Functional beverages enriched with herbal extracts are gaining popularity due to their potential health benefits. Tilia cordata flowers are known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, making them a promising additive in food and beverage formulations. Our study aimed to develop ready-to-drink iced teas enriched with T. cordata flower extracts and to evaluate their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and sensory characteristics as functional food products. Fresh T. cordata flowers were analyzed for metal contents. Phenolic acid profiles in ethanolic and aqueous extracts were determined using HPLC-MS. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging, conjugated diene, and iron ion chelation assays. Antimicrobial effects were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Sensory analysis was conducted using AI-based facial expression recognition to assess consumer responses. Metal analysis revealed low concentrations of Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe, with no detectable Pb, Cd, or Ni. Ethanolic extracts showed significantly higher levels of phenolic acids than aqueous extracts. Iced teas containing both types of extracts demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, with ethanolic formulations having the highest levels of phenols and flavonoids. Antimicrobial tests confirmed activity in both teas, with ethanolic extracts showing stronger effects. Sensory analysis indicated positive emotional responses and consumer acceptance for both formulations. Iced teas enriched with T. cordata extracts exhibited significant antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, confirming their potential as functional beverages. The use of AI-driven sensory evaluation proved effective in capturing consumer preferences, supporting its application in product development. These findings suggest commercial viability for industrial production.
Although gifted individuals are successful in areas requiring high cognitive performance, they may face many difficulties in social-emotional development and mental health. This study examined the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) on levels of depression, anxiety, stress, self-compassion, and inferiority among gifted adolescents. A total of 24 adolescents were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 12) or a control group (n = 12). Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and Inferiority Scale (IFS). CBGT program was applied to the experimental group, while no intervention was applied to the control group. One month after the end of the intervention program, a focus group interview was conducted with the participants. As a result of the study, it was determined that CBGT provided significant decreases in depression, anxiety, stress and inferiority scores and significant increases in self compassion scores of adolescents in the experimental group. On the other hand, there was no significant change in the depression, anxiety, stress, self compassion and inferiority scores of the control group. These results suggest that CBGT can be considered an effective intervention to improve mental health outcomes—such as reducing depression, anxiety, stress, and feelings of inferiority, while increasing self-compassion—thereby contributing to a broader construct of psychological well-being among gifted adolescents.
This paper investigates the effect of mutual tenure between chairperson and CEO on real earnings management using companies in Turkey where strong interpersonal relationships and close connections predominate and adopting agency theory. The results of various estimation procedures indicate that mutual tenure increases discretionary real activities. In further analyses, while independent member percentage on boards moderates this association, non-independent female member percentage mediates this association. In additional analysis, the mutual tenure among chairperson-CEO with the same surname and from the same hometown leads to a greater increase in REM. In the initial year(s) of mutual tenure, REM is low; however, as the years progress, particularly in the later years, this relationship reverses. Alternative financial reporting quality measurements such as audit opinion and reporting lag confirm our main results. Finally, when we run the main model with the REM components, we do not find any association only between mutual tenure and discretionary production costs.
Childhood trauma is a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet the psychological mechanisms underlying this link in young adult populations remain underexplored. This study examined the mediating role of self-compassion (SC) in the link between childhood trauma (CT) and PTSD among Turkish university students. A total of 592 students aged 18-30 participated. Mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) in SPSS. The findings showed that higher levels of CT were associated with lower SC and greater PTSD symptoms. SC partially mediated this link, with the indirect effect accounting for 19.07% of the variance in PTSD. In conclusion, SC may serve as a key protective factor in the link between CT and PTSD. Additionally, SC-based interventions have the potential to enhance student well-being and resilience in university counselling settings.
Featured Application This study investigates the effects of different intraoral scanners, scanning levels, and splinting methods on the trueness and precision of digital impressions in All-on-Four implant treatments. The findings contribute to a more comprehensive technical understanding of digital impression workflows and support the development of better-fitting implant-supported restorations, thereby providing a scientific basis for future clinical applications. The accuracy of digital impressions in fully edentulous cases is limited by the lack of anatomical reference structures, potentially affecting passive fit. The effects of scanner type, impression level, and scan body splinting on accuracy remain insufficiently elucidated. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effects of different intraoral scanners, scanning levels, and scan body splinting methods on digital impression accuracy. A fully edentulous mandibular model with four implants (All-on-4) was fabricated, and scan bodies were connected at either the implant or multi-unit abutment level. Five splinting methods (nonsplinted, floss, orthodontic elastomeric, chain attachments, and single attachments) were applied, creating 10 experimental groups. Each group was scanned using three intraoral scanners: iTero Lumina (Align Technology, Tempe, AZ, USA), TRIOS 3 (3Shape A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark), and Medit i700 (Medit Corp, Seoul, Republic of Korea), with four repeated scans per scanner (120 scans total). Trueness and precision were assessed based on linear and angular deviations using Geomagic Control X (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC, USA). Scanner type and scanning level significantly affected accuracy (p < 0.05), with TRIOS 3 showing higher deviations, while multi-unit abutments reduced deviations. Splinting methods showed no significant effect on accuracy, and precision did not differ among groups. Scanner type and scanning level significantly influenced digital impression accuracy; however, splinting methods yielded no significant effect. Precision remained comparable among groups.
