University Of Cyprus Research Articles

Evaluation by students of bibliotherapy technique used in group guidance activities

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the views of psychological counseling and guidance students on the impact of structured bibliotherapy application on their social and emotional skills. The research was conducted through a case study, interviews and content analysis. The study group of the research consisted of 30 people from the 3rd grade psychological counseling and guidance students studying at the Faculty of Education of a private university in Cyprus in the 2017-18 academic year. According to the results obtained from the study, it is seen that psychological counseling and guidance department students underline that the tales used in bibliotherapy supported group guidance activities are didactic, educative, impressive, instructive and awareness-raising. In addition, it was observed that the students of the psychological counseling and guidance department agreed that their social emotional gains in bibliotherapy supported group counseling activities strengthened communication, contributed to their ability to look at different perspectives, to think more broadly, to get rid of prejudices, and to possess empathic thinking skills.

The Views of University Students About the Achievements and Motivations of the Distance Education Process During the Pandemic Period

The aim of this study is to examine the views of students about the achievements and motivations of thedistance education processes in universities during the pandemic period. The working group consists of 68 prospective teachers who continue their undergraduate programs in different departments of a private university in Northern Cyprus in the 2019-2020 spring academic year. All these participantsarestudying at thevariousdepartments of theFaculty of Education as 17 are in Pre-school Education, 28 in PrimaryEducationMathematics, 6 in PrimaryEducation, 1 in HistoryTeaching, 12 in Special Needs Education, 4 of them arestudying in Guidance and Psychological Counseling. The study is a qualitative study and the design of the study is determined as a case study. 42 female and 26 male teacher candidates participated in the study group. The majority of the participants are prospective teachers studying in their final year at university. While choosing the participants, easily accessible case sampling from purposeful sampling type was used. A Semi-structured interview form was used as a toolfordata collection. Later, the opinions of the experts were obtained and the interview questions were re-arranged accordingly and applied to the participants. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the psychological trauma experienced by teacher candidates during distance education at thepandemicperiodaffects both the success and motivation of their lessons.

Improving student satisfaction through social media marketing activities: The mediating role of perceived quality

The connection between education and technology offers an exciting opportunity for universities to utilize social media marketing activities not only to recruit new students or to create brand image and reputation, but also to enhance student satisfaction. Despite having a large number of studies indicating the importance of social media as a tool for student recruitment, the studies on the importance of social media marketing activities (SMMA) for students who are already enrolled are rare. This study aims at examining the relationship between SMMA and student satisfaction, considering perceived quality as a mediator in the higher education sector in North Cyprus. Utilizing a cross-sectional online survey, the data for this study was collected during October- November 2020 from 424 international students enrolled in North Cyprus universities. The model was assessed and the data was analyzed using Structural Equation Model (SEM) in AMOS statistical software. The findings suggest that SMMA has a positive relationship with the perceived quality of education, and perceived quality mediates the relationship between SMMA and student satisfaction positively.

Burnout among medical students in Cyprus: A cross-sectional study.

ObjectivesThe primary aim was to estimate the burnout prevalence among all medical students at the Medical School of the University of Cyprus. Secondary aims were to ascertain the predictors of burnout and its relationship with lifestyle habits, sleep quality and mental health.BackgroundBurnout in the healthcare sector has drawn significant scientific attention over the last few years. Recent research underscored the large burden of profession-related burnout among medical students.Materials and methodsAn anonymous questionnaire was administered to all 189 eligible candidates. This included demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Sleep quality was assessed via the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, mental health was assessed via the mental health (MH) domain of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey (MBI-SS).ResultsOverall response rate was 96.3%. The burnout prevalence was 18.1%. There was a significant linear effect of between the year of studies and the burnout frequency [F(1) = 5.09, p = 0.024], implying that with increasing academic year there were more students with burnout, especially after the 4th year of education which signifies the beginning of clinical education. Students with burnout were more likely to have poor sleep quality (90.9% vs. 60.8%, odds ratio 4.33, p = 0.023) and worse mental health (MH score 40.2 ± 17.7 vs 62.9 ± 20.3, p<0.001). Alcohol consumers had more symptoms of cynicism and less feelings of efficacy than non-alcohol consumers. Moreover, less feelings of efficacy were significantly associated with more alcohol consumption among alcohol consumers.ConclusionsBurnout is prevalent in medical students and increases significantly during the clinical years. Students with burnout have worse sleep and mental health and might use alcohol as a coping mechanism. Implementing prevention strategies of burnout may be beneficial.

