Sustainable Welfare Current Issue

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between individuals' health literacy levels and their perceived quality of healthcare services. The study was conducted with 376 participants aged 18 and over who visited a private hospital in Ankara. As part of the research, a questionnaire consisting of demographic questions, the Health Literacy Scale, and the Service Quality Scale (SERVQUAL) was administered to the participants. The findings of the study indicate that individuals with higher levels of health literacy tend to evaluate the healthcare services they receive more positively. It was observed that as age increases, health literacy levels decrease, while perceptions of service quality improve. Additionally, it was found that as education levels increase, health literacy scores rise, but perceived service quality scores decrease. Furthermore, gender was found to have no significant effect on health literacy or service quality perceptions. However, it was determined that individuals without chronic illnesses had higher levels of both health literacy and service quality perceptions. In conclusion, the study reveals a positive relationship between health literacy and perceived service quality. This suggests that health literacy plays an important role in understanding service quality. Individuals with higher health literacy are more actively engaged in healthcare systems and report greater satisfaction with the services they receive. The results highlight the importance of developing educational and policy initiatives aimed at improving health literacy, as these could contribute to enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of healthcare services. It is suggested that strategies to improve health literacy may lead to greater satisfaction among individuals and improve the overall quality of healthcare services.

This study is designed to investigate the relationship between childhood traumas of senior university students and substance use.The necessary number of students revealed by the calculation(238)was increased by 40% due to potential data loss,and the study was conducted with a total number of 333 students.Data were collected through Personal Information Form, Childhood Traumas Questionnaire (CTQ),Addiction Profile Index Risk- Screening for Alcohol and Addiction Profile Risk-Screening Index for Substance and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND).Analysis of the relationship between sociodemographic data of the students and childhood trauma questionnaire scores revealed a higher likelihood of being neglected or abused for students with siblings (one, two or more) (p<0.05).Students whose parents are divorced or separated were also found to be more likely to experience neglect and abuse, compared to their peers whose parents are together and either one or both members of the couple are alive (p<0.05). According to student statement, students whose parents act oppressive and indifferent were found to experience more neglect and abuse than their counterparts whose parents’ actions do not correspond to these qualities (p<0.05).Similarly, students with parents demonstrating a democratic approach were subject to less neglect and abuse than students of non-democratic parents. Finally, students whose parents are not overprotective were exposed to more neglect and abuse, compared to their peers whose parents were overprotective (p<0.05). Childhood traumas of senior university students had a weak positive correlation with alcohol use and smoking. The correlation between smoking and alcohol use was also found to be weakly positive (p<0.05).In the light of these findings, the relationship of early childhood neglect and abuse with other variables should be investigated by further studies. Furthermore, education programs targeting students, families, and school authorities should be developed for increasing abuse recognition and awareness of adverse effects of alcohol and substances.

In modern economies, innovations play a crucial role in driving the production of high value-added goods and services within firms, serving as a cornerstone for sustainable growth and development. In this context, the financing of R&D activities that generate innovations is vital for technological progress and competitiveness. This study analyzes the long-run impact of R&D performance of public and higher education sectors on private sector R&D expenditures. The findings of the panel data set covering the period between 1997-2021 indicate that public R&D expenditures do not have a significant effect on private sector R&D activities, while publicly financed R&D significantly increases private sector R&D expenditures. Accordingly, it can be stated that public R&D serves as a leverage function within the scope of firms' own R&D activities. This function can be attributed to the reduction of financing barriers and R&D costs in strategic sectors, as well as grants, subsidies and tax practices that encourage more R&D. Second, it is concluded that higher education R&D expenditures have a complementary effect on private sector R&D expenditures. This effect can be argued to emerge especially through knowledge spillovers, specialized labor force and cooperation channels. Thirdly, country-level differences in the quality of human capital appear to limit the contribution of the human factor in R&D activities. In this context, knowledge and skill deficiencies mostly due to inadequacies in the education system, imbalance in the sectoral distribution of skilled workers and high costs of skilled labor can lead to cross-country inequalities in the role of human capital in R&D activities. Finally, economic development plays a critical role in private sector R&D. This result points to the importance of laws, regulations and supports based on strong institutional structures, advances in research infrastructure, diversified market demand and global cooperation and financing networks in parallel with economic development.

