Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University was established in 1992 as a state university with four proposed faculties: the Faculty of Arts & Sciences and Humanities, the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, the Faculty of Technical Education and the Faculty of Fisheries. Mugla School of Management, founded in 1975, originally affiliated with the Ankara Academy of Economics and Administrative Sciences, was the first higher education institution in Muğla. It then became the first faculty of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University upon its establishment. Muğla Vocational School, founded in 1989 as part of Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir, joined Muğla University.Over the past 20 years, the university has grown to include 18 faculties, 4 graduate schools, 5 schools, 13 vocational schools, and 35 research and application centres. Today, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University encompasses a two-million square metre campus surrounded by a spectacular mountain view and smaller university sites and schools across the province. Currently, the university services over 41,805 students and employs over 1,300 full-time academic staff.
Benzoic acid (BA) is a widely used weak organic acid preservative with antimicrobial activity, yet the metabolic basis of its antibacterial action and the determinants of bacterial sensitivity remain incompletely understood. Here we combined growth assays with 1H NMR metabolomics to characterize BA-induced metabolic responses in Escherichia coli BW25113 and to examine metabolic changes associated with impaired glutamine transport. Wild-type BW25113 and its BA-sensitive isogenic ΔglnP mutant, lacking the membrane-bound glutamine permease of the high-affinity GlnHPQ transport system, were exposed to sublethal BA concentrations. BA slowed growth and significantly altered the levels of 42 metabolites in the wild-type and 38 in ΔglnP, with the mutant showing stronger growth inhibition and reduced BA tolerance. Both strains exhibited metabolic changes consistent with cellular responses to oxidative and acid stress, including alterations in central carbon metabolism, lysine degradation, cysteine and methionine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and one-carbon pool by folate. However, several metabolic responses differed between the two strains. In wild-type cells, BA exposure was associated with changes in glycerolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, lysine biosynthesis, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, and purine metabolism. In contrast, ΔglnP cells showed distinct alterations in D-amino acid metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and other carbon fixation pathways. In addition, the mutant displayed substantial baseline differences relative to the wild-type, including altered nucleotide and amino acid pools. Together, these results indicate that both BA exposure and deletion of glnP induce broad metabolic adjustments in Escherichia coli. Loss of glnP is associated with distinct metabolic states and altered responses to BA stress, highlighting the importance of glutamine transport in adaptation to weak organic acid stress.
This study reports the fabrication and comprehensive analysis of an Al/NC/p-Si metal–insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure, incorporating nanocellulose (NC) as an insulating interfacial layer at the metal/semiconductor junction for the first time. The NC material was rigorously characterized through dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential analysis, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The electrical properties of the Al/NC/p-Si structure were systematically investigated via the current–voltage (I-V) and capacitance–voltage (C-V) measurements under dark and illuminated conditions at room temperature. The I-V analysis revealed an ideality factor (n) of 1.72 and a zero-bias barrier height (ΦB) of 0.80 eV, with deviations from ideality ascribed to the NC interfacial layer, interfacial state distribution, and elevated series resistance within the p-Si substrate. The series resistance (Rs) was further evaluated using the Norde and Cheung methodologies. The frequency-dependent analyses of the capacitance (C-V) and conductance (G-V) characteristics were performed, with results critically compared to literature. These findings underscore the promising insulating properties of nanocellulose and highlight its potential for application in electronic devices.
This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of jellyfish venoms on two different colon cancer cell lines and to compare their activity with that observed in a healthy colon cell line used as a control. Venoms were isolated from specimens of Aurelia aurita, Rhopilema nomadica, and Anemonia sulcata collected in their natural habitats. These venoms were applied to HT29 and Caco2 colon cancer cell lines, as well as to the CCD18co healthy colon cell line cultured in vitro. The IC₅₀ values of the venoms were determined using the MTT assay. Given the IC₅₀ results, A. aurita displayed the highest cytotoxic potency, R. nomadica showed a moderate and cell line–dependent effect, and A. sulcata exhibited a delayed, high-dose cytotoxicity profile, becoming clearly evident at 72 h. Based on these results, Annexin-V, ROS, and MMP analyses were performed to investigate the mechanisms of cell death. Our findings showed that A. aurita venom was more effective on HT29 cells after 48 h and caused minimal damage to CCD18co healthy cells. A. sulcata venom exhibited cytotoxic effects on HT29 cells at both 48 and 72 h, while exerting limited toxicity on healthy CCD18co cells. R. nomadica venom showed cytotoxicity on Caco2 cells at 48 h. Among the three venoms, R. nomadica exhibited the highest cytotoxic effect on CCD18co healthy colon cells. In conclusion, venoms from all three Cnidarian species demonstrated cytotoxic effects on two different colon cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity was found to be apoptosis-related. Moreover, the venoms showed selective activity across different cancer cell lines.
This study investigates how Story-Based 5E Teacher e-Workshops affect preschool teachers' science education self-efficacy beliefs and their students' scientific skills and curiosity. The research was conducted in kindergartens in İstanbul using a quasi-experimental design with three randomly assigned groups: experimental group 1 (41 teachers/144 children), experimental group 2 (39 teachers/137 children), and the control group (38 teachers/135 children) experimental group 1 received Story-Based 5E Teacher e-Workshops, experimental group 2 only read science stories, and the control group followed the regular curriculum. Three validated scales measured teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and children's scientific process skills and curiosity before and after the 10-week intervention. Data analysis revealed significantly higher post-test scores in teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and children's scientific development in experimental group 1, compared to both experimental group 2 and the control group. experimental group 2 showed only minor improvements, whereas the control group exhibited no significant changes. These findings suggest that story-based 5E model training effectively enhances both teachers' professional competence and students' scientific development in preschool education.
The literature reports that pre-optimization achieved within the scope of Accelerated Recovery After Spine Surgery (ERAS) improves patients’ physiological functions and satisfaction. This study aims to examine the effect of preoperative education and counseling, implemented within the scope of ERAS in spinal surgery, on pre-optimization of patients. In this single centered prospective study, 102 patients scheduled for spine surgery were included and divided into two groups: n = 51 in the control group and n = 51 in the intervention group. The control group received standard care according to hospital protocol. The intervention group received a structured preoperative education program including information on surgical preparation, fasting duration, expected surgery time, potential risks, the importance of nutrition, early mobilization, and the negative effects of smoking and alcohol on recovery. Visual materials demonstrating operating room admission and postoperative transfer were also presented. Data were collected with the “Individual Characteristics Information Form”, “Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale”, “Peri Anesthesia Comfort Scale” and “Visual Comparison Scale”. The primary outcome was emergence agitation. Secondary outcomes included recovery unit stay, hospital length of stay, pain, hemodynamic parameters, and comfort. The incidence of emergence agitation over time was lower in the intervention group, however, this difference was not statistically significant. Patients in the intervention group had significantly (p < 0.05) shorter recovery unit stay, hospital stay, anesthesia duration (p < 0.05). Comfort scores were higher and pain scores in all measured times were lower in the intervention group (p < 0.05). The findings of this study demonstrate that preoperative education and counseling based on ERAS protocols optimize patient outcomes, accelerates postoperative recovery, and increases patient satisfaction for patients undergoing spinal surgery.