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INFORMATION AND PRACTICES OF TEACHING STAFF THAT GIVE COURSES AT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC WITH REGARDS TO DISTANCE LEARNING

In this study the correlation between information and practices of teaching staff that give courses at educational programs during the Covid 19 pandemic with regards to distance learning was analyzed. 88 teaching staff working at two different universities, Fifteen November University of Cyprus and Near East University, and who gave distance learning lessons during the Covid 19 pandemic participated in this study. The Nicosia district of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was chosen as hub where 88 Teaching Staff were contacted at 2 universities based on an appropriate sampling method. While some of these 88 Teaching Staff fully answered the questions of the study, some of the Teaching Staff provided limited answers to the questions of the study. The study was designed as a blended research model so as to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative research methods at the same time. In order to correctly analyze data descriptive statistics including frequency, percentages, arithmetic means and standard deviation, as well as the Anova test were used. Keywords: Distance learning, the Covid 19 pandemic, distance learning practices, North CyprusJEL Classification: D83DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.10765

Diabetes and female gender are found to increase the hazard of deterioration? Results from the MEETinCY trial

Abstract Background Despite advances in the treatment of heart failure (HF), HF deteriorations are characterized by high hospital readmissions and linked with increased morbidity and mortality. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a nurse-led management program on the reduction of the number of visits to ER, unplanned readmissions and mortality of patients with HF due to acute events of decompensation at 12 and 24-weeks post discharge. Secondary aim was to identify possible association between demographic or clinical characteristics and the hazard for acute events. Methods This study was designed as a multicenter single-blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT), The MEETinCY, with three different intervention groups (IGs) and one control group (CG) that received the usual care which did not include a structured educational programme. The first IG received only education (EE) before discharge, the second IG received only telephone follow-up (TT) for three months after discharge, the third IG included combination of education before discharge and telephone follow-up (ET) for three months after discharge. The efficacy of interventions on mortality and rehospitalization rates were estimated using a Kaplan Meier analysis and were compared with log rank test. The association of demographic and clinical characteristics to the hazard for acute events was explored using a multivariate Cox regression. Results Two hundred and forty-two (242) patients completed the study [CG n=68, EE n=57, ET n=59, TT n=58]. During the 90 and 180 days study periods, the intervention groups, although appearing to have a “better survival experience” than the CG, no statistically significant difference was found for the periods 90 (log-rank test, x2 = 3.7 p=0.28) and 180 (log rang x2=2.87, p=0.41) days. Regarding the incidence risk of acute events (Readmission, ER visit, HF death) at 3 months seems to be higher in the CG (N=28–41.2%) than the other groups [EE n:16 28.1%, ET n:20 33.9%, TT n:16 27.6%], but not statistically significant (p=0.32). Results at 6 months showed the frequency of acute events in the CG (N=34, 50%), to be lower compared to the other groups [EE N:23 40.4%, ET n:24 39%, TT n:25, 43.1%], but not statistically significant (p=0.59). The hazard of deterioration was found to be significantly higher in patients with diabetes and in females, where the acute event hazard increased by 72% [HR: 1.72 (95% CI: 1.047–2.844), p=0.033)], and 88% [HR: 1.88 (95% CI: 1.172–3.013), p=0.009)] respectively. In addition, NYHA status was found to be associated with increased hazard of acute events; NYHA IV patients had 2.6 times higher risk [HR: 2,637, (95% CI: 1,007 - 6,902)] than NYHA I patients. Conclusions This highlights the need for further investigation of educational and supportive programs to reduce the risk of incidence of acute events in HF. It is also important to identify possible associated factors that may be reversible or preventable. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Cyprus University of Technology State Funding

The students’ view for teaching numerical analysis in the form of distance education

