerinin bulunduğu, analizin tamamlanabilmesi için hangi aşamalardan geçilmesi gerektiği üzerinde durulmaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda iletişim bilimleri ve sosyoloji alanında içerik analizi tekniği kullanılarak hazırlanan doktora tezlerinin yöntem bölümü içerik analizi tekniği kullanılarak incelenmektedir. 2013-2021 yılları arasında sosyoloji ve iletişim bilimlerinde hazırlanan otuz iki doktora tezi olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Sosyoloji alanında sekiz doktora tezi, iletişim bilimleri alanında ise sekiz doktora tezi olmak üzere toplam on altı doktora tezi araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturmaktadır. Elde edilen bulgulara bakıldığında iletişim bilimleri alanında hazırlanan tezlerin içerik analizini yardımcı bir teknik olarak kullanılmadığı, kategori ve kod oluşturmaya özen gösterildiği tespit edilmiştir. Sosyoloji alanında hazırlanan doktora tezlerinde ise içerik analizi tekniği çoğunlukla yardımcı bir teknik olarak kullanılmıştır.

Thermopsis turcica, endemic to Turkey, is in danger of extinction. Studies on this species are very few due to the fact that it was only discovered in 1983 and grows in a small circumscribed area in Turkey. In this study, free radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content, total oxidant status (TOS), and total antioxidant status (TAS) of methanol (TTM) and acetone (TTA) extracts of T. turcica were measured spectroscopically. Free radical scavenging activity was determined according to the elimination of DPPH radicals and total phenol content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu reaction. Total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured with commercially available kits. Methanol and acetone extracts of T. turcica were found to have a specific radical scavenging effect. This effect was found to be related to the total phenolic content of the extracts. Since the TTA had a higher phenolic content than the methanol extract, it had a stronger radical scavenging effect. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of the methanol extract was observed to be higher than that of its acetone counterpart. As a result, due to its antioxidative properties, T. turcica is thought to be a natural source of antioxidants.

Metastable β titanium alloys are widely used in the biomedical, automotive, and aerospace industry, due to their excellent corrosion resistance, fatigue strength, biocompatibility, and easy formability. Besides all these use areas, the suitable microstructure of the alloys for heat treatment increases the efficient usability day by day. In literature research, it has been found that heat treatment types such as cryogenic treatment and precipitation hardening can be applied efficiently to the alloys. Optimum strength/ductility, wear resistance, creep strength, and fatigue strength can be obtained with these heat treatments. For this reason, it has become important to understand the effect of heat treatments on the microstructural and mechanical properties of the alloys and parameters affecting this heat treatment efficiency. Precipitation hardening includes solution and aging treatment steps. The solution treatment can be applied at temperatures below and above the β transition temperature. While the aging treatment can be applied in four different ways, in the review article, the effects of single step and duplex aging treatment, which are applied with high efficiency, are emphasized. Precipitation hardening efficiency affects the chemical composition of the alloys, heat treatment steps, treatment temperature and times, and heating/cooling rate. The cryogenic treatment provides the formation of martensite α phases in metastable β titanium alloys cooled below the martensitic transformation temperature. Higher-strength and hardness have been obtained in the studies where aging treatment was applied after cryogenic treatment. Cryogenic treatment efficiency determines chemical composition of the alloys, treatment temperature and time, the heating/cooling rates, and heat treatments applied after cryogenic treatment.

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship of Internet addiction (IA) severity with alexithymia, temperament, and character dimensions of personality in university students while controlling for the effect of depression and anxiety. A total of 319 university students from two conservative universities in Ankara volunteered for the study. Students were investigated using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Internet Addiction Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Of the university students enrolled in the study, 12.2 percent (n=39) were categorized into the moderate/high IA group (IA 7.2 percent, high risk 5.0 percent), 25.7 percent (n=82) were categorized into the mild IA group, and 62.1 percent (n=198) were categorized into the group without IA. Results revealed that the rate of moderate/high IA group membership was higher in men (20.0 percent) than women (9.4 percent). Alexithymia, depression, anxiety, and novelty seeking (NS) scores were higher; whereas self-directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (C) scores were lower in the moderate/high IA group. The severity of IA was positively correlated with alexithymia, whereas it was negatively correlated with SD. The "difficulty in identifying feelings" and "difficulty in describing feelings" factors of alexithymia, the low C and high NS dimensions of personality were associated with the severity of IA. The direction of this relationship between alexithymia and IA, and the factors that may mediate this relationship are unclear. Nevertheless, university students exhibiting high alexithymia and NS scores, along with low character scores (SD and C) should be closely monitored for IA.

Purpose The study investigates the internet‐based electronic commerce (EC) adoption profile of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey as well as the factors affecting their willingness to adopt EC usage. Design/methodology/approach EC adoption is measured by a composite index of the usage frequency of 14 EC application tools. The study draws on the data obtained from a sample of 237 manufacturing SMEs with internet connection. Findings In was discovered that EC adoption was significantly influenced by its perceived benefits. However, the perceived limitations of EC applications were found to have no statistically significant effect on EC adoption. The analysis also showed that company and industry‐specific factors, with the exception of amount of resources allocated for export development, did not appear to have any significant impact on EC adoption. Research limitations/implications More efforts have to be made to remove or at least mitigate the impediments to a SME's willingness to adopt EC. The results of this study show that the lack of legal regulations is cited as one of the most serious limitations of EC and hence EC is rarely used for payment purposes. One of the most vivid implications of internet‐based EC for SMEs is the potential for external communication and information gathering for market and product research. Originality/value This study is significant for two reasons. First, it presents new data and insights into the internet‐based EC adoption of SMEs. Second, this study focuses on a relatively unexplored research area in an emerging market – Turkish SMEs.

