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This paper seeks to examine whether the characteristics of the audit committee impact the timely reporting represented by audit report lag (ARL), firm-based abnormal audit report lag (FAARL), and industry-based audit reports lag (IAARL). The sample of the study includes mostly hand-collected 2,284 firm-year observations obtained from Turkey's listed non-financial companies. Main regression results show that audit committee gender diversity, meeting frequency, and independence are negatively associated with timely reporting. Furthermore, additional analysis indicates the negative association between timely reporting and the audit committee effectiveness indexes created by the coexistence of the audit committee. Also, an interaction effect between audit committee independence and gender diversity concerning the timeliness of financial reporting has been documented. The use of fixed effects estimators and two-step system GMM estimator also supported the main results. This paper aims to provide concrete contribution to the literature by examining timely reporting in an emerging market like Turkey. The results suggest that regulatory bodies and companies should review the audit committee structure to better timely reporting and reduce firm and industry-based abnormal delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the ways refugees in displacement manage to organize themselves and act upon their needs. The growing recognition in the UN system of the importance of localization of aid and the potential role played by local actors has given refugee-led organizations (RLO) a space to grow. In this paper, we analyze refugee agency and solidarity through the organization of the refugee communities in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon. In doing so, we examine: (1) the reasons behind the creation of these organizations and their dynamics; (2) the role of host states toward this drive to organize refugee communities; and (3) the patterns, forms, and structures that these organizations take in providing humanitarian services, as well as community support and empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether multilevel transnational cooperation makes a difference in refugee protection, especially in protracted displacement. In response to the forced migration of millions of Syrians to Turkey starting in 2011, the EU and Turkish government published a joint statement in March 2016. The so-called EU-Turkey deal (EUTD) provided a substantial flow of money (EUR 6 billion in four years) from the EU to Turkey. In return Turkey had to commit to contain and control migration movement toward the EU. In social science, there are quite diverse evaluations of the EUTD. Whereas some studies focus on its effectiveness and efficiency in reaching the outlined goals, other publications stress its geo-political effects on migrants' mobility and (externalized) border control. Meanwhile some studies look for points to improve the EUTD while others criticize it fundamentally. This article analyzes the involvement of different types of international governmental and non-governmental organizations (IGOs and INGOs) in the four main action fields of the EUTD and its implicit side effects on the Turkish regime of migration management. It first summarizes some crucial findings and pending questions in the social science literature. Based on analysis of available documents and our own interviews in Turkey, we then shed light on the organizations involved in the implementation of the EUTD and its effects on the Turkish regime of refugee protection. In 2022, Turkey hosted some 3.7 million Syrian refugees of a total of almost four million registered international forced migrants. The EUTD of 2016 was mainly a response by the EU to the large numbers of Syrian refugees arriving in its members' territories. When more than 1.2 million asylum seekers were registered in the then EU-28 in 2015 alone — more than twice the number in the preceding year — some EU member states (MS) negotiated with the Turkish government (Eurostat 2015, 2016). Based on a meeting of the European Council and its "Turkish counterpart" the so-called "EU-Turkey statement" was published on March 18 in 2015 (European Council 2016). From the very beginning, this EUTD was controversial — both in public discussions and in the social science literature. Was it primarily a payment from the EU to the Turkish government for externalizing its responsibilities of refugee protection? Or was it an appropriate measure for sharing the burden of an urgent humanitarian crisis? Was the money spent for refugee-oriented humanitarian aid and development expenses or was it instrumentalized by the Turkish government for its own ends? How did refugee related IGOs and INGOs participate in the management of the EUTD? In the following sections, we focus on some selected aspects of the role of national and international, governmental and non-governmental organizations active in the field of refugee protection, specifically the role and cooperation dynamics of these refugee related organizations (RRO) in implementing the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) as part of the EUTD. Based on expert interviews in Turkey and an analysis of spending under the EUTD, the paper analyzes (1) how the landscape of RROs developed in the context of the EUTD, (2) how the budget of the EUTD was spent, and (3) how the cooperation between these RROs developed. The paper adds new insights into the contradictory dynamics between organizing