Harran University

There is a growing need for multicultural collaboration in child mental health services, training, and research. To facilitate such collaboration, this study tested the 8-syndrome structure of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 30 societies. Parents' CBCL ratings of 58,051 6- to 18-year-olds were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses, which were conducted separately for each society. Societies represented Asia; Africa; Australia; the Caribbean; Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Europe; the Middle East; and North America. Fit indices strongly supported the correlated 8-syndrome structure in each of 30 societies. The results support use of the syndromes in diverse societies.

This study compared parents' ratings of behavioral and emotional problems on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991;Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) for general population samples of children ages 6 to 16 from 31 societies ( N = 55,508). Effect sizes for society ranged from .03 to .14. Effect sizes for gender were ≤ .01, with girls generally scoring higher on Internalizing problems and boys generally scoring higher on Externalizing problems. Effect sizes for age were ≤ .01 and varied across types of problems.Total Problems scores for 19 of 31 societies were within 1 SD of the overall mean of 22.5. Bisociety correlations for mean item scores averaged .74. The findings indicate that parents' reports of children's problems were similar in many ways across highly diverse societies. Nonetheless, effect sizes for society were larger than those for gender and age, indicating the need to take account of multicultural variations in parents' reports of children's problems.

ABSTRACT The effect of silicon (Si) on physiological attributes and nutritional status of maize (Zea mays cv. DK 647 F1) under water stress was studied in a pot experiment. Treatments were (1) well watered (WW): 100% of FC (soil field capacity), (2) WW + Si1: 100% of FC + 1 mM Si, (3) WW + Si2: 100% of FC + 2 mM Si, (4) water stress (WS): 50% of FC, (5) WS + Si1: 50% of FC + 1 mM Si and (6) WS + Si2: 50% of FC + 2 mM Si. In the control treatment, plants were irrigated to field capacity (100% FC). Water stress was imposed by maintaining a moisture level equivalent to 50% of field capacity, whereas the well-watered pots (control) were maintained at full field capacity. Water stress was found to reduce the total dry matter (DM), chlorophyll content, and relative water content (RWC), but to increase proline accumulation and electrolyte leakage in maize plants. Both Si treatments largely improved the above physiological parameters, but levels remained significantly lower than the control (WW) values except for electrolyte leakage and root:shoot ratios, which were higher. Only root DM appeared to show very little variation in any of the treatments. The concentration of Si in the plants was increased by Si addition into the nutrient solution. Water stress reduced leaf calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) of maize plants, but addition of Si increased these nutrient levels; Ca levels were similar to WW under the high-Si treatment, but K was lower. Root Ca and K were both increased by WS; root Ca was further increased by high Si (WS + Si2 treatment). Addition of Si to the WS treatments did not change root K. Results indicate that while application of Si may be one approach to improve growth of this crop and increase its production in arid or semi-arid areas where water is at a premium, this technique would not fully substitute for an adequate water supply.

We used population sample data from 25 societies to answer the following questions: (a) How consistently across societies do adolescents report more problems than their parents report about them? (b) Do levels of parent-adolescent agreement vary among societies for different kinds of problems? (c) How well do parents and adolescents in different societies agree on problem item ratings? (d) How much do parent-adolescent dyads within each society vary in agreement on item ratings? (e) How well do parent-adolescent dyads within each society agree on the adolescent's deviance status? We used five methods to test cross-informant agreement for ratings obtained from 27,861 adolescents ages 11 to 18 and their parents. Youth Self-Report (YSR) mean scores were significantly higher than Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) mean scores for all problem scales in almost all societies, but the magnitude of the YSR-CBCL discrepancy varied across societies. Cross-informant correlations for problem scale scores varied more across societies than across types of problems. Across societies, parents and adolescents tended to rate the same items as low, medium, or high, but within-dyad parent-adolescent item agreement varied widely in every society. In all societies, both parental noncorroboration of self-reported deviance and adolescent noncorroboration of parent-reported deviance were common. Results indicated many multicultural consistencies but also some important differences in parent-adolescent cross-informant agreement. Our findings provide valuable normative baselines against which to compare multicultural findings for clinical samples.

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) have recently received increasing attention due to their promising potential in sustainable wastewater treatment and contaminant removal. In general, contaminants can be removed either as an electron donor via microbial catalyzed oxidization at the anode or removed at the cathode as electron acceptors through reduction. Some contaminants can also function as electron mediators at the anode or cathode. While previous studies have done a thorough assessment of electron donors, cathodic electron acceptors and mediators have not been as well described. Oxygen is widely used as an electron acceptor due to its high oxidation potential and ready availability. Recent studies, however, have begun to assess the use of different electron acceptors because of the (1) diversity of redox potential, (2) needs of alternative and more efficient cathode reaction, and (3) expanding of MFC based technologies in different areas. The aim of this review was to evaluate the performance and applicability of various electron acceptors and mediators used in MFCs. This review also evaluated the corresponding performance, advantages and disadvantages, and future potential applications of select electron acceptors (e.g., nitrate, iron, copper, perchlorate) and mediators.