Considering that there are people in the world who have difficulty finding healthy products, every food product found loses its importance in terms of health. Grapes, which have an important share in the agricultural development of our country, and the variety of products produced from it have an important place in terms of the products we constantly consume in our daily lives and the value it adds to the economy. It is known that vinegar, molasses and wine, which are at the top of these products, are healthy foods. Many people are equally healthy when they consume these foods. These products, which are fermentation products, remain beneficial when made in their natural process. However, when the commercial size of these products is considered, we come across a fact that not all of them are healthy and original. The fact that commercial gain products are produced quickly and put on the market increases the possibility of these products being unhealthy and dangerous. In many countries around the world, including our country, many producers are playing with these foods to make money, causing unhealthy product consumption. The least likely thing to be examined in these types of products is the determination of metal content. Recently, as a result of the examinations conducted on these products, news of unhealthy products being detected and companies withdrawing their products from the market has been increasing. In our country, these are rarely checked and never done. In this study, we examined whether vinegar molasses and wine offered for human consumption, both homemade and commercial, meet appropriate criteria in terms of health. For this purpose, total acidity, dry matter, pH and 21 heavy metal values were examined in samples of the most commonly used products in the market.

In the modern era, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to sweep the world. In various fields, tasks and jobs that were previously done only by humans are being performed quickly and easily by AI-powered software and robots. ChatGPT is a freely available conversational AI tool designed on the concept of reinforcement learning from human feedback. ChatGPT has wide applications. One of its popular uses includes academic assessment and assistance among medical students. Many say that ChatGPT1’s capabilities are impressive, with the model being able to pass even university exams, especially when it comes to ChatGPT’s ability to pass Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)-based exams for higher education.This study planned to examine the current research evidence on ChatGPT's performance on MCQ-based exams and its success on professional practice exams in physiotherapy education. ChatGPT3 free version 1.2023.256 and ChatGPT4 paid version were used. The final exam questions of the fall 2022 semester were used as the basis. ChatGPT3 passed with 61.01, while ChatGPT4 failed with 52.45. 58 out of 98 students scored 60 or above in this exam. 40 people scored below 60. MCQ-based assessments for professional qualifications should be conducted under secure conditions with limited access to similar tools like ChatCPT. The study highlights the need for robust online exam security measures, such as improved proctoring systems and more complex multi-modal exam questions, to reduce potential academic misconduct caused by AI technologies. This does not mean that AI tools like ChatGPT should not be used in education. On the contrary, AIs, which are easily available to everyone in education in parallel with the developing technology, can be used to improve the quality of education.

The auditory system works with the outer, middle, inner ear and auditory nerve mechanisms working together in the periphery. Any disorder that may occur in the mechanisms can cause hearing loss. These structures work in harmony among themselves and this is also seen between the perilymph and endolymph fluids in the inner ear. The ions in different concentrations in the perilymph filling the bony and the endolymph filling the membrane labyrinths must create concentration changes between the hairy cells and the fluids in order for hearing to occur. Thus, the mechanical energy reaching the inner ear must be converted into electrical energy in the hairy cells and sent to the central nervous system. Concentration changes realise hearing by working with the mechanisms of entry into the cell or exit from the cell through the channels. The mechanism of intracellular and extracellular passage is directly related to the uptake, retention and excretion of potassium. Some diseases that occur with disorders in these mechanisms are associated with a history of hearing loss. This study aimed to review the studies evaluating the effects of potassium ion, which is found in different concentrations in the body and in the inner ear, on hearing and to change the quality of life with potassium ion control in some hearing losses and to emphasise the importance of early diagnosis in potassium-related syndromic hearing losses. Studies in which dietary intake, endocochlear concentrations, canal functions and gene mutations of potassium ion were studied were included. The studies included in the review are in agreement that potassium mechanism affects hearing. However, the majority of the studies were animal experiments and studies on humans were rare. Therefore, more studies on humans are needed to directly say that potassium deficiency or excess may cause hearing loss or may have a therapeutic effect.