services for refugees and controlling and containing refugee movements to the EU, between assisting and instrumentalizing forced migrants in Turkey, and between humanitarian aid and development activities. Especially the last point is relevant for contexts of protracted displacement as instruments of immediate humanitarian assistance have to be combined with means of longer-term development. From a perspective of organizational sociology, it argues that the EUTD contributed to a multi-level transnational organizational field of refugee protection, where collective and corporate actors relate in conflict and cooperation between the poles of rational self-interests and mutually recognized norms, between control-oriented state authorities up to grass root action networks. Analysis of the EUTD enables us to draw out specific insights and practical lessons for a broader audience. Before presenting our own empirical findings we first will sketch out the broader landscape of social science research and analysis of the EUTD. 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pivetti et al. (2021a; 2021b) examined links between COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and acceptance of vaccinations in Italy and Finland in 2020. They found that moral purity negatively predicted confidence in science, whereas political orientation predicted COVID-related conspiracy beliefs. Confidence in science, general conspiracy beliefs, and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs were found to negatively predict support for governmental restrictions and attitudes towards vaccines, and positively predict perceptions of informational contamination. Finally, attitudes towards vaccines in general strongly predicted attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine. The current research seeks to replicate these findings conceptually on a predominately Muslim sample (N = 570, M age = 26.69, 69.8% females) in Turkey in 2021, when the COVID vaccines were widely available. Measures of religiosity and left, center, and right political orientations were added to the original instrument. Hypothesized serial mediational models were tested using structural equation modelling. Results revealed that left and center political orientations positively predicted COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and confidence in science. Religiosity was negatively related to confidence in science. Confidence in science and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs predicted general attitudes toward vaccines. Conspiracy beliefs predicted COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, which in turn negatively predicted support for government restrictions and positively predicted distrust in mainstream media. Attitudes towards vaccines were strongly and positively related to attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines. [This paper was added to the Special Issue on "Conspiracy Theories about Infectious Diseases" in a post-hoc manner. Online publishing allows the addition of new papers to a published special issue, thereby permitting a special issue to grow.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to understand the nature of classrooms, "power containers" in Gidden's words (Giddens, 1986 , p.136), in terms of inequality and power share. Inequalities in education have been a by-passed subject in Turkey for a long time, and classroom practices remained "black boxes" (Mehan, 1979 , p.4). Thus, after a brief summary of power issue in education, educational inequality discussions and their reflections in the Turkish context are discussed in the study. Then, the position teachers hold is discussed with references to history and society. Then, the 6-month observations and interviews conducted on the first grade are discussed both chronically and thematically. Beginning on the first day of school, the teacher held a higher position than the students and parents and distributed power share among students. Students were discriminated against according to their parents and cultural capital (language, strategies, communication style, and school materials). In accordance with the neoliberal policies, middle-class students and their parents were fronted in the classroom and they had more power than the others. However, lower-class students had little power and they were mostly criticized in the classroom. The strategies and advantages middle-class students had over lower-class ones are discussed in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The civil-military relations literature on Turkey focuses predominantly on the guardianship role of the Turkish military, its interventions, and the role of the National Security Council as the main institutional mechanism of military tutelage. Yet, the existing studies lack a much-needed focus on the law enforcement or policing missions of the Turkish military. To fill this gap, this study discusses the EMASYA Protocol (Emniyet Asayiş Yardımlaşma or Security and Public Order Assistance), a secret protocol signed in 1997. Emerging in the context of political instability and military tutelage of the 1990s, the Protocol enabled the military to conduct internal security operations without permission from the civilian authorities. This paper argues that the EMASYA Protocol provided a sphere of "reformulated new professionalism" for the Turkish military, enabled it to specialize in the war against rising internal threats such as reactionary Islam and Kurdish separatism, and created anomalies in civil-military relations