Foreign language reading strategy use of intermediate level adult Turkish EFL learners

The purpose of this study was to investigate foreign language reading strategy use of a group of intermediate level adult Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were 87 Turkish first-year university students who were taking intermediate level English courses at a state university in Turkey. The main instrument of the study was a reading strategies survey which consisted of 30 items with three sub-scales: global or metacognitive reading strategies, problem-solving or cognitive reading strategies, and support reading strategies. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to support the quantitative data. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequencies, percentages) and one-way ANOVA with repeated measures. As for the analysis of the qualitative data, tape-recorded interviews were first transcribed and then analyzed by grouping each interviewee’s response according to the sub-scales of the survey. Results of the study indicated that intermediate-level adult Turkish EFL learners show the moderate overall use of reading strategies; problem-solving strategies are the most favored strategies, and they are followed by global reading strategies and supplementary reading strategies

Using SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) to Examine the Effects of the Body's Image on what Women Like and Choose in Clothing

For women the body is an important concept in clothing aesthetics. Body image is an important factor influencing what women like in clothing and what they choose to wear.In this study, which has been prepared with the aim of stressing the importance of the relationship between "Clothing Preference" and "Body Image", women's ability to minimize the difference between their ideal appearance and their actual appearance, as well as their ability to possess a good self-image and powerful self-confidence, have been studied.Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used in this study. The sample is 150 women aged 18-50 within the Konya Province in Turkey limits. The research concluded that while there was a relationship between the visual and verbal clothing choices for the women in the sample group, there was less of a match among their visual choices

Social Appearance Anxiety in Adult Patients with Acne: A Cross-Sectional Study

The severity of acne may not directly reflect the psychological state of a patient. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the social appearance anxiety with overall morbidity in patients with acne. One hundred adult patients with acne and 67 age and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The patients and controls were asked to complete the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Acne severity was evaluated objectively by the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) and subjectively by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).  The mean score on SAAS (37.69±13.53; mean ± Standard deviation) was significantly higher than in the control group (32.48±9.34) (p=0.05). No significant difference was observed between the GHQ-12 scores of the acne (2.19±2.64) and the control group (1.63±2.2) (p=0.152). There was no correlation between the GAGS and the VAS (p=0.417). The SAAS scores of the patients with acne were correlated with the GAGS scores (p=0.05) but not correlated with VAS (p=0.481). The GHQ-12 scores were not correlated with GAGS (p=0.96) or with VAS (p=507). No statistical correlation was established between sex and the GAGS scores (p=0.385), SAAS scores (p=0.611), and GHQ-12 scores (p=0.196). The duration of acne was not correlated with SAAS scores (p=0.814) or with GHQ-12 scores (p=0.24). Social appearance anxiety is significant in adult patients with acne and it is correlated with objective acne severity. However, acne does not seem to be associated with substantial psychological distress or formal psychiatric disorder in adults.   </p

Does nutritional risk screening 2002 correlate with the dyspnea status of patients with GOLD stage C-D chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

OBJECTIVES: Dyspnea is a prominent symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Stage C-D often complain of dyspnea, but the relationship between their level of dyspnea and their nutritional status has not yet been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dyspnea levels and nutritional status ofstable COPD patients in the out patient clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records including the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale and the nutritional status of 41 patients were investigated in the study. The meanage of patients was 71.7 +/- 9.2 years. The Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) tool, body mass index (BMI), and mid-upper arm circumference were used to evaluate their nutritional status. We used correlation analysis to display the relationship between NRS-2002 score and MRC, COPD stage, and biochemical and anthropometric parameters indicating the nutritional status of patients. RESULTS: Out of the 41 COPD patients 87.8% (36) enrolled in the study were men and 12.2% (5) were women.The GOLD stages of the patients were 29.3% of patients with stage C and 70.7% with stage D.The risk of malnutrition (NRS >= 3) was detected in 48.8% of the patients, whereas 51.2% of patients (NRS<3) were risk-free. The mid-upper arm circumference of at risk patients was lower (25.6 +/- 3.2 vs 29.9 +/- 2.7 cm, p=0.032). The NRS-2002 score had a positive correlation with mMRC records (r=0.351, p=0.024). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the NRS-2002 score and the mid-upper arm circumference (r=0.604, p<0.0001). Also, there was a negative correlation between BMI and mid-upper arm circumference (r=0.699, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The risk of malnutrition was common in stable COPD patients at the outpatient clinic, which seemed to adversely affect their dyspnea level. Therefore, while planning the treatment of COPD patients, evaluating their nutritional status and taking precautions accordingly contribute to the shortness of breath which is one of the most significant symptoms of the disease

Isolation of lytic bacteriophages infecting Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis

The objectives of this study were to isolate, purify and determine host range of lytic bacteriophages infecting foodborne the pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. River/stream water, sewage, raw foods, wastewater from food processing plants, slaughterhouse and fish farms and water from troughs were used for the screening of bacteriophages. The richest sources in terms of phages infecting S. Typhimurium and Enteritidis were found to be sewage, wastewaters of slaughterhouse, food processing and fisheries and streams. A total of 33 S. Typhimurium and 56 S. Enteritidis phages were isolated and purified from the samples. It was demostrated that host ranges of the isolated phages were quite wide. The numbers of bacteria types inhibited by S. Typhimurium or Enteritidis phages were changed among 1–15 and 1–19, respectively. It was found that 75.8% (25 out of 33) and 83.93% (47 out of 56) of isolated S. Typhimurium or Enteritidis phages formed clear plaques and were capable of lysing at least six or two Salmonella serovars. Beside Salmonella serovars, some S. Typhimurium (15 out of 33, 45.5%) and S. Enteritidis phages (5 out of 56, 8.93%) were also infective against E. coli strains. The host ranges of S. Typhimurium phages were wider than those of S. Enteritidis

Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Clinical and Personality Correlates

AbstractThe objective of the present study was to establish a clinical/personality profile of Turkish patients with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (TR-OCD). Methods. A neurocognitive/clinical test battery was administered to 17 patients with TR-OCD. Results. TR-OCD patients presented with major psychiatric syndromes (especially mood and generalized anxiety disorders) and personality disorders (particularly paranoid, avoidant, obsessive-compulsive, histrionic), and obtained higher scores on measures of core OCD symptoms (i.e., obsessional ideation, compulsive cleaning/washing, mental neutralizing), depressive symptoms, schizotypal personality features, and impulsiveness relative to normative controls. TR-OCD patients did not differ significantly from normative controls on checking, doubting, ordering, and hoarding subscales, and on measures of venturesomeness and empathy. Conclusions. Lack of insight, suspiciousness, and rigidity associated with schizotypal, paranoid, and obsessive-compulsive personality features may have contributed to treatment failure

Thermal dehydration kinetics of non-crystalline manganese borate

346-350In this study, non-crystalline manganese tetrahydric orthoborate (MnH4(BO3)2) has been synthesized by using MnSO4.H2O, NaOH and H3BO3 via hydrothermal method. The characterizations of the synthesized compounds have been conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal dehydration studies have been conducted using the thermogravimetric analysis (DTG/TG). From the XRD result, it is confirmed that amorphous manganese borate is synthesized and the corresponding characteristic borate vibration are observed in FTIR spectrum shows. A particle size distribution at the micron scale with partially agglomerated state is observed from SEM images. The thermogravimetric results show that dehydration process occurs between the temperatures of 40–270 °C in one-step reaction with average weight loss of 19.26%. Average activation energies have been determined by using the non-isothermal kinetics methods of Coats-Redfern, Horowitz-Metzger and Van-Krevelen and found as 37.83, 46.54 and 37.88 kJ mol−1, respectively

Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Neurocognitive and Clinical Correlates

AbstractThere are a number of studies examining clinical and comorbidity profiles among patients with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (TR-OCD); however, there have been far fewer investigations of neurocognitive function among such patients. Five patients with treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive symptoms underwent neurocognitive and clinical/personality testing. A number of TR-OCD patients met diagnostic criteria for major axis I disorders (particularly mood and anxiety disorders) as well as clusters A, B, and C personality disorders. TR-OCD patients demonstrated significant performance deficits on neurocognitive tests of visuospatial working memory, visuoconstructive ability, and executive control as well as one test of processing speed, but not a second, relative to healthy normative controls. TR-OCD patients and normative controls did not differ significantly on measures of verbal working memory, sequencing, figure copy organization, inhibitory control, and odor identification. In addition, TR-OCD patients were directly compared to five healthy controls evaluated in our laboratory for a separate unpublished study. TR-OCD patients demonstrated significant performance deficits on tests of visuospatial working memory, information processing speed, and executive control, and obtained substantially higher scores on dimensional measures of social anxiety and depressive symptom severity, but not schizotypal personality features. Group differences of tests of verbal working memory, inhibitory control, and additional tests of executive function were not significant. In summary, patients with TR-OCD presented with comorbid axis I conditions (primarily mood and anxiety disorders) and personality disorders. TR-OCD patients demonstrated deficits on some, but not all, tests of working memory and executive control. Neurocognitive test findings lend partial support to the hypothesis that right hemisphere (particularly dorsolateral-prefrontal, but not orbitofrontal) dysfunction is associated with TR-OCD, and a number of TR-OCD patients met diagnostic criteria for major axis I disorders (particularly mood and anxiety disorders) as well as cluster A, B, and C personality disorders further complicating treatment