Afyon Kocatepe University

Porous and spherical silica nano‐shells (PSNSs) have garnered significant attention due to their potential applications in drug delivery systems, water treatments, etc. This study produced and characterized seven different PSNSs (S‐1,2,3,4,5,6,7) using new methods. The selected products' (S‐4 and S‐7) surface areas were determined to be 702.2 m²/g and 452.2 m²/g, respectively. Pore size distributions were found as in the range of 7.3 nm to 10.6 nm. The most notable finding of this study was the attainment of mesoporosity in the synthesis of nano‐sized silica (S‐7) without the use of surfactant agents like CTAB. Six different doxorubicin (DOX) loaded formulations were prepared using S‐4 and S‐7 products. The DOX release profiles and kinetics of these formulations were investigated in detail. Drug release studies showed that some PSNSs performed controlled release of DOX lasting approximately 10 h. Several kinetic models were analyzed based on in vitro DOX release data and the results were found to be more consistent with the Higuchi and Korsmeyer‐Peppas release kinetic models.

Copper(II) oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were incorporated into the blend of methacrylate-based poly 2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxoethyl-2-methylprop-2-enoate (PFPAMA) polymer and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at different feed rates by hydrothermal method. The average particle size of CuO nanoparticles produced via solution plasma was 20–25 nm, as determined by TEM. The structural and morphological properties of the nanocomposites were determined by SEM, EDX, and FTIR spectroscopy. The dielectric properties of the nanocomposites were investigated in detail by impedance spectroscopy. The real dielectric constant (ε′) reached a maximum value of approximately 6 at low frequencies for the 5% CuO-doped nanocomposite, indicating enhanced interfacial polarization (Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars polarization). Comparatively, ε′ values for 3% and 7% CuO doping were approximately 4 and 3, respectively, suggesting reduced polarization capacity. Similarly, the imaginary dielectric constant (ε″) exhibited the highest value (~ 0.6) at low frequencies for the 5% CuO addition, signifying increased energy losses. Impedance analysis revealed a significant decrease in resistance at higher CuO NPs contents, and the nanocomposite incorporating 7% CuO achieved the lowest impedance values (~ 1.5 × 10⁷ Ω). These results indicate that CuO addition improves the dielectric and electrical properties to the optimum level (5%), whereas excessive CuO NPs addition (7%) creates structural irregularities and degrades performance. The findings highlight the potential applications of these nanocomposites in electronic and energy storage devices.

This study explores how self‐service technologies (SSTs) quality in restaurants influences customers' novelty‐seeking behavior and their intention to revisit. Data were collected through surveys distributed via Amazon Mechanical Turk, comprising responses from 498 participants. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis to assess the relationships between perceived SST quality, novelty‐seeking, and revisit intentions. The study identifies significant positive effects of SST quality dimensions such as enjoyment, security, and assurance on novelty‐seeking. However, functionality, convenience, and customization were not significantly linked to novelty‐seeking. Furthermore, novelty‐seeking significantly impacted both affective and cognitive attitudes, which in turn influenced revisit intentions. Venturesomeness was examined as a moderating factor but only significantly moderated the relationship between cognitive attitudes and revisit intentions. Self‐service technology quality directly influences customer engagement and satisfaction, leading to increased revisit intentions through the mediating role of novelty‐seeking.

It is known that quercetin is useful in the treatment of pressure wounds due to its ability to reduce oxygen radicals, but its effect on eyelid wound healing is unclear. In this study, forty male Wistar albino rats weighing 250–300 grams were used to investigate the effect of quercetin on eyelid wound healing. Four groups were created: control group, sham group, incision wound group, and suture + quercetin group. Full-thickness skin excision was performed through a 3–5 mm incision in the superior palpebrae to create a wound. On the 1 third and seventh days, the rats were sacrificed, and blood samples were taken by cardiac puncture for biochemical measurement and tissue samples for histopathological examination from the palpebrae. 2 Inflammatory cells in the quercetin group were significantly lower on day 3 ( P < 0.05). Blood levels of IL-1 and TNF-α were significantly lower in the quercetin group compared to other groups ( P < 0.05). Also, IL-6 was found to be significantly lower on day 7 in the quercetin group compared to other groups ( P < 0.05). The quercetin group was as effective as the sham group in terms of collagen formation on day 3, and the hydroxyproline value was significantly higher. Total oxidant status levels were lower in the quercetin group than in the sham group ( P = 0.005). In conclusion, quercetin exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, along with higher collagen accumulation in the eyelid compared to other groups. Our results suggest that quercetin could be a potential therapeutic agent that accelerates wound healing and reduces scar formation in the eyelid.