The shape of the lactation curve for 475 Turkish Holsteins was estimated by fitting a gamma function to daily milk yields from monthly recording of 754 lactations. Lactation curve traits that were analyzed included a scaling factor associated with yield at the beginning of lactation, the inclining and declining slopes before and after peak yield, DIM at peak yield, and peak and lactation yields. Persistency of lactation yield was measured from 1) the gamma function, 2) the coefficient of variation for monthly test-day yields, and 3) the ratio of lactation yield to peak yield. The log-transformed gamma function explained 71% of variation in daily yield. Effects of farm operation, calving year, calving season, parity, and service period were significant for the various lactation curve traits. Peak and lactation yields were higher for cows that calved in fall and winter, and persistency was higher for cows that calved in summer and fall. Peak and lactation yields were lower, but persistency was higher during first lactation. Repeatability estimates were moderate for peak (0.26) and lactation (0.34) yields and lower (0.06 to 0.20) for other lactation curve traits.

Nowadays, due to an increase in marble and concrete production, emerged wastes are disposed into empty fields. This waste causes environmental pollution. In this study, the use of marble waste (MW) and recycled aggregate (RA) from crushed concrete in the production of SCC was investigated. Control series were produced with crushed limestone aggregate (LS) in different water to binder ratios. Then, LS was replaced with MW or RA in ratio of 100%. Fresh concrete experiments such as slump-flow, the J-ring test, unit weight and air content were carried out. Furthermore, compressive strength, splitting-tensile strength, stress–strain relationship, modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity experiments on the hardened specimens were carried out, and mechanical properties of all the concrete types were compared. According to the results obtained, workability of SCC such as flow-ability, blocking resistance and segregation resistance is increased by use of pieces of MW instead of LS. Moreover, important differences were not observed in the mechanical properties of SCC by using MW and RA. For this reason, crushed marble stone and recycled coarse aggregates that were obtained using lower energy than that required for obtaining the LS, can be used in the SCC.

We study a Darboux problem associated to a fractional hyperbolic integro-differential inclusion defined by Caputo-Katugampola fractional derivative and we prove several existence results for this problem.

In the global competitive environment, companies not only improve the quality of service and increase the efficiency, they also decrease the cost by means of third-party logistics (3PLs). 3PLs, therefore, is an important strategy for companies desiring to gain a competitive advantage and 3PLs provider selection plays a critical role for the success of outsourcing. Nevertheless, the level of uncer­tainty in the selection process is relatively high and need to be carefully considered. Hence, in order to select a proper 3PLs provider, integration of the Fuzzy AHP and Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) has offered a novel integrated model, in which Fuzzy AHP is used for calculating priority weights of each criteria and EDAS is employed to achieve the final ranking of 3PLs providers. Besides, in order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model, it is validated by a case study. Cost together with quality, and professionalism are found to be the most important factors for 3PLs provider selection. Consequently, the advantage of this model is that it is simple to apprehend and easy to apply. The use of the proposed model leads to the selection of suitable alternative successfully in other selection problems.

The Best Worst Method (BWM) represents a powerful tool for multi-criteria decision-making and defining criteria weight coefficients. However, while solving real-world problems, there are specific multi-criteria problems where several criteria exert the same influence on decision-making. In such situations, the traditional postulates of the BWM imply the defining of one best criterion and one worst criterion from within a set of observed criteria. In this paper, an improvement of the traditional BWM that eliminates this problem is presented. The improved BWM (BWM-I) offers the possibility for decision-makers to express their preferences even in cases where there is more than one best and worst criterion. The development enables the following: (1) the BWM-I enables us to express experts’ preferences irrespective of the number of the best/worst criteria in a set of evaluation criteria; (2) the application of the BWM-I reduces the possibility of making a mistake while comparing pairs of criteria, which increases the reliability of the results; and (3) the BWM-I is characterized by its flexibility, which is expressed through the possibility of the realistic processing of experts’ preferences irrespective of the number of the criteria that have the same significance and the possibility of the transformation of the BWM-I into the traditional BWM (should there be a unique best/worst criterion). To present the applicability of the BWM-I, it was applied to defining the weight coefficients of the criteria in the field of renewable energy and their ranking.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer disease (AD), a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder, has a mainly unknown multifactorial etiology. Neuroinflammatory mechanisms might contribute to the cascade of events leading to neuronal degeneration. Central nervous system infections have been previously suggested as possible etiological agents in the development of sporadic AD. Toxoplasmosis can be associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible association between toxoplasma infection and AD. METHODS: This study evaluated the serum anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG levels. It included an age-matched and sex-matched study and control groups that consisted of 34 patients with AD and 37 healthy individuals, respectively. There were no difference between the socio economic states of the patients and control subjects. serecm anti-I-gondi IgG levels were measured by using ELISA. RESULTS: According to the statistical analysis, there were no significant differences among the patients and the control participants with respect to age (68.05±15.98, 62.91±5.89 y, P=0.072; respectively) and sex. The seropositivity rate for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies among AD patients and control groups were 44.1% and 24.3%, respectively, and there was significant difference between the serum anti-T. gondii IgG levels (P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that toxoplasma infection may be involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms of AD. If confirmed, a positive correlation between toxoplasmosis and AD may lead to new approaches for the management of AD.