With COVID-19 pandemic, which was started in Wuhan, Chine, and is still affecting the whole world as well as our country, education offered distantly. This research aims to determine the students' opinions and their behaviors towards teaching Numerical Analysis in the form of distance education. The research was carried out with a group of students studying at the Faculty of Engineering in a private university in Northern Cyprus during the 2019-2020 academic year. In the research, an interview form was applied to get students’ opinions about distance education and to understand whether it is appropriate to give a numerical analysis course over distance education or not. At the end of the research, students’ positive and negative views about distance education emerged. Most of the students argued the idea that distance education platform is not able to provide education as effectively as the traditional classroom environment. It is supported that it is more accurate to give the form of traditional education because of the application of a Numerical Analysis course is challenging.&#x0D; Keywords: Distance Education, Numerical Analysis, Student, Distance Learning, Information and Communication

A Case Study on the Eating Habits of a Selection of University Students at the Eastern Mediterranean University (Emu) in Northern Cyprus

The aim of this qualitative case study is to examine changes in the eating habits of university students living with their families after starting their tertiary education. Stress or lack of time at university can have adverse affects leading to unhealthy changes in diet. We have accordingly assessed the dietary-related habits of undergraduate students in various departments of EMU. Six Cypriot students, as well as three Iraqi Kurdish students were selected since to date there have been few such studies about Kurdish students. A limitation of this study is that all the respondents were living in Famagusta City in Northern Cyprus; other studies might be conducted in perhaps Nicosia and abroad.

Training and Testing of a Single-Layer LSTM Network for Near-Future Solar Forecasting

Increasing integration of renewable energy sources, like solar photovoltaic (PV), necessitates the development of power forecasting tools to predict power fluctuations caused by weather. With trustworthy and accurate solar power forecasting models, grid operators could easily determine when other dispatchable sources of backup power may be needed to account for fluctuations in PV power plants. Additionally, PV customers and designers would feel secure knowing how much energy to expect from their PV systems on an hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly basis. The PROGNOSIS project, based at the Cyprus University of Technology, is developing a tool for intra-hour solar irradiance forecasting. This article presents the design, training, and testing of a single-layer long-short-term-memory (LSTM) artificial neural network for intra-hour power forecasting of a single PV system in Cyprus. Four years of PV data were used for training and testing the model (80% for training and 20% for testing). With a normalized root mean squared error (nRMSE) of 10.7%, the single-layer network performed similarly to a more complex 5-layer LSTM network trained and tested using the same data. Overall, these results suggest that simple LSTM networks can be just as effective as more complicated ones.

First person – Andri Christodoulou

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Andri Christodoulou is first author on ‘TMEM147 interacts with lamin B receptor, regulates its localization and levels, and affects cholesterol homeostasis’, published in JCS. Andri conducted the research described in this article while a postdoc in Professor Niovi Santama's lab at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus. She is now a postdoc in the lab of Dr Paris Skourides at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, investigating the role of transmembrane proteins in the morphogenesis and function of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Hospice and Palliative Care Professionals toward Diversity and Religious Literacy in Cyprus: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: This study is the first to document knowledge-base and knowledge attitudes about cultural competence and religious literacy in hospice and palliative care in Cyprus. Objective: The aim of this article is to investigate and document the knowledge-base and attitudes toward advancing knowledge and expertise of hospice and palliative care professionals in Cyprus. Measurements: A cross-sectional self-administered online survey, which reached 80 hospice and palliative care professionals employed in the sector, was used. The response rate was 64%, which increases the generalizability of the results. Forty-one surveys were completed fully and included in the study. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Frederick University in Cyprus (EEBK EP 2019.01.28). Results: This study shows that self-awareness, reflexivity, and respect toward the other and other people's culture and religion are associated with the current knowledge-base of the professionals, as well as attitudes toward future learning opportunities, lifelong learning, and initiating learning between professionals and agencies. The results present three themes: knowledge development, knowledge empowerment, and knowledge exchange. Conclusions: Professionals and organizations need to nurture and promote lifelong learning, supervision, and enable individual practitioners to engage with activities that will enhance their self-awareness, reflexivity, and attitude toward the unique identities of others.

Archive, Repertory, Supplement: Thinking Theatre through Intersections

This article discusses the relationship between drama and performance, using the Derridean concept of ‘supplement’ in theatre, which exceeds polarities and attempts a more dialectic approach. A review of Marvin Carlson’s theories of illustration, separation, translation, and fulfilment is a starting point for a comprehensive analysis of the views that encourage the binary drama-performance. This is examined in combination with Diane Taylor’s distinction between the ‘archive’, which preserves and bears all the written culture, and the ‘repertory’, which contains the world of performance. The ‘supplement’ holds two meanings: as a supplement, an external addition-to, and as a complement, a supplement-of, that comes in to fill a gap. One example is used to present the relationship between archive, repertory, and supplement: Brecht’s The Downfall of the Egotist Johann Fatzer. Theatre can be thought of in formations of heteropoietic sequence, through chains of supplements, including the texts, the performances, the rehearsal devices, the publication context, and the director’s notebooks. George P. Pefanis is a Professor in the Department of Theatre Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and also teaches theatre and cinema history at the Open University of Greece and Cyprus. His publications include Adventures of Representation: Scenes of Theory II, Spectres of Theatre: Scenes of Theory III (both 2013), and Theatre Adherents and Philosophers (2016). In 2006, he received the award for the best book in the study of theatre for The Kingdom of Eugena (2005).

Philosophy of education in a new key: Education for justice now

Marianna Papastephanou University of Cyprus Since Plato’s allegory of the cave two educational-philosophical critical modes have stood out: the descriptive (reality as it is) and the normative (rea...

The oral academic discourse socialization of doctoral students at a Northern Cyprus University

This study explored oral academic discourse socialization experiences of doctoral students at an English-medium tertiary institution in Northern Cyprus. It was a qualitative study involving audio-recording of a graduate class oral academic discourse and conducting interviews with the graduate candidates. Analysis of the oral academic discourse data showed that through participation in academic discussions the students negotiated their knowledge, constructed identity and agency. Analysis of the interview data also suggested the graduate candidates’ identity and agency co-construction as well as the novelty of the graduate candidates’ challenging socialization experiences over their academic studies in the graduate context. Overall, the study seemed to indicate that the participants’ socialization experiences facilitated their academic learning and development of academic discourse competence. The results of the present study are discussed in relation to the pertinent research to date.

Amphiphilic Polymer Co-Networks.

Amphiphilic Polymer Co-networks: Synthesis, Properties, Modelling and Applications is a new and very interesting book published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and edited by Prof. Costas S. Patrickios (University of Cyprus). Herein, a brief review of the most important features of the book and its contents is provided from a personal perspective.

Assessing the Impact of Burnout Syndrome on Romantic Relationship Satisfaction: The Dark Side of Workplace Bullying

Abstract The present study addressed the issue of whether occupational Burnout Syndrome (BS) is associated with Romantic Relationship Dissatisfaction (RRS) among academics; it was also expected that Workplace Bullying (WPB) moderates the relationship between these variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted by delivering the questionnaire surveys to the recruited sample group of 320 university lecturers from three different universities in Northern Cyprus to test the research hypothesis. Moderated multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. As it was hypothesized, our results indicated a negative association between burnout syndrome and romantic relationship satisfaction; indicating higher levels of burnout might lead to lower romantic relationship satisfaction. However, the proportion of romantic relationship satisfaction total score varied slightly when workplace bullying moderated this relationship. Our findings contribute to different scientific aspects by its valuable implications for researchers, practitioners, academicians, managers, and various organization staffs’ self-awareness.

Organisational culture at higher educational institutions: The importance of internal marketing

To fulfil their mission to provide high-quality services, higher education institutions are required to conduct internal marketing. This paper draws on the case study of a University in Cyprus to explore how six interconnected dimensions of internal marketing inform the satisfaction and loyalty of administrative staff. The study adopts a quantitative methodology, using a survey questionnaire to collect data. The questionnaire was answered online by a sample of 47 administrative employees. Descriptive statistics, correlations and a multiple linear regression analysis were performed. The study presents findings and results of quantitative analysis and proposes an internal marketing model. Limitations and future research proposals are discussed.

The health literacy of university students in North Cyprus.

Health literacy is individuals' motivation and ability to obtain, understand, evaluate and use health information. Health literacy is very important during university education when students have the ability to acquire and accumulate knowledge of the best way. The aim of this study was to determine the health literacy of university students. The sample of this descriptive cross-sectional study was composed of 365 students who were first-time visitors at the health center of a private university in Northern Cyprus between May and July 2017. An introductory information form and the Adult Health Literacy Scale (AHLS) were used as data collection tools. The mean AHLS score of the students was found as 13.91 ± 2.90. Health literacy was found to be lower for male students and students with more years of study. The students with low daily alcohol use had higher AHLS scores. The results of the study suggest that curricula should be revised to raise the health literacy of university students to the highest level. It is important to organize conferences, seminars and scientific activities to improving the health literacy of male students and students with more years of study. Due to the limitations of studies of health literacy in North Cyprus, future studies should be conducted with larger samples and different measurement tools.

Editorial Note

We are pleased to offer you the third issue of JOLCEL, a journal devoted to the study of Latin literature from a European and diachronic perspective. Thus far, we have published two thematic issues. In the first issue, we put a spotlight on the often neglected role of Latin education in the production of literature that is regarded as culturally central. Conversely, in the second issue, we looked at contexts where Latin literature occurs as a marginal phenomenon. In these contexts, Latin literature owes its presence to the enduring centrality of Latin education. In this third issue, thematically entitled “Schools and Authority,” we delve deeper into the mediating role that school authorities---teachers, authors, and commentators---played in the reception of classical authorities.&#x0D; The school curriculum institutionalised during Antiquity bequeathed to the later history of Latin education a number of authorities who were read as models and as handbooks. Thus, not only were texts from Roman and Greek Antiquity a constant presence in the creation of literary texts, they were also an essential part of school curricula. To take this element into account is to gain an enhanced view on the literary reception of classical texts. The interaction between school and literature is not just a matter of transmission, but also of evaluation, negotiation, and transformation. The goals of Latin education were much broader than teaching how to read and write literature. As Rita Copeland states it in her response to the articles gathered in this issue, Latin education “was the foundation on which reception could be built,” but it “encompassed far more than classicism: theology, the production of new literature, new scientific and philosophical thought, and networks of civil bureaucracy and ecclesiastical administration.” It therefore offers a broader frame from which to study the reception of classical literature in European literary history.&#x0D; The three articles in this issue exemplify this approach. First, Chrysanthi Demetriou (Open University of Cyprus) looks at the presence of the school author Terence in the plays by the tenth-century playwright Hrotswitha. She opens up a new perspective on this relation by reading through the lens of Donatus’ hugely influential Commentaries on Terence. In particular, she discusses Hrotswitha’s treatment of rape scenes and links it to Donatus’ use of them as an ideal instance for moral instruction. Second, Brian M. Jensen (Stockholm University) discusses the first book ever printed in Sweden, the Dialogus creaturarum moralizatus. With particular reference to fables attributed to Aesop, he shows how the presentation of these fables depends on pedagogical considerations. In the third and last article of this issue, Lucy Jackson (Durham University) studies the Latin school play Medea, a translation of Euripides’ play by the sixteenth-century humanist George Buchanan. In Buchanan’s version, Medea becomes more of a rhetorician than a sorceress, thereby holding up a model of Latinity to the schoolboys performing the play. Finally, Rita Copeland (University of Pennsylvania) brings these three papers together in a critical response piece.

Backdoor Suppression in Neural Networks using Input Fuzzing and Majority Voting

While inference is needed at the edge, training is typically done at the cloud. Therefore, data necessary for training a model, as well as the trained model, have to be transmitted back and forth between the edge and the cloud training infrastructure. This creates significant security issues, including the inclusion of a backdoor sent to the user without the user’s knowledge. This article presents an approach where a trained model can still operate as expected, irrespective of the presence of such a backdoor.—Theocharis Theocharides, University of Cyprus —Muhammad Shafique, Technische Universitat Wien