Purpose: To determine whether pinocembrin (PC) confers protective effects against experimentally induced intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Methods: Thirty Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 each): sham (underwent laparotomy only); I/R (superior mesenteric artery occlusion for 60 min followed by 60 min reperfusion); and I/R + PC (5 mg/kg PC intraperitoneally before ischemia and again prior to reperfusion). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were measured in both plasma and intestinal tissue. Histopathological evaluation was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and a modified Chiu scoring system. Results: Although TAC values did not show significant intergroup differences (p > 0.05), TOS and OSI values were significantly lower in the I/R + PC group than in the I/R group (p < 0.05). Histologically, the I/R + PC group displayed noticeably reduced mucosal damage compared to the untreated I/R group. These results suggest that PC alleviates oxidative stress and improves histological outcomes in intestinal I/R. Conclusion: PC exhibits a protective effect against intestinal I/R injury by decreasing oxidative stress and preserving tissue architecture. Further studies are warranted to optimize PC’s dosing, timing, and mechanistic actions for clinical application. Key words Intestines; Ischemia; Reperfusion; Oxidative Stress

Increasing the mechanical strength of wooden materials with glass fiber fabric reinforcement and composite elements can be a very suitable method for restoration and strengthening techniques in historical wooden structures. In this study, the effects of fiber-reinforced laminated wood composites were examined with respect to bending strength and modulus of elasticity in bending. Experimentally, 0°/90° woven glass fiber fabrics with areal weights of 200, 300, and 400 g/m² were bonded using epoxy resin to the longitudinal surfaces of two different wood species (Scots pine and Turkish beech). An evaluation of the bending properties of these wooden sandwich structures revealed that the incorporation of glass fiber fabric reinforcement led to a significant enhancement in their bending strength. In addition, a significant improvement was achieved in the modulus of elasticity. It was observed that glass fiber fabric, especially the 400 g/m² weight options, increased the durability of wood materials more. As a result, the bending strength of wood materials can be significantly increased with glass fiber fabric reinforcement. This method can be considered a promising reinforcement technique, particularly in the fields of engineering and construction. However, in the context of historical restoration, the use of external reinforcement must be approached with caution due to conservation principles such as material authenticity, reversibility, and minimal intervention.

This study investigated the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics, textural, organic acid and flavour profiles of Kashar cheese coated with a wax combination, including sesame and black cumin oil, in different ratios during ripening. After cheese samples were stored with fixed oil added to beeswax, pH, aw, L*, a*, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and gumminess decreased, but other parameters increased. The effect was higher in samples containing black cumin oil than in those containing sesame oil, and it varied according to oil content. On the last day of storage, cheeses coated with 4% black cumin oil had the highest browning factor, stretchiness and meltability values of 126.81, 10.30 and 68.19, respectively. In identical samples, hardness (1653.99 N), springiness (4.90) and chewiness (8115.62 N) reached their maximum values. The samples coated with 4% black cumin oil had the highest amounts of lactic, succinic, formic and citric acids (11,532, 177,144, 64,756 and 14,090 mg/kg increments). On the 90th day of storage, samples coated with 4% black cumin had the highest amounts of aromatic diacetyl (10.27 mg/kg), butyric acid (0.610 mg/kg) and propionic acid (2.835 mg/kg). It was found that a beeswax coating improved the physicochemical and microbiological qualities of Kashar cheese, increasing organic acids and aroma compounds and improving melting and elongation, which indicate cheese ripening. Coating improved cheese’s textural qualities, whereas a blend of fixed oil and beeswax increased fermentation, proteolysis, lipolysis and hastened ripening. The samples with the highest organic acid and aromatic compounds were coated and ripened with black cumin oil-beeswax.