In this review, we summarise factors contributing to plant availability of magnesium (Mg) in soils, the role of Mg in plant physiological processes related to yield formation and abiotic stress tolerance, and soil and fertiliser parameters related to Mg leaching in fertilised soils. Mg is a common constituent in many minerals, comprising 2% of Earth’s crust; however, most soil Mg (90–98%) is incorporated in the crystal lattice structure of minerals and thus not directly available for plant uptake. Plants absorb Mg from the soil solution, which is slowly replenished by soil reserves. Duration and intensity of weathering, soil moisture, soil pH, and root–microbial activity in soil are key factors that determine plant-available Mg release from soils. On the other hand, the amount of Mg released from soil minerals is generally small compared with the amounts needed to sustain high crop yield and quality. Thus, in many agro-ecosystems, application of Mg fertilisers is crucial. Magnesium is involved in many physiological and biochemical processes; it is an essential element for plant growth and development and plays a key role in plant defence mechanisms in abiotic stress situations. An early effect of Mg deficiency in plants is the disturbed partitioning of assimilates between roots and shoots because the supply of sink organs with photosynthetic products is impaired, and sugars accumulate in source leaves. Thus, optimal supply of Mg is required to improve crop tolerance to various stresses and to increase yield and quality parameters of harvested products. Unlike other cations, Mg is very mobile in soils because it is less bound to the soil charges. Therefore, Mg losses by leaching might occur in sandy soils with high water conductivity. Leaching of Mg in soils when applied with various water-soluble fertilisers may also vary depending on the fertiliser’s chemical composition, granule size, and effect on soil pH and cation balance, as we discuss in detail.

As a basis for theories of psychopathology, clinical psychology and related disciplines need sound taxonomies that are generalizable across diverse populations. To test the generalizability of a statistically derived 8-syndrome taxonomic model for youth psychopathology, confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed on the Youth Self-Report (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2001) completed by 30,243 youths 11-18 years old from 23 societies. The 8-syndrome taxonomic model met criteria for good fit to the data from each society. This was consistent with findings for the parent-completed Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and the teacher-completed Teacher's Report Form (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) from many societies. Separate CFAs by gender and age group supported the 8-syndrome model for boys and girls and for younger and older youths within individual societies. The findings provide initial support for the taxonomic generalizability of the 8-syndrome model across very diverse societies, both genders, and 2 age groups.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the oxidative status and antioxidative status of plasma of patients with complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) and to compare these values with normal pregnancy. METHOD: Thirty-eight patients with CHM and 31 healthy pregnant women were enrolled in the study. To determine the antioxidative status of plasma, total antioxidant potential (TAOP) was calculated, and to determine the oxidative status of plasma total peroxide levels were measured. The ratio of TAOP to total peroxide was accepted as an indicator of oxidative stress. RESULTS: TAOP of plasma was significantly lower in patients with hydatidiform mole than in healthy pregnant women [mean (SD) values were 511.9 (105.8) and 571.7 (109.4) micromol Trolox equiv./L respectively (p <0.05)]. In contrast, mean (SD) total peroxide level of plasma was significantly higher in the patients [21.8 (6.4) micromol H2O2/L] than in healthy pregnant women [15.6 (6.4) micromol H2O2/L (p <0.001)]. The mean oxidative stress index level was significantly higher in patients with CHM than in healthy pregnant women [4.43 (1.70) versus 2.92 (1.50) respectively (p <0.001)]. CONCLUSION: Patients with CHM are exposed to oxidative stress, which may have a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Supplementation with antioxidative vitamins such as C and E could be considered in treatment.

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS) represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better understanding redox biology and medicine and, in the long run, to finding new therapeutic strategies to target dysregulated redox processes in various diseases. This report highlights the major achievements of EU-ROS as well as research updates and new perspectives arising from its members. The EU-ROS consortium comprised more than 140 active members who worked together for four years on the topics briefly described below. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is an established hallmark of our aerobic environment and metabolism but RONS also act as messengers via redox regulation of essential cellular processes. The fact that many diseases have been found to be associated with oxidative stress established the theory of oxidative stress as a trigger of diseases that can be corrected by antioxidant therapy. However, while experimental studies support this thesis, clinical studies still generate controversial results, due to complex pathophysiology of oxidative stress in humans. For future improvement of antioxidant therapy and better understanding of redox-associated disease progression detailed knowledge on the sources and targets of RONS formation and discrimination of their detrimental or beneficial roles is required. In order to advance this important area of biology and medicine, highly synergistic approaches combining a variety of diverse and contrasting disciplines are needed.