in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Alanya region on Turkey's southern coast has become an important destination for German retirement migration. Objective: Identify research studies on German retirement migration to Turkey which deal with the life situation, the motives, the handling of critical life situations in the context of retirement migration, and the reasons for return migration. Methods: The researcher conducted a qualitative systematic literature review from January 2021 to May 2021 in MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, and APA PsychInfo. Results: Eleven studies on German and European retirement migration to Turkey were included after a critical assessment based on defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Motives for retirement migration are climatic, scenic, cultural advantages and the lower cost of living in Turkey. Conclusion: It has been found that most of the studies are thematically narrowly defined, detailed studies deal with and describe the development of retirement migration in a more general way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the relationship between civil–military relations and professional military education (PME) in Türkiye before the 2016 coup attempt. Its main argument is that an effective PME system could not be realized due to the problematic nature of civil–military relations. The dominant role of the military in politics turned PME into a domain reserved solely for soldiers; however, this autonomy did not help the officer corps to create an effective PME system. Based on historical analyses, this article concludes that civil–military cooperation is necessary for developing a successful PME system, and it endorses Mukherjee's integrated model. Moreover, it shows that civil–military cooperation for the development of PME is a requirement regardless of the nature of civil–military relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Turkey, there has been a lingering question as elsewhere in the world: "When will or should the government impose severe restrictions to protect public health?" From a public health perspective, there is value in developing a model to support proactive implementation of social policies. This study aimed to show the benefits of using a novel econometric test (the Generalized Supremum Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test) to detect explosive behavior (bubbles) in Turkey's daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. Results from the analysis demonstrated a link between identified explosive episodes and critical public health decisions, especially in the case of daily new deaths. They also showed a negative relationship between the formation of exuberant behavior during the pandemic and the vaccination rate. Public health policymakers can incorporate this method into their arsenal to evaluate the overall health situation in combating the pandemic and respond accordingly. Furthermore, among the lessons learned from the Turkish experience is the importance of having a coronavirus scientific advisory board in the decision-making process and the ability to promptly implement policy measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the performance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) portfolios based on ESG scores of stocks traded in Borsa Istanbul (BIST). It also evaluates the performance of a trading strategy that represents buying portfolios that include companies with high CSR performance and selling portfolios comprising companies with low CSR performance. Therefore, two portfolios with high and low CSR performance were formed from stocks traded in Borsa Istanbul. These portfolios' performances were compared from July 2010 to June 2020. The findings show that the alpha coefficient of the portfolio containing stocks of companies with high CSR performance is generally positive and significant. Thus, companies' past CSR performances provide valuable information for investors. Additionally, based on this, investors can achieve a superior performance against the market. However, the alpha of the difference portfolio, which shows the difference between the two portfolios' performance, is, in most cases, insignificant. This suggests that there is no proof that the portfolio comprising companies with high CSR performance is superior to the portfolio including companies with low CSR performance. These findings are supported by additional testing. Consequently, our result provides supporting evidence for the "no effect" hypothesis. Plain Language Summary: Corporate Social Responsibility Performance and Portolio Performance With the emergence of green investors in recent years, it has become clear that it is not enough to base investment decisions solely on financial criteria. These investors consider the environmental and social impact of companies in their investment decisions, rather than financial criteria. This investment style differs from the traditional risk-return approach. In this context, non-financial information such as corporate social responsibility is becoming increasingly important for both companies and investors. This study examines whether corporate social responsibility performance has an impact on portfolio performance in Turkey. The information obtained in the current study shows that companies' past corporate social responsibility performances may be important information for investors. In other words, investors can demonstrate a superior performance against the market by using this corporate social responsibility performance data. Another important result obtained in this study is that there is no difference between the performances of companies with high and low corporate social responsibility performance. Therefore, a buy and sell strategy based on corporate social responsibility information does not provide any extra profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article problematizes the political economic drivers of policy (non-)design, instrument choice, and how prolonged non-design could trigger policy accumulation with serious implications for policy capacity. Focusing on the currency crisis-induced economic crisis in Turkey and relying on elite interviews and secondary resources, it argues that the design space, which is defined by the interactions between the credit-led growth model and the growth regime that prioritizes loose monetary and bank regulatory policies for higher economic growth rates, led to haphazard crisis response. Prolonged non-design in response to the crisis triggered policy accumulation and decay in systemic and organizational policy capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aim to understand the clients' experiences with counselor candidates in Turkiye by examining the meanings that clients attribute to their counseling experiences. Using a qualitative survey, we asked 13 participating clients (2 males, 11 females) questions about meaning attributed to counseling before, during, and after the counseling and their thoughts about the counselor as a candidate and the effects of supervision. A thorough thematic analysis identified four key themes: "the counselor being a counselor candidate," "before counseling," "counseling process," and "counseling outcomes." The study showed that the clients were unaffected by the fact that their counselor was being supervised. In addition, we also observed that receiving service from a counselor candidate was seen as an advantage rather than a disadvantage, the counselor candidate was perceived as a competent expert, and the outcome of the counseling process was found satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different data conditions on item parameter recovery and classification accuracy of three dichotomous mixture item response theory (IRT) models: the Mix1PL, Mix2PL, and Mix3PL. Manipulated factors in the simulation included the sample size (11 different sample sizes from 100 to 5000), test length (10, 30, and 50), number of classes (2 and 3), the degree of latent class separation (normal/no separation, small, medium, and large), and class sizes (equal vs. nonequal). Effects were assessed using root mean square error (RMSE) and classification accuracy percentage computed between true parameters and estimated parameters. The results of this simulation study showed that more precise estimates of item parameters were obtained with larger sample sizes and longer test lengths. Recovery of item parameters decreased as the number of classes increased with the decrease in sample size. Recovery of classification accuracy for the conditions with two-class solutions was also better than that of three-class solutions. Results of both item parameter estimates and classification accuracy differed by model type. More complex models and models with larger class separations produced less accurate results. The effect of the mixture proportions also differentially affected RMSE and classification accuracy results. Groups of equal size produced more precise item parameter estimates, but the reverse was the case for classification accuracy results. Results suggested that dichotomous mixture IRT models required more than 2,000 examinees to be able to obtain stable results as even shorter tests required such large sample sizes for more precise estimates. This number increased as the number of latent classes, the degree of separation, and model complexity increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sideritis caesarea H. Duman, Aytaç & Başer of the family Lamiaceae is an endemic plant with different ethnobotanical uses in Anatolia. In this present study, the antioxidant and biological activity potential of different S caesarea extracts and purified compounds were evaluated in vitro using DPPH•, CUPRAC, and ABTS• methods. In addition, their urease and chymotrypsin enzyme inhibitory activities, antimicrobial potential, and total phenol and flavonoid contents were determined. The experimental results showed that the two isolated flavonoids {4′ -O-methylhypolaetin-7-O-[6′′′-O-acetyl-β-D-allopyranosyl-(1→2)]-6′′-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, and isoscutellarein-7-O-[6′′′-O-acetyl-β-D-allopyranosyl-(1→2)]-6′′-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranoside}, as well as their fractions, except the n-hexane and water residue, showed remarkable antioxidant activity. Interestingly, the ethyl acetate and water residue fractions inhibited the urease enzyme activity by 49.6% and 49.1%, respectively; while the n-hexane and dichloromethane fractions attracted attention with their relative high chymotrypsin inhibitory activity of 85.8%, and 82.4%, respectively. When evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial potential, including Helicobacter pylori, only Bacillus subtilis was susceptible to the n-butanol fraction at 1 mg/mL, while all of the studied samples showed activity against the human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans with the range of 0.25 to 1 mg/mL minimum inhibitory concentrations. The initial antioxidant activity, enzyme inhibitions, and antimicrobial results of S caesarea extracts and compounds suggest the further potential for in vivo evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aim to understand the clients' experiences with counselor candidates in Turkiye by examining the meanings that clients attribute to their counseling experiences. Using a qualitative survey, we asked 13 participating clients (2 males, 11 females) questions about meaning attributed to counseling before, during, and after the counseling and their thoughts about the counselor as a candidate and the effects of supervision. A thorough thematic analysis identified four key themes: ''the counselor being a counselor candidate,'' ''before counseling,'' ''counseling process,'' and ''counseling outcomes.'' The study showed that the clients were unaffected by the fact that their counselor was being supervised. In addition, we also observed that receiving service from a counselor candidate was seen as an advantage rather than a disadvantage, the counselor candidate was perceived as a competent expert, and the outcome of the counseling process was found satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to study how Turkey and Pakistan (the world's largest refugee hosting countries) have reacted to and managed protracted refugee challenges. In the context of Pakistan, the study explores the Afghan refugee influx since the late 1970, while for Turkey the focus is on the Syrian refugee inflow since 2011. While cognizant of contextual differences (time and space) between these two countries, we aim to comparatively explore policies, best practices, and short and long-term solutions developed to protracted displacement issues in each country. To do this we intend to comparatively explore the role of institutional environments and the international refugee regime in resolving protracted refugee issues in a chronological sequence. First, we investigate how each state's "open-door policies" toward the first influx of refugees evolved into ad-hoc solutions in the course of protracted displacement. Second, we comparatively assess multilevel integration approaches and solution strategies at the macro (states and their cooperation with countries of origin and inter-governmental organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM)), meso (interventions/implementations), and micro levels (civil society and refugee-led initiatives). Third, we examine how refugee policies in each country are negotiated with national and international humanitarian and refugee agencies, including regional organizations and countries of origin. Theoretically, this article is grounded on a macro structural approach (state's international humanitarian obligations and responsibilities), refugee diplomacy (state's use of diplomatic tools, process administering refugees), and management theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Methamphetamine (METH) use has been associated with impairments in a variety of cognitive functions. In this study, it was aimed to assess the relation between cognitive measures and frequency of METH use. METHODS: Ninety-eight participants with methamphetamine use disorder were assessed with Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Victo-ria-Stroop Word Color Test (SWCT), Trail Making Test (TMT) A and B. Participants were followed up during 6-month period with multiple urine toxicology tests (at baseline, month 1, month 2, month 3 and month 6). RESULTS: Participants who had their prescriptions regularly were more likely to have higher rates of METH-negative urine results (P= .003). Participants who had more correct numbers, completed more categories and had more conceptual level responses on WCST were more likely to use lower frequency of METH (OR = 0.006, P< .01; OR = 0.171, P< .001; OR = 0.024, P< .001; respectively). The higher error numbers and perseverative error rates on WCST were associated with more frequent METH use (OR = 0.023, P< .001; OR = 0.076, P< .001). Interference factor on SWCT was related with lower frequency of METH use whereas color naming factor on SWCT was related with higher rates of urine results (OR = 0.012, P< .001; OR = 3.628, P< .001; respectively). Higher TMT B-A score was related with more frequent METH use, although the significance disappeared after adjustment (OR = 0.002, P< .001). Having psychotic symptoms predicted less frequent use, but after adjustment for other significant variables, there was no significance. CONCLUSION: Lower frequency of METH use in the follow-up could be predicted by neurocognitive assessments. Deficits in executive functions, attention, set-shifting and mental flexibility seems to be the most effected domains and this effect may be independent from the severity of psychotic symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The personality trait of openness has been shown to contribute to a person's ability to function effectively. Additionally, scholars have suggested that openness to experience and foreign language experience were related to music preference. Extending from earlier scholarship, this study examined the relationship between openness to experience and the various types of musical and language experiences reported by undergraduate music majors in Turkey and the United States. Participants (N = 380) were surveyed using the Openness to Experience domain of the NEO-PI-R and an author-designed survey with questions about participants' musical backgrounds and interests, foreign language abilities, age, and sex. Results showed that U.S. students rated significantly higher in four of the five dimensions of the Openness domain than their Turkish counterparts (Wilks'λ =.57; F (5, 374) = 55.37, p <.001). Factor analysis results showed that (a) experiences in foreign languages, (b) listening to Turkish traditional, pop, and folk music, and (c) listening to American (pop and folk) and Western classical music cumulatively explained 68.49% of the variance in openness. Correlation analyses suggested that listening to Western classical, American folk, and American pop music was associated with higher openness scores, and listening to Turkish traditional, folk, and pop music was associated with lower openness scores. Additionally, the number of foreign languages participants studied correlated with four of the dimensions. Results suggest that both groups could benefit from increased, broader, and deeper exposure to different musical genres from diverse cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the mass curfews, travel bans, school shutdowns, face-to-face education was discontinued, and many universities had to urgently switch to online education. Academics, most of whom are not familiar with digital pedagogy, had to adapt their lectures to online learning. The aim of this study is to analyze how Open Educational Resources (OERs) are used in practice during emergency remote teaching (ERT) and whether this influences the regular practice of academics on a global level and in Turkey in the longer term. Methodologically, we adopt a mixed-methods approach in two stages: (i) an empirical study conducted in Turkey to find out what prior knowledge and experience academics have with OERs and how they use OERs during ERT; (ii) a complimentary desk study on the global situation of OER use. Our results show that academics who did not know about OERs before the pandemic are still hesitant to use them, even though they have prior experience with online teaching. In addition, academics with higher rank and academics in architecture, philology, and arts have the most negative opinion about campus education being fully accessible online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sounds that are high enough, which negatively affect our understanding, are called noise. Although students are one of the main sources of noise at schools, noise adversely affects students' success. Schools' acoustics and the time when the noise measurement is made are usually considered to be other reasons for noise. In this study, noise measurements are collected in several of a metropolitan city's primary and secondary schools, and factors that affect noise significantly are investigated using 23 full factorial experimental designs. In addition, school teachers' perception of noise is analyzed by the Apriori algorithm. Results indicate that noise values exceed the limit values set by the WHO and noise regulations currently in effect in Turkey. Also, the schools with no acoustic insulation were noisier than those with minimum insulation. From the Apriori analysis, it is concluded that female teachers are more sensitive than male teachers about noise annoyance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the development and validation of the Dementia Knowledge Scale (DKS) among family caregivers with a Turkish or Moroccan immigrant background. Methods: The 11 items of the DKS, selected by professionals and people with a Turkish or Moroccan background, were translated and adapted in Turkish and Dutch. The feasibility, comprehensibility and appropriateness of the 2 language versions were examined. Subsequently, both languages were assessed among caregivers from these groups. The internal consistency of both language versions was determined by calculating Cronbach's α. The known group validity was determined by comparing mean scores between subgroups. Results: Both language versions of the DKS were considered feasible, comprehensible, and appropriate. A total of 117 caregivers with a Turkish background completed the Turkish version of the DKS and 110 with a Moroccan background the Dutch version. The Turkish version showed adequate internal consistency but the Dutch version did not. No differences were found in mean scores between those with a low level of education versus those with a higher level; those who frequently provided care versus those who did so less frequently; and those who lived together with a person with dementia versus those who did not. Conclusions: The DKS is feasible, comprehensible and reliable and can be used among groups with an immigrant background. Practice Implications: The DKS provides insight into various aspects of dementia knowledge, including knowledge about risk factors and symptoms, among caregivers with a Turkish or Moroccan background, and thereby supports the development of tailored education for these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm in a simulated screening setting and its effectiveness in detecting missed and interval cancers. Methods: Digital mammograms were collected from Bahcesehir Mammographic Screening Program which is the first organized, population-based, 10-year (2009-2019) screening program in Turkey. In total, 211 mammograms were extracted from the archive of the screening program in this retrospective study. One hundred ten of them were diagnosed as breast cancer (74 screen-detected, 27 interval, 9 missed), 101 of them were negative mammograms with a follow-up for at least 24 months. Cancer detection rates of radiologists in the screening program were compared with an AI system. Three different mammography assessment methods were used: (1) 2 radiologists' assessment at screening center, (2) AI assessment based on the