Metaflumizone (MTF) is a pyrazoline sodium channel blocker (SBI) insecticide, and data on its toxicity are limited. Taurine (2‐aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a sulfur‐containing β‐amino acid that is naturally found in high concentrations in cells. In this study, we thoroughly evaluated the impact of taurine on MTF‐induced hepatonephrotoxicity in a rat model, focusing on oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and programmed cell death. In the present study, MTF (500 mg/kg, orally) to induce hepatonephrotoxicity was delivered to male rats for 30 days, and taurine at different concentrations (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, orally) was used for protective effect for the same period. Taurine treatment alleviated the elevated levels of AST, ALT, ALP, BUN, and creatinine caused by MTF. It further suppressed malate dehydrogenase levels and enhanced antioxidant defense by elevating SOD, GSH, and CAT levels. Additionally, taurine increased the mRNA expression levels of Bcl‐2 , which had been reduced due to oxidative stress, inflammatory, and apoptotic pathways, while suppressing the elevated gene expression levels of NFκB , TNF‐α , Bax , and Cas‐3 . Furthermore, taurine regulated the altered protein expression levels of Bcl‐2 , Bax , and TNF‐α induced by MTF. Microscopically, taurine also mitigated liver and kidney tissue damage caused by MTF. In conclusion, taurine significantly reduced MTF‐induced hepatonephrotoxicity by suppressing oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and programmed cell death. These findings indicate that taurine has the potential to be a treatment option in the case of the prevention of liver and kidney damage caused by SBI.

This study aims to determine the effect of orally administered vitamin C (Vit C) supplementation on physiological and histopathological changes in aged rats of different genders. A total of 28 Sprague‐Dawley aged male and female rats were randomly divided into four groups of seven animals per group. The study groups included the aged male control (MC), aged male with Vit C (MVC) (500 mg/kg vitamin C, orally) supplementation, female aged control (FC), and female aged with vitamin C (FVC) (500 mg/kg vitamin C, orally) supplementation groups. At the end of the study, which lasted 31 days, blood, brain, heart, liver, and kidney tissues were collected from rats under ketamine (87 mg/kg) and xylazine (13 mg/kg) anesthesia. The results indicated that although Vit C supplementation had no effect on serum Vit C levels, gender had an effect on serum Vit C levels (p < 0.05). However, Vit C supplementation and gender did not affect serum IL‐6, IL‐1β, TOS, and OSI levels (p > 0.05). Vit C supplementation, without the effect of gender, significantly increased TNF‐α levels in MVC groups compared to MC groups (p < 0.05), while it significantly decreased them in FVC groups compared to FC groups (p < 0.05). In addition, Vit C significantly reduced histopathological alterations in brain, heart, and liver tissues associated with aging, including oxidative stress and inflammation. In conclusion, it was observed that orally administered 500 mg/kg Vit C supplementation to old rats is not an effective way to increase the Vit C pool in the body, but gender has an impact on the blood Vit C concentrations.

Rock type characterization is an essential issue in mining and other geosciences. At every stage of mining operations, the rock type is the critical parameter in determining the procedures to be carried out and the equipment to be used. The description of rock types often requires detailed investigations by geologists in the field and laboratory. The experience of the geologists conducting these investigations is also very influential in rock type description. In many cases, this process is time-consuming. With these investigations come extra costs, and, in some cases, relative or inaccurate descriptions can also affect operating costs. This paper shows that it is possible to predict rock type from some physical and mechanical properties of rocks without incurring these costs. The paper’s main objective is to present the applicability of data mining algorithms in rock type determination. The physical and mechanical properties of the rocks were evaluated with different data mining algorithms, and the rock types were predicted 95.6% correctly with the model generated with the Support Vector Machine algorithm. Therefore, it is possible to predict rock types by data mining in extensive databases. This method provides both reliable and cost-effective results.

Gaining insight into the interaction of charged particles with nitrous oxide (N2O) is crucial for advancing our understanding of atmospheric processes and the environmental impacts of N2O. N2O plays a pivotal role in climate change, specifically contributing to global warming in the troposphere and ozone depletion in the stratosphere. In addition, it is of great importance in the fields of plasma physics, atomic and molecular physics, laser physics, and medicine. The cross sectional data obtained from collision studies provide fundamental information about the dynamics involved in the few-body system under investigation. This paper presents electron impact double differential cross sections (DDCSs) for secondary electrons emitted from N2O molecules. The measurements were conducted within fixed incident electron energy ranges of 50–350 eV, covering emission angles between 30° and 130°. Notably, a forward–backward angular asymmetry has been observed in the angular distribution of the DDCS for the detected electrons.