There seems to be no report in the literature on the effect of melatonin (MT) in relieving the detrimental effects of combined application of salt stress (SS) and iron deficiency (ID). Therefore, the effect of MT on the accumulation/synthesis of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) and how far these molecules are involved in MT‐improved tolerance to the combined application of ID and SS in pepper ( Capsicum annuum L) were tested. Hence, two individual trials were set up. The treatments in the first experiment comprised: Control, ID (0.1 mM FeSO 4 ), SS (100 mM NaCl) and ID + SS. The detrimental effects of combined stresses were more prominent than those by either of the single stress, with respect to growth, oxidative stress and antioxidant defense attributes. Single stress or both in combination improved the endogenous H 2 S and NO, and foliar‐applied MT (100 µM) led to a further increase in NO and H 2 S levels. In the second experiment, 0.1 mM scavenger of NO, 2‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide potassium salt (cPTIO) and that of H 2 S, hypotuarine (HT) were applied along with MT to get further evidence whether NO and H 2 S are involved in MT‐induced tolerance to ID and SS. MT combined with cPTIO and HT under a single or combined stress showed that NO effect was reversed by the NO scavenger, cPTIO, alone but the H 2 S effect was inhibited by both scavengers. These findings suggested that tolerance to ID and SS induced by MT may be involved in downstream signal crosstalk between NO and H 2 S.

Abstract Seeds of Paceño and Cuarenteño cultivars of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) were tested for salt and drought tolerance at germination, seedling emergence and early seedling growth in NaCl and PEG‐8000 solutions of different osmotic potentials (0, −0.2, −0.4, −0.6, and −0.8 MPa). Daily and final germination and emergence percentage, as well as germination and seedling emergence rate, and seedling growth were recorded under controlled conditions. Results showed that germination and emergence rate were delayed by both solutions in both cultivars, with differences between cultivars among growth stages, given that cultivar Cuarenteño, showed a higher germination rate than Paceño in NaCl, but Paceño was less affected by NaCl and PEG solutions at the emergence stage. Sodium chloride had a lesser effect on both cultivars in terms of germination rate, emergence rate and the final germination and emergence percentage than did PEG‐8000. This conclusively proves that the adverse effect of PEG‐8000 on germination, emergence and early seedling growth was due to the osmotic effect rather than the specific ion. Seedling growth was reduced by both stresses, but NaCl usually caused less damage than PEG to cowpea seedlings, suggesting that NaCl and PEG acted through different mechanisms.

Abiotic stresses, such as temperature extremes, drought, salinity, and heavy metals are major factors limiting crop productivity and sustainability worldwide. Abiotic stresses disturb plant growth and yield formation. Several chemical compounds, known as plant growth regulators (PGRs), modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses at the cellular, tissue, and organ levels. Thiourea (TU) is an important synthetic PGR containing nitrogen (36%) and sulfur (42%) that has gained wide attention for its role in plant stress tolerance. Tolerance against abiotic stresses is a complex phenomenon involving an array of mechanisms, and TU may modulate several of these. An understanding of TU-induced tolerance mechanisms may help improve crop yield under stress conditions. However, the potential mechanisms involved in TU-induced plant stress tolerance are still elusive. In this review, we discuss the essential role of TU-induced tolerance in improving performance of plants growing under abiotic stresses and potential mechanisms underlying TU-induced stress tolerance. We also highlight exploitation of new avenues critical in TU-induced stress tolerance.

We conducted a study to evaluate the interactive effect of NO and H 2 S on the cadmium (Cd) tolerance of wheat. Cadmium stress considerably reduced total dry weight, chlorophyll a and b content and ratio of Fv/Fm by 36.7, 48.6, 26.7 and 19.5%, respectively, but significantly enhanced the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and malondialdehyde (MDA), endogenous H 2 S and NO, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Exogenously applied sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), donors of NO and H 2 S, respectively, enhanced total plant dry matter by 47.8 and 39.1%, chlorophyll a by 92.3 and 61.5%, chlorophyll b content by 29.1 and 27.2%, Fv/Fm ratio by 19.7 and 15.2%, respectively, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes, but lowered oxidative stress and proline content in Cd‐stressed wheat plants. NaHS and SNP also considerably limited both the uptake and translocation of Cd, thereby improving the levels of some key mineral nutrients in the plants. Enhanced levels of NO and H 2 S induced by NaHS were reversed by hypotuarine application, but they were substantially reduced almost to 50% by cPTIO (a NO scavenger) application. Hypotuarine was not effective, but cPTIO was highly effective in reducing the levels of NