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This study investigates the phonological awareness of a Turkish monolingual and a Turkish-English bilingual child in Turkish. As a case study, the main focus of this study is to explore whether a bilingual advantage exists in phonological processing. Theories of bilingualism and empirical data led to the prediction that the bilingual participant would perform better than the monolingual participant in tasks involving the segmentation of phonemes. With regard to current literature, four phonemic awareness tasks, namely, final phoneme deletion, initial phoneme deletion, phoneme detection, and phoneme substitution tasks were used to find out the levels of phonological awareness of the participants. The tasks were administered individually to each child and correct answers were calculated by percentages. The analysis of the data showed that bilingual child performed better in final phoneme deletion, initial phoneme deletion, phoneme detection tasks, while both children scored the same in the phoneme substitution task. To conclude, this study provided evidence for the positive effect of bilingualism for phonological language processing.

Writing native-like has always been a primary purpose for non-native writers of English and, accordingly, many language components have been investigated to develop writers' fluency. One of these language components is syntactic complexity (SC), which is often regarded as a reliable way to grade any texts from easy to difficult. This study aims to compare native and non-native writers' fluency by measuring their SC and to create a reference SC point for non-native writers of English. To achieve this, the study comprised two groups: Group 1 was composed of native speakers from Inner-circle countries, namely USA, England, Canada, and Australia, and Group 2 was composed of non-native speakers from Expanding countries, namely Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. The data were composed of 200 MA dissertations in ELT equally collected from countries in Group 1 and Group 2. SC realisations were divided into 14 subcategories. The 14 sub-categories constituted a taxonomy for SC and they were analysed through ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Independent sample t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests. The results showed that there is a statistically significant difference in 9 categories in favour of Group 1 and that the average SC scores of Group1 are significantly high compared to Group 2. The study suggests that writers of MA dissertations pay particular attention to SC, if native-like fluency is sought because it was concluded that native writers of MA dissertations are prone to write with higher SC level when compared to non-native writers of MA dissertations.

Pakistan, like many other countries of the world, has continually been criticized for its unproductive professional development (PD) policies and practices for teachers due to low student achievement in science disciplines. A good portion of science teachers (62%) in Pakistan was found to be uncomfortable in teaching the scientific concepts (National Education Assessment System [NEAS], 2014) and PD programs are failing to address this issue. There is a need to reconstruct the operationalized knowledge of PD for Pakistan to expand the ways of knowledge creation, examination, authentication, and distribution. This also implies the need to review the current western literature on PD designs and practices to explore the ways of addressing the issues of Pakistani PD programs. With this purpose in mind, the current study set out to search the comparative understanding of science teachers' PD learning and experiences in Pakistan. The study was carried out to review the literature on science teachers' PD learning and experiences in the Western context (The US and European countries) while comparing it with the situation of Pakistani science teachers' PD practices. This seeks to address the critical questions of how to increase the effectiveness in Pakistani PD practices.

Problem Statement: Student achievement is considered an indicator of the quality of education, and achievement tests are applied to assess student achievement. International tests are adapted into different languages and cultures with the aim of assessing student achievement on an international level and comparing the achievements of different countries. In our country, a number of tests at the national and international levels are conducted to assess student achievement. One of the tests conducted in our country is called Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Countries structure their curricula and education policies based on the results of these studies. However, in order for these comparisons to be meaningful, the constructs measured by the tests should be equivalent. When the relevant literature was examined, it was observed that the number of studies on cross- cultural invariance in Turkey was low and that these studies did not involve TIMSS 2011. Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of TIMSS 2011 mathematics test in terms of different cultures. Method: Aiming at examining the intercultural measurement invariance of the TIMSS 2011 mathematics test, this is a survey model that tries to describe an existing situation as it is. The study sample was composed of 1,987 fourth graders from Turkey, England, Japan and the USA. This study was conducted on the data obtained from the TIMSS 2011 mathematics test. Model invariance was examined through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. LISREL 8.80 for Windows software was used for performance of data analysis. Findings and Results: The study of measurement invariance was conducted in four steps. It was found that the proposed model was confirmed for all countries, and configural invariance was ensured in the first step, while metric invariance was not ensured in the second step. Therefore, we did not start the scalar invariance or strict invariance analyses. After this step, metric invariance was tested through binary and trilateral combinations in order to determine in which country the invariance was collapsed. It was found that the reason why the metric invariance wasn't ensured was that it was not sourced from only one country. Conclusions and Recommendations: According to the findings, the invariance across four countries was ensured only in the configural invariance step. Therefore, the items causing the model not to have measurement invariance can be determined, as well as whether the items demonstrated DIF across groups. The items determined to demonstrate DIF can be examined in terms of bias of sources, depending on the expert opinions.

Several reservoirs across the United States are filling with sediment, which jeopardizes their functionality and increases maintenance costs. USACE developed the Reservoir Sedimentation Information (RSI) system to assess reservoir aggradation and track dam operation suitability for water resource management and dam safety. The RSI data set contains historical elevation-capacity data for approximately 400 dams (excluding navigation structures), which correspond to less than 1% of dams across the United States. Thus, there is a critical need to develop methods for estimating reservoir sedimentation for unmonitored sites. The goal of this project was to create a generalized method for estimating reservoir sedimentation rates using reservoir design information and watershed data. To meet this objective, geospatial tools were used to build a refined composite data set to complement the RSI system's data with precipitation and watershed characteristics. Nine deep learning models were then used on the benchmark data set to determine its accuracy at predicting capacity loss for the RSI reservoirs: four supervised machine learning models, four deep neural network (DNN) models, and a multilinear power regression model. A DNN model, containing a progressively increasing node and layer construction, was deemed the most accurate, with R2 values from its calibration and validation data sets being 0.83 and 0.70, respectively. The best model was recalibrated over the entire data set, which showed greater accuracy on the prediction of the RSI reservoir's capacity loss, with an R2 of 0.81. This predictive model could be used to evaluate the capacity loss of unmonitored reservoirs, forecast sedimentation rates under future climate conditions, and identify reservoirs with the highest risk of losing functionality. Practical Applications: Many communities depend on reservoirs for a variety of socioeconomic benefits, such as providing reliable water sources and flood mitigation. Rivers entering reservoirs are a constant source of silt, sand, and gravel particles (i.e., sediments) that deposit slowly, filling the reservoirs over time, thus reducing their volume capacity and effectiveness. Surveys to measure reservoir capacities are labor intensive and expensive and many sites go unmonitored. This study provides prediction tools to estimate capacity loss over time using data derived from publicly available data sources (e.g., digital elevation models, monthly precipitation data, and the National Inventory of Dams). A key role of this tool is to forecast reservoir capacity loss over time under varying climate change conditions and relate the associated sedimentation processes to local and regional conditions. The tool can also be applied broadly to hindcast capacity loss for reservoirs with or without prior surveys for identifying high-risk sites that should be investigated further. USACE plans to use these prediction tools with the RSI database to conduct a national assessment of reservoir impacts, which will inform distributions of federal resources to address water security concerns related to reservoir sedimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the issues surrounding low-income immigrants in the U.S. and the ways they shape the educational experiences of their young children. Using a multidisciplinary lens including sociology, family studies, education, and mental health, the authors analyse multiple perspectives towards the educational experiences of children in low-income immigrant families. After providing a sample case study focusing on the educational experiences of Burmese refugee parents with early elementary education (Grades K through 3) in the Midwestern United States, the authors frame desirable responses from policy and practice that would best support the educational experiences of young children in low-income immigrant families including (a) understanding cultural strengths, (b) creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment, (c) supporting bilingual and bicultural competencies, (d) providing immigrant families with leadership opportunities, (e) teacher professional development on mental health and poverty, and (f) building integrated supports for the family.

Although the threat of terrorism remains a high priority among Americans, no study has explored the regional differences in perceptions of terrorism in the United States. In order to address the current gap in the literature, the present research specifically examines the fear and risk perceptions of college students regarding the threat of terrorism. The research sample consisted of 1,384 undergraduate students from three major regional universities in the United States. Bivariate and multivariate analyses of the collected data yielded significant regional differences, and uncovered several associations and predictors, such as political identity, that previous studies have not revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speakers choose a particular expression based on many factors, including availability of the referent in the perceptual context. We examined whether, when expressing referents, monolingual English- and Turkish-speaking children: (1) are sensitive to perceptual context, (2) express this sensitivity in language-specific ways, and (3) use co-speech gestures to specify referents that are underspecified. We also explored the mechanisms underlying children's sensitivity to perceptual context. Children described short vignettes to an experimenter under two conditions: The characters in the vignettes were present in the perceptual context ("perceptual context"); the characters were absent ("no perceptual context"). Children routinely used nouns in the "no perceptual context" condition, but shifted to pronouns (English-speaking children) or omitted arguments (Turkish-speaking children) in the "perceptual context" condition. Turkish-speaking children used underspecified referents more frequently than English-speaking children in the "perceptual context" condition; however, they compensated for the difference by using gesture to specify the forms. Gesture thus gives children learning structurally different languages a way to achieve comparable levels of specification while at the same time adhering to the referential expressions dictated by their language. (Contains 3 figures and 14 footnotes.)

The number of Turkish citizens entering the U.S. for their studies is growing more rapidly than almost any other group. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how acculturation factors affect psychological adaptation of Turkish students in the U.S. One hundred and twenty-four Turkish students participated in the study. Regression analyses revealed that social support and self-esteem were predictors of psychological adjustment. Implications suggest that Turkish students, as with other international students as previous research has suggested, should have a strong network of both co-national students and other social connections.

This study analyzes the perceptions of Turkish and American middle school students of school and schooling by examining the metaphors they produce. A total of 18 American and 24 Turkish students were interviewed as part of this study. The results show differences in the participants' perceptions of schooling by culture. Turkish participants perceived the school environment as family-like, care-giving, psychologically nurturing, educationally exemplary, and physically appealing. School was also seen as a fundamental prerequisite in the preparation for life and the possibility of employment, promising upward social mobility as an adult. Overall, while some American participants perceived school as a wild, crowded, chaotic, boring, painful, regulated environment in which students must learn to survive, others see it as a place of joy, caring, involvement, and learning. The study also indicates that metaphors are useful tools in understanding how students as real actors of school make sense of schooling and their experiences in school. (Contains 1 table.)

Copyright of International Journal of Economics, Business & Politics (UEIP) is the property of International Journal of Economics, Business & Politics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim: In the current study, we purposed to examine the role of insufficient weight gain after GDM diagnosis in small for gestational age (SGA) and other adverse perinatal outcomes. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study conducted in a referral center over a 5-year period from 2017 through 2022 and 260 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria were classified as insufficient weight gain (n:68) or appropriate weight gain as a control group (n:192) based on the United States Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for body mass index as calculated by gestational weight gain per week after a diagnosis of GDM. Results: Maternal demographic characteristics and delivery outcomes were similar between groups. BMI at the first visit, BMI at GDM screening, and BMI at delivery were significantly higher in the appropriate gain group compared to the insufficient gain group. After adjusting for the variables, we observed that insufficient weight gain after a GDM diagnosis was not associated with SGA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.964; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.306-12.590). In addition, we found that other variables such as the prematurity (aOR, 1.205; 95% CI, 0.335-4.320) and NICU admission rates (aOR, 2.361; 95% CI, 0.456-12.231) were not associated with insufficient weight gain after a GDM diagnosis. Conclusion: Our results indicate that insufficient weight gain after a GDM diagnosis is not a risk factor for SGA, prematurity, and NICU admission rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS) is a computer-based assessment created to help courts, schools, and youth service providers determine an adolescent's risks and needs that may lead to truancy, drop out, or delinquency from school. Users are advised to consider the WARNS total score to work with youth. A total score estimate based on fewer items than the full item set may result in less respondent burden, administration time, and fatigue, while not hindering accurate decisions. This simulation study examined the applicability and efficiency of a computerized adaptive test (CAT) to estimate a WARNS total score under a unidimensional item response theory model. The results demonstrate that the CAT provides an accurate estimate of students' risks and needs and reduces the number of items administered for each examinee compared with the existing version. Future directions and limitations of CAT development with the WARNS are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1997, Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012, and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/ACR 2019 SLE classification criteria are formed based on data mainly from adult patients. We aimed to test the performances of the SLE classification criteria among pediatric patients with SLE.Methods: Pediatric patients with SLE (n = 262; 80.9% female) were included from 3 different centers in Turkey. As controls, 174 children (60.9% female) with other diseases who had ANA (antinuclear antibody) test results were included. The gold standard for SLE diagnosis was expert opinion.Results: The sensitivities of the ACR 1997, SLICC 2012, and EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria were 68.7%, 95.4%, and 91.6%, respectively. The specificities of the ACR 1997, SLICC 2012, and EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria were 94.8%, 89.7%, and 88.5%, respectively. Eighteen patients with SLE met the SLICC 2012 but not the EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria. Among these, hematologic involvement was prominent (n = 13; 72.2%). Eight patients with SLE fulfilled the EULAR/ACR 2019 but not the SLICC 2012 criteria. Among these, joint involvement was prominent (n = 6; 75%).Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest cohort study of pediatric SLE to test the performances of all 3 classification criteria. The SLICC 2012 criteria yielded the best sensitivity, whereas the ACR 1997 criteria had the best specificity. SLICC 2012 criteria performed better than EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria. Separation of different hematological manifestations in the SLICC 2012 criteria might have contributed to the higher performance of this criteria set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on real estate investment trusts (REITs) ETFs in a quantile-based framework by employing the nonparametric causality test and the quantile autoregressive (QAR) model. Using data covering the returns of eight major United States (US) Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) over the period spanning 2 January 2012 to 28 February 2019, we find that there is a weak predictive power of EPU in REITs' returns and volatility. Our findings indicate that EPU has a leading effect on the real estate market returns at the mean level. However, we find no causality running from EPU to real estate markets volatility at all quantiles, indicating a weak influence of uncertainty on the real estate markets. Besides, our results report a significant impact of the EPU on the returns at the lower and upper quantiles. Yet, the impact is not symmetrical since the EPU shows a positive (negative) impact on the returns during the bearish (bullish) market condition. Moreover, the lagged EPU impacts the REITs negatively only during the normal and bullish market conditions, given all the estimated coefficients being negative and significant. Our results entail policy implications for investors, regulators, and asset managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was purposed in this study to reveal the trend in the relevant field by making a bibliometric evaluation of the educational research articles published on botanic gardens, national parks, and natural monuments in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Within the scope of quantitative methodology, the bibliometrics was applied in the study. The data were taken from the WoS database generated by Clarivate Analytics. The study data covered the years between 1975 and 2020. Bibliometric analysis techniques were used in the analysis of the data. 44,138 records related to the study subject were obtained in the WoS database, and 98 of them were determined in the category of educational research. Analyses were conducted on 58 articles in the category of educational research. As a result of the analyses, it was observed that half of the articles were published in the last 5 years. It was also concluded that the publication language of the articles was predominantly English and that the researchers working in the United States provided the highest contribution to the related literature by producing 20 articles. In addition, it was determined that the most effective journals related to the study subject were "Environmental Education Research" and "Journal of Environmental Education". A total of 180 different keywords were included in the analyzed articles, and the most used ones were "environmental education" and "botanic garden". It was also concluded that 1885 different publications, 1596 authors, and 1309 sources were cited in the articles examined within this research. The articles in the WoS database were examined in this study, and it is important to carry out similar studies in different publication types and databases in terms of revealing the trend in this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension (HT) is seen with increasing frequency in childhood. Various guidelines have been published to better evaluate these patients. The most frequently used of these are; The 4th Report (The 4th Report-2004) updated and published by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) Working Group in 2004, a guideline prepared by the European Society of Hypertension in 2016 (ESH-2016), the last one is the guideline prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2017 (AAP-2017). Although these guidelines have some similarities, there are serious differences between them. The 4th Report-2004 and ESH-2016 guidelines use blood pressure (BP) percentile tables based on age and height previously determined in American children. Then, new tables were created by extracting the measurements of obese children and these tables were used in AAP-2017. From the age of 16 in ESH-2016 and 13 in AAP-2017, it is recommended that BP evaluations should be made according to adult guidelines. Evaluation of the hypertensive patient, Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) criteria, the timing of laboratory tests and treatment differ according to guidelines. As a result; since universal BP tables covering all children around the world have not yet been created; age, ethnic and geographical conditions should be taken into account when evaluating which guidelines the office BP and ABPM should follow. By following the currently published guidelines, it will be possible to reduce future cardiovascular events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing accountability research in public administration either provides conceptual analyses and definitions of forms of accountability or case studies on accountability. They focus on the structure of responsibility or responding behavior. This article is different in that it tests actors' perceptions of the three commonly cited forms of accountability identified in the literature—vertical, horizontal, and hybrid. We test accountability on a national survey sample of city managers across the United States. Our structural equation model indicates that there is both vertical and horizontal accountability present in city governments in the United States supporting a hybrid model. The results of this study add to the literature because most of the existing research on accountability does not test this important relationship nor examine actors' perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: This study tests the effect of body‐worn cameras (BWCs) on stopped drivers' perceptions of complying with police directives, obeying traffic laws, and cooperating with the police. A quasi‐randomized controlled trial was conducted with drivers stopped at routine traffic checkpoints. Drivers in the treatment group encountered police officers wearing BWCs, and drivers in the control group encountered police officers without BWCs. Surveys were administered after the stop. Findings suggest motorists exposed to BWC officers reported significantly stronger agreement with compliance with police directives, obedience toward traffic laws, and assistance with police duties. Further analysis indicates BWCs generate indirect impacts on specific citizen compliance mediated through improvements in procedural justice, as well as indirect impacts on general compliance and cooperation mediated through improvements in both police legitimacy and procedural justice. Policy Implications: The results suggest that BWCs may be an effective means of improving drivers' willingness to comply with directives, follow traffic laws, and assist police. Consistent with a process‐based explanation, their effectiveness stems almost entirely from drivers' experience of procedurally just and legitimacy‐enhancing treatment by police officers. The findings indicate BWCs provide a form of officer accountability that mere training in procedural justice might be insufficient to achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a theoretical model of city manager professionalism addressing professional guidance and commitment, and four public service values: ethical solutions, neutral competence, political responsiveness, and political solutions. We tested these professionalism values on a national survey sample of city managers in the United States. Using structural equation modeling, we found evidence that professionalism acted directly on reported ethical behavior, and ethical behavior indirectly explained political responsiveness positively and political solutions negatively through neutral competence. Our analysis supports arguments that public service professionalization is possible and clarifies the pathways toward this important goal. Our study focuses on understanding how involvement in professional associations and activities relates to city manager perceptions of their own values and competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The schools in the United States undergo reforms that involve the integration of data-intensive improvement process known as strategic improvement plans (SIPs). This process requires digital systems to set goals, create interventions, use and analyse student data, monitor and report SIPs. A challenge with digital systems is the integration of a highly diverse set of data sources and identifying users who are engaged with the processes. This study explored how teachers and principals carry out SIPs currently. We applied the sociotechnical walkthrough, a qualitative method that combines a modelling notation and focus group interviews to understand the current workflows, technology use and interactions of teachers and principals developing SIPs. The results illustrate a variety of existing activities and indicate how a newly developed technology may have an impact as well as propose design recommendations to fill a gap in managing SIPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to review the characteristics of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) from Turkey and to assess the performance of the Kobayashi score (KS), Harada score (HS), Formosa score (FS), Egami score (ES) and other parameters in predicting intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance and coronary artery involvement (CAI) in the Turkish population. Patients who were diagnosed as being in the acute phase of KD at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine (Ankara, Turkey) between June 2007 and January 2016 reviewed retrospectively, and those between January 2016 and February 2018 reviewed prospectively, were included in this cohort study. A total of 100 patients with KD were included in this study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows 22.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for statistical analysis. Eighty-five patients (85%) responded to IVIG treatment, whereas 15 (5 female, 10 male) were IVIG resistant. CAI was detected in echocardiography at diagnosis in 31 (31%) (9 female; 22 male) patients. For predicting IVIG resistance, KS, ES, FS, and HS had sensitivity of 82.1%, 26.7%, 30.8%, 69.2% and specificity of 35.7%, 94%, 51.2%, 45.8%, respectively. For the association with CAI occurrence, the sensitivities were 17.2%, 3.3%, 35.7%, 70.4% and the specificities were 78.5%, 88.4%, 49.3%, 49.3% for the aforementioned scores, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed white blood cell (WBC) count [Odd's ratio (OR) 4.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26–13.23; p = 0.019] and hematocrit (OR 3.8; 95% CI 1.15–12.4; p = 0.028), as independent predictors of CAI while gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level (OR 5.7; 95% CI 1.73–27.51; p = 0.018) was detected as the only independent predictor of IVIG resistance. This is the first study from Turkey in KD to evaluate the association of the scoring systems for IVIG resistance and CAI. The risk scoring systems in KD did not predict the risk for IVIG resistance and were not associated with CAI in Turkish population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foundational work in public administration has considered the relationship between administrative power, accountability, and performance in public organizations. Even with the vast literature addressing power, accountability, and performance, scholars are still theorizing on how they influence one another. This study proposes and empirically tests a theoretical model of the relationships between each of these three constructs. Data are analyzed from an original survey of a national sample of US local government public administrators—city managers. Using structural equation modeling, results show that there are positive relationships between power and accountability, power and performance, and accountability and performance. The article discusses theoretical and practical implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article utilizes multidisciplinary perspectives to examine the developmental outcomes of divorce for children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The authors present a literature review on the outcomes of divorce in terms of mental health, family relationships, and educational achievement for children by focusing on discipline-specific aspects of divorce in sociology, education, and family studies. Furthermore, this study builds on previous literature by examining parental divorce among children with special needs. A discussion of changes in family structure and child outcomes concludes this study with implications for policy and practice to support current population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bibliometrics and scientometrics are novel closely related scientific fields measuring and analyzing scientific publications in a certain area. Although spirituality, religion and health (S/R&H) field has been a growing study area in recent years, only a few bibliometric studies have been conducted on published literature in S/R&H. In this study, we aimed to perform bibliometric and scientometric analysis of the documents published in the Journal of Religion and Health, which is one of the most significant and productive journals in spirituality, religion and health field, during the period of 1975 to 2016. We used Thomson Reuters Web of Science database for the publication analyses. A total of 2683 papers were found and most of them were original articles (1655, 62.1%) followed by book reviews (780, 29.3%) and editorial materials (169, 6.3%). We found that the USA was the most productive country with 1665 papers and 62.45% of total literature followed by Australia and Canada. Cornell University in the USA was found to publish the highest number of documents with 73 papers and to cover 2.74% of the total literature followed by Duke University and Weill Cornell Medical College. A total of 2973 keywords were detected to be used. Most used five keywords were “religion,” “spirituality,” “religiosity,” “health” and “mental health” (n = 253, 250, 97, 71 and 41 times, respectively). Our bibliometric and scientometric study of one of the most important leading journals in S/R&H area may encourage researchers to carry out further studies in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to describe the contemporary debates in sociology in the context of Ali Shariati and Cemil Meriç who are significant but not popular scholars of the Eastern intellectual world by making comparison with some Western thinkers and issues. In this way, it is dealt with some typical modern sociological matters and criticise indirectly the West-oriented worldview. For this purpose, it is also focused on the question of how the Eastern scholars approach some debates from objectivity to value-judgment; from equality to class conflict; from religion to freedom; from genocide to the problem of intellectuality; and from security to power. At this point it should be underlined that the concepts East and West do not refer to geographical distance but to socio-cultural and ideological differentiation. It is not coincidence that these differentiations are portrayed in the context of essential scholars like Cemil Meriç and Ali Shariati who both internalise the West and, despite this, turn their faces to the East because these two thinkers have significant worth and background in reaching the roots of this civilisation and in constructing the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore the trade effects of bilateral real exchange rate changes between the 50 US states and China over the period of 2005-2012. The empirical results based on state-level trade flows and state-level relative prices suggest that the long-run real exchange rates elasticity of US exports to China is in the range of [-3.77, -2.85] and that of Chinese exports to the US is in the range of [-0.23, -3.34]. We also find that state-level differences in human capital and financial development are significant determinants of their export performances with respect to China. Based on the most optimistic scenario, our results suggest that the RMB needs to further appreciate against the dollar by at least 1.8 percent a year for 16 years for the US to achieve balanced trade with China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The racial and ethnic makeup of the United States is in constant flux and is expected to experience substantial increases in racial and ethnic diversity over the next four decades. The problem the American educational system faces is attempting to problematize race/racism in its educational system and creating a system to counteract educational impartialities present for children of color. The disparity we face grows as teacher education programs graduate primarily White female teacher candidates, who express trepidations teaching students of color. In this article, we explore specific influences, confines, and conflicts that exist in urban schools, as a starting point to converse about the issues of race in science education and establish a strong theoretical rationale for the continued investigation of a race-based analysis of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). Finally, we propose a more inclusive model for teacher preparation programs that embrace and encourage critical conversations about race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate fetal cardiac ventricular disproportion as a marker of cardiac anomalies.Methods: A retrospective case series included data from all patients who had a fetus diagnosed subjectively with ventricular disproportion by routine obstetric ultrasonography between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2013 at a single tertiary center in the USA. Fetal and neonatal echocardiography, and neonatal outcome data were retrieved. Outcomes were described for all fetuses with subjective ventricular disproportion. Then, the objective right-to-left ventricular ratio (RLVR) was calculated as a continuous (after transformation to gestational age specific z-scores) or categorical value (>2SD for gestational week), based on previously published reference values. Subsequently, correlations between the objective RLVR and neonatal outcomes were evaluated.Results: Records from 60 fetuses diagnosed with ventricular disproportion at 16-38 weeks of gestation were included. These pregnancies resulted in 54 live deliveries; postnatally, 20 (37%) of these neonates were diagnosed with aortic coarctation and 39 (72%) were diagnosed with other cardiac anomalies, with or without aortic coarctation. No significant differences in objective prenatal diagnostic findings (RLVR) were demonstrated between neonates who were diagnosed postnatally with aortic coarctation or any cardiac anomaly and those not.Conclusion: Subjective ventricular disproportion, regardless of objective diagnosis, was associated with cardiac defects. The use of fetal and neonatal echocardiography following diagnosis of fetal ventricular disproportion appears justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study focusing on teledermatology research publication between 1975 and 2017 and its bibliometric evaluation. Topics discussed include the use of data from Thomson Reuters Web of Science in this study; the use of teledermatology keyword in the research; and the publication of teledermatology research in the U.S. and Great Britain.

The purpose of this study was to examine change processes, self-efficacy beliefs, and department culture and the roles these elements play in faculty engagement in working in K-12 schools. The development of three new web-based measures of faculty perceptions of change processes, self-efficacy beliefs, and department culture are described. The context for the research is the development of new state Board of Regents policies that encourage faculty work in K-12 schools and improvements in the scholarship of teaching and learning in the faculty tenure and promotion process. Extensive statistical analyses were completed to examine the characteristics of these new measures and relationships among the measures. We discuss the implications of the study findings for measuring and understanding change and sustainability of policy-based initiatives in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the determinants of professional identification of city managers in U.S. local governments. This study explores Marvick's and Gouldner's theories on professional identification and applies these theories to whether city managers in local governments view themself as a professional, institutionalist, or hybrid. An analysis of a national survey of city managers in U.S. local governments is used to examine differences. Through descriptive statistics, this article first found out that the hybrid theory is more closely aligned with city managers’ professional identification. Second, through factor analysis the empirical results further supported the hybrid model. Finally, the logistic regression model showed that professional development activities of the city manager, not professional identification, predicted having a graduate degree in public administration/affairs. The findings from this study showed that more empirical research should be conducted examining professional identification of public managers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Black Sea Region has gained importance for the United States in terms of security, energy, the liberal political and economic values, balancing Russia, the accessing and controlling Central Asia and the Middle East after the Cold War era. For this purpose a new strategy which was named under 'the Wider Black Sea Region' was put into practice by America. The United States has mostly reached the objectives identified for the Black Sea Region and have applied the transatlantic policies in harmony with EU. But, the changing security perceptions and the revival of Russia have removed the 'power gap for the United States in region. In article, it has been reached at conclusion that the United States has begun to present low-intensity attention to Black Sea due to shift of the strategic priorities of the U.S. from Europe to East Asia, the Pacific region and the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Although it is well established that friendship is a consistent correlate of happiness, less is known about how friendship experiences might promote happiness. The current investigation addressed this gap by testing a mediational model proposing that perceived mattering explains the association of friendship quality with happiness among college students in Turkey and the United States. An alternative model suggesting friendship quality as the mediator was also tested to enhance confidence in the proposed model. SEM analyses revealed that perceived mattering mediated the association of friendship with happiness only in the American sample. In the Turkish sample, friendship quality mediated the association between mattering and happiness. Findings highlight the importance of cross-cultural research and suggest that the underlying processes and psychological mechanisms related to the friendship-happiness link might be different in different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Complementarity has become the new label to characterize the relations between elected officials and professional public administrators. In response to increasingly complex and challenging problems that face local government officials today, public administration scholars have explored how to improve the efficacy of interactions between elected and appointed officials. To do so, scholars have proposed that characteristics of quality interactions include mutual respect, understanding, communication, and partnership between the two parties. Inadequate empirical research, however, exists to help us understand what interaction quality means. This study fills an important gap in the literature by proposing and testing a multi-dimensional model to explain interaction quality. This study utilizes survey data collected from a nationwide sample of city managers in the United States and employs structural equation modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandated state science assessment on elementary teachers' beliefs about teaching science and their classroom practice is relatively unknown. For many years, the teaching of science has been minimized in elementary schools in favor of more emphasis on reading and mathematics. This study examines the dynamics of bringing science to the forefront of assessment in elementary schools and the resulting teacher belief and instructional shifts that take place in response to NCLB. Results indicated that teachers' beliefs about teaching science remained unchanged despite policy changes mandated in NCLB. Teacher beliefs related to their perceptions of what their administrators and peer groups' think they should be doing influenced their practice the most. Most teachers reported positive feelings and attitudes about science and reported that their students had positive feelings and attitudes about science; however, teachers reported teaching science less as a result of NCLB. Implications for elementary science education reform and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the relationship between credit enhancements supporting structured finance transactions and the realized credit performance of the underlying pool of collateral assets. Based on samples of structured finance transactions across U.S. commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), credit card asset-backed securities (ABS), and auto loan ABS, the study finds a positive correlation between the size of enhancement levels (at a given rating category) and statistical measures of realized collateral performance, encompassing a broad range of vintages. More specifically, higher enhancement levels are generally associated with weaker collateral performance; however, the correlation and statistical robustness of this relationship vary across asset classes and rating levels. As a measure of structured finance ratings performance, this technique has the advantage of explicitly analyzing both enhancements and collateral and helps to provide insight into the sensitivity of enhancements to differences in risk profiles of pools of collateral assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that accessing care, treatment engagement, and course and outcomes among people with schizophrenia may be influenced by beliefs about causes in the larger community, causal beliefs about schizophrenia have been studied in numerous communities around the world. In particular, the 30-item list of etiological attributions developed by Angermeyer and colleagues has been used to describe causal beliefs in patients, family members, and lay community members within such communities. The current study, the first examination of the latent or factorial structure of these 30 causal beliefs, seeks to provide informative subscales that may enhance reliability and validity of groupings of causes for future analyses involving community members. Data were gathered from six separate surveys involving three distinct groups of individuals from the same community within the southeastern United States: lay community members, relatives of individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, and police officers at the start of a 1-week mental health training program. Exploratory factor analysis in the overall sample ( n = 577) revealed four factors that were used to define four subscales, termed: personal/family/social stressors (14 items), inconsistent with modern conceptions of risk (8 items), external/environmental insults to the brain (6 items), and consistent with modern biological conceptions (2 items). Cronbach’s internal consistency reliability coefficients for these subscales were 0.91, 0.83, 0.71, and 0.65, respectively. These findings suggest that subscales could be derived to provide continuous measures for assessing causal beliefs in order to study how this concept relates to attitudes toward schizophrenia, the people affected by the disorder, and treatments that are recommended by mental health professionals. Replication within similar and dissimilar groups is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many taxpayers truthfully declare their income to the tax administration. Why is this the case given there is a relatively low likelihood of being audited? One answer could be found in tax morale of the citizens. Using micro data sets from the USA and Turkey, we find a significant correlation between tax morale and tax evasion after controlling for a variety of factors. Furthermore, we analyse tax morale as a dependent variable and study the determinants that shape it. The results indicate that factors such as the tax administration, tax system and the perceived tax burden, tax awareness, compliance perceptions, trust in officials, the state and others, institutional quality such as corruption, the willingness to obey and religiosity have a relatively strong impact on tax morale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mainstream of treatment in myofascial pain is to breakdown the vicious cycle of pain through the elimination of trigger points (Trp). Several methods have been recommended in order to achieve this goal. Objectives: It is a prospective, randomised active controlled study of the effect of a variety of technical interventions in chronic myofascial pain syndrome compared with the effect of stretching exercise. Methods: Ninety patients with trigger points on one side of the trapezius muscle for more than 6 months duration were randomly assigned to one of the 5 groups. Group I. Botox-A Trp injection (TPI) 10 U (n=18), Group II. Lidocaine 0.5% 1 ml (n=18), Group III: US (conventional) (n=18), Group IV. US (high-power pain threshold) (n=18); Group V. Stretching exercise (n=18). Stretching exercises were also combined with the therapies in groups I–IV. Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity was used as the parameter for comparative evaluations before treatment and at one week and one month after treatment. Results: At 1 week post-treatment evaluations, all groups showed statistically significant improvements (p< 0.05), however, none of the treatment methods proved to be superior to the others when intergroup comparisons were made. At 1 month post-treatment evaluations, statistically significant improvements were detected both in Lidocaine Trp and Botox A Trp injection groups (p< 0.05), when compared to the other groups. There was no statistically significant difference between lidocaine and Botox A injection groups (p> 0.05). Conclusions: Lidocaine and Botox A Trp injections were more effective in treating patients with chronic MPS in one month controls. Both techniques in US treatment were equally effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers conducted a cross-cultural study using qualitative methods (based on a phenomenological approach) to explore the availability of mental health services (MHS) for older adults in the United States and Turkey. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with administrators ( n ?=?24) from a wide-range of sites (nursing homes, hospice, senior centers) in a rural area of North Central Florida, United States and Ankara, Turkey. Interview questions focused on types of staff employed; integration of MHS with other services provided; community promotion of services; coordination, cooperation and communication with other service providers; and administrators’ perceptions of barriers in the provision of MHS for older adults. Interestingly, employing on-site mental health staff was a much more popular practice in Turkey compared to the United States with three times as many Turkish sites having on-site mental health professionals. As anticipated, administrators in both countries cited inadequate funding as the most common barrier to MHS provision. Potential solutions to MHS barriers in both countries are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heparin is usually obtained from mammalian organs, such as beef lung, beef mucosa, porcine mucosa, und sheep intestinal mucosa. Because of the increased use of heparin in the production of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), there is a growing shortage of the raw material needed to produce LMWHs. A previous report described the structural features of a novel LMWH from the shrimp (Penaeus brasiliensis). In order to compare anticoagulant and antiprotease effects of this heparin, global anticoagulant tests, such as the prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, and Heplest®, were used. Amidolytic anti-Xa and anti-IIa activities were also measured. The relative susceptibility of this heparin to flavobacterial heparinase was also evaluated. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) potency of shrimp heparin (SH) was found to be 28 U/mg. SH produced a concentration-dependent prolongation of all of the clotting tests and exhibited marked inhibition of FXa and FIIa. Heparinase treatment resulted in a marked decrease of the anticoagulant effects and neutralized the in vitro anti-IIa actions. However, the anti-Xa activities were only partially neutralized. Protamine sulfate was only partially effective in neutralizing the anticoagulant and antithrombin effects of SH. SH also produced marked prolongation of activated clotting time, which was neutralized by heparinase but not by protamine sulfate. These results suggest that SH is a strong anticoagulant with comparable properties to mammalian heparins and can be used in the development of clinically useful antithrombotic-anticoagulant drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on several issues on dermatology in the United States. Changes in the residency training programs in dermatology; Expansion of dermatology into surgical and cosmetic venues; Presence of human herpesvirus 8 DNA in tissue sample of pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus lesions.