established risk score threshold, (3) a hypothetical radiologist and AI teamup in which AI was considered to be the third reader. Results: Area under curve was 0.853 (95% CI=0.801-0.905) and the cut-off value for risk score was 34.5% with a sensitivity of 72.8% and a specificity of 88.3% for AI cancer detection in ROC analysis. Cancer detection rates were 67.3% for radiologists, 72.7% for AI, and 83.6% for radiologist and AI team-up. AI detected 72.7% of all cancers on its own, of which 77.5% were screen-detected, 15% were interval cancers, and 7.5% were missed cancers. Conclusion: AI may potentially enhance the capacity of breast cancer screening programs by increasing cancer detection rates and decreasing false-negative evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm in a simulated screening setting and its effectiveness in detecting missed and interval cancers. Methods: Digital mammograms were collected from Bahcesehir Mammographic Screening Program which is the first organized, population-based, 10-year (2009-2019) screening program in Turkey. In total, 211 mammograms were extracted from the archive of the screening program in this retrospective study. One hundred ten of them were diagnosed as breast cancer (74 screen-detected, 27 interval, 9 missed), 101 of them were negative mammograms with a follow-up for at least 24 months. Cancer detection rates of radiologists in the screening program were compared with an AI system. Three different mammography assessment methods were used: (1) 2 radiologists' assessment at screening center, (2) AI assessment based on the established risk score threshold, (3) a hypothetical radiologist and AI team-up in which AI was considered to be the third reader. Results: Area under curve was 0.853 (95% CI = 0.801-0.905) and the cut-off value for risk score was 34.5% with a sensitivity of 72.8% and a specificity of 88.3% for AI cancer detection in ROC analysis. Cancer detection rates were 67.3% for radiologists, 72.7% for AI, and 83.6% for radiologist and AI team-up. AI detected 72.7% of all cancers on its own, of which 77.5% were screen-detected, 15% were interval cancers, and 7.5% were missed cancers. Conclusion: AI may potentially enhance the capacity of breast cancer screening programs by increasing cancer detection rates and decreasing false-negative evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the development and validation of the Dementia Knowledge Scale (DKS) among family caregivers with a Turkish or Moroccan immigrant background. Methods: The 11 items of the DKS, selected by professionals and people with a Turkish or Moroccan background, were translated and adapted in Turkish and Dutch. The feasibility, comprehensibility and appropriateness of the 2 language versions were examined. Subsequently, both languages were assessed among caregivers from these groups. The internal consistency of both language versions was determined by calculating Cronbach's a. The known group validity was determined by comparing mean scores between subgroups. Results: Both language versions of the DKS were considered feasible, comprehensible, and appropriate. A total of 117 caregivers with a Turkish background completed the Turkish version of the DKS and 110 with a Moroccan background the Dutch version. The Turkish version showed adequate internal consistency but the Dutch version did not. No differences were found in mean scores between those with a low level of education versus those with a higher level; those who frequently provided care versus those who did so less frequently; and those who lived together with a person with dementia versus those who did not. Conclusions: The DKS is feasible, comprehensible and reliable and can be used among groups with an immigrant background. Practice Implications: The DKS provides insight into various aspects of dementia knowledge, including knowledge about risk factors and symptoms, among caregivers with a Turkish or Moroccan background, and thereby supports the development of tailored education for these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a for‐profit cooperative that sets a quality‐based payment to its risk‐averse farmers in order to incentivize them to invest in quality improvements. The quality of the farmer's harvest is affected by his investments during the growing season. To satisfy both the farmer and the cooperative, the payment must be competitive with the open‐market prices. Cooperatives often set payments that mimic the open‐market prices; however, this practice fails to incentivize farmers to invest in quality. Our work is motivated by the evidence of farmer underinvestment in crop quality in the olive oil industry. We define and analyze a model of this system where farmers operate under random yield, quality, and open‐market price. We find that farmers consistently underinvest in crop quality under the payment policy that mimics the open‐market prices because (1) the cooperative can command a higher retail price than a farmer and (2) farmers are risk averse. We propose two alternative payment policies that are new to the agricultural literature, both of which can coordinate farmer decisions with the system but differ in terms of ease of implementation and susceptibility to risk aversion. We identify an easy‐to‐implement policy that can lead to meaningful gains when introduced in conjunction with crop insurance. We calibrate our model using data from the olive oil industry in Turkey and find a profit improvement of 10–15% over the current open‐market payment approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]