Crypto assets have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their many advantages, such as low transaction costs and investment opportunities. The performance of crypto exchanges is an essential factor in developing crypto assets. Therefore, it is necessary to take adequate measures regarding the reliability, speed, user-friendliness, regulation, and supervision of crypto exchanges. However, each measure to be taken creates extra costs for businesses. Studies are needed to determine the factors that most affect the performance of crypto exchanges. This study develops an integrated framework, i.e., fuzzy best–worst method with the Heronian function–the fuzzy measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution with the Heronian function (FBWM’H-FMARCOS’H), to evaluate cryptocurrency exchanges. In this framework, the fuzzy best–worst method (FBWM) is used to decide the criteria’s importance, fuzzy measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (FMARCOS) is used to prioritize the alternatives, and the Heronian function is used to aggregate the results. Integrating a modified FBWM and FMARCOS with Heronian functions is particularly appealing for group decision-making under vagueness. Through case studies, some well-known cryptocurrency exchanges operating in Türkiye are assessed based on seven critical factors in the cryptocurrency exchange evaluation process. The main contribution of this study is generating new priority strategies to increase the performance of crypto exchanges with a novel decision-making methodology. “Perception of security,” “reputation,” and “commission rate” are found as the foremost factors in choosing an appropriate cryptocurrency exchange for investment. Further, the best score is achieved by Coinbase, followed by Binance. The solidity and flexibility of the methodology are also supported by sensitivity and comparative analyses. The findings may pave the way for investors to take appropriate actions without incurring high costs.

Brake emissions that occur during braking in disc brakes cause significant environmental pollution, and the measurement of particulate matter (PM) emissions resulting from braking has gained importance in recent years. Resin is mainly used as a binding agent in brake pads. In this study, polymer brake pad samples with different resin amounts were developed. In addition to the braking performances, such as the density, friction coefficient, and wear rate of the brake pad samples, measurements were made at different disc rotation speeds and were performed on the PM mass density, PM number density, average PM size, and worn surfaces of the samples using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The friction coefficient is between 0.3 and 0.4 in Resin 14–26 and between 0.25 and 0.4 in Resin 18–22. The particle size is larger at low disc speeds of 2 m/s and decreases when the speed increases to 4–6 m/s. The PM mass density was highest in PM10 at 2 m/s. The number density of PM0.5 was lowest at all speeds. The PM densities decreased with increasing resin ratio and disc speed. It is inevitable that optimum resin amounts will be used for vehicles used in different areas today and that PM rates will be effective.

This chapter examines the active citizenship concept within the citizen-centered public policy-making framework and provides some theoretical and practical insights into its relationship with public policy processes. Active citizenship, as a broad concept, addresses not only the participation of individuals and groups in the design, implementation, and evaluation processes of public policies but also their demand and effective shaping of these processes with high motivation and consciousness. The chapter adopts a hybrid approach as the central pillar to provide a balance that points out the appropriate plane for citizen-centered public policy by examining the two primary axes of active citizenship: individual and collective. While focusing on the relationship between active citizenship, democracy, and participation, this examination questions the relationship between active citizenship and the internalization of participation and democratic values at the social and administrative levels. We present the necessity of developing flexible participation mechanisms that support citizen centricity in public policy making as a reflection and requirement of active citizenship strategies to increase citizen participation. We also offer insights for researchers and policymakers who want to understand the relationship between citizen centricity and active citizenship in public policies from a broader perspective.

This chapter will present an interactive e-participation model and framework designed to collect and evaluate feedback from beneficiaries. By presenting the model, the authors aim to show how the capacity of government entities should be strengthened for the interaction with stakeholders, mainly citizens. As citizen feedback is integral to public policy design and implementation, it is crucial to determine whether and how government agencies can respond to citizens through a governance framework by employing electronic participation tools. In this chapter, we first introduce the scope and the subject to be covered. Then, we present our e-participation framework and model by which citizen feedback could be incorporated into government business. We first describe the rationale behind the model and the necessary governance structure within the model. We discuss respective guidelines and necessary shared values to implement the model properly. After the discussion, we continue to unveil the stages and dimensions of conducting the model in addition to core elements. Finally, we conclude our insights concerning the model and the framework.

Citizen centricity has recently gained momentum, with numerous studies focusing on its theory and practice. Despite this wealth of literature, existing studies are mainly devoted to specific concepts in theory and specific policy areas in practice, having the potential to contribute to existing knowledge only in particular dimensions. To unify this fragmented view, the present chapter holistically investigates citizen centricity in public policy making within the framework of public value co-production, as well as top-down and bottom-up approaches through the technological, social, and managerial domains. While examining the practical citizen centricity reflections in cases from different geographies and policy areas to draw practical inferences in public policy making, the chapter relates them to the basic concepts, such as active citizenship and public value, underlying theoretical components. It discusses the shift between top-down and bottom-up aspects in public policy making through the cases. The overall result indicates that active citizenship is more prominent in the technological domain, while public value production is at the forefront in the social and managerial domains. This difference refers to the technological domain’s focus on new participation tools and the increasing emphasis on citizens’ tendency to use these opportunities. The values are more prominent when services related to citizens’ daily affairs are questioned in the social and managerial domains. Finally, the chapter develops a dynamic hybrid perspective that stands for citizen centricity in public policy making and the practical aspects. The key concepts identified as the essential components of citizen centricity mainly embrace bottom-up public policy making in practice.

This chapter aims to conceptualize direct citizen participation (DCP), designing and implementing public policies with the help of public administration theories, notably theories concerning value-orientation and instrumental rationality. We aim to search for conceptual replies by explicitly focusing on these three research questions as: (1) How is DCP discussed in the extant literature? (2) Can citizens be personally involved in public policy design and implementation? (3) Which roles (critical, analytical, functional, substantive, or complementary) could be discussed for citizens in public policy processes? In the chapter, we also aim to critically discuss the publicness of government. By publicness, we address whether and how the government/state is a distinctive actor pursuing its interests rather than protecting the interest of the public at large. Lately, the role played by the public authorities, irrespective of authoritarian or democratic regimes, as a mediator or as a stakeholder in designing and implementing public policies, should be debated. In this context, we aim to shed light on the conceptualizations of public interest or common good. We want to understand under what circumstances the state/government acts for the sake of public interest or for the sake of its interest.

In this chapter, we search for civic engagement frameworks in extant literature concerning the design of public policies and the provision of public service for various contexts. As any public service domain is either partially or not feasible, considering the yielded citizen input, we aim to present and describe some respective civic engagement frameworks where citizens and all other relevant stakeholders can provide the government with constructive feedback, insight, or input into public policy formations. For this very purpose, we aim to discuss the repercussions of the research question of whether and how citizens are involved in public matters as a part of the whole through examined civic engagement formations. In the end, citizen engagement is elaborated throughout this chapter as a distinctive construction of participation on a personal basis rather than being a constituent of organized participation of the public at large. After introducing the scope and subject of the chapter, we provide a detailed conceptual and theoretical background on civic engagement. Afterward, we present the details of some applied cases or methods of civic engagement worldwide. Finally, we draw conclusions with the notion by interlinking the arguments for a novel descriptive approach for putting the citizens at the center of public policy making.

To properly position citizen centricity in public policy making and solidly lay the foundations of future construction, it is first necessary to reveal the notches offered by the two essential basics of public policy analysis, rational, and post-positivist approaches. For such a discovery, it would be an excellent choice to start by questioning the primary emphasis of the approaches from a citizen-centric perspective. While the rational approach emphasizes rational decision-making based on quantitative methods, increasing welfare by making analyses in line with the information in policy analysis and adhering to public choice, the post-positivist approach criticizes it for not being able to meet the needs of a democratic system, makes a distinction between facts and values, emphasizes the importance of values, and moves the structure of policy analysis from a linear, processual, and rational pattern to a complex, multi-voiced, sharply defined, and mostly argumentative pattern. Both approaches contain some notches for citizen centricity. The post-positivist approach, standing out with its emphasis on participation and democracy, offers a more prosperous plane in this regard. The rational approach, on the other hand, attaches importance to information and evidence, especially in the decision-making process, embracing several notches, such as “citizen as the source of information.” In this chapter, we present a hybrid approach covering critical points of both, inspired by the mixed-scanning approach but with a new framework that we have customized for citizen centricity. This hybrid approach offers alternative tools and opportunities for citizens’ direct participation, public value production, and deliberative policy making by attributing an active role to citizens in the policy-making process.

The public policy-making process has become multidimensional, multilayered, and complex due to the increase in the variety and characteristics of public problems parallel to human needs, the emergence of new solution alternatives, actors, and their relationships. The nonlinearity, uncertainty, and variability of socio-economic processes, far from a balance standing out in complexity sciences, now constitute the basic scope of the need for new public policy-making approaches instead of traditional ones. Motivated by this need, this chapter presents a descriptive novel approach to citizen centricity in public policy making as a general result of the book. For this purpose, it first questions public policy making in the new age within the framework of complexity theory, which provides the most comprehensive explanation for the novel approach. Subsequently, it explores the “why” and “how” of citizen centricity in the new age, forming the general framework with references to the book’s previous chapters. Finally, it puts forward the descriptive novel model with three components: one basement and two pillars. The basement includes the components of public policy-making approaches and complexity theory in the new age. The first pillar reflects the approach’s conceptual side, which consists of the prominent citizen centricity-supportive concepts from the literature investigated in the earlier chapters. The second pillar reflects the practical side, which consists of two components: cases, providing a guideline for practice, and scholarly research, feeding the pillar with inspiring implications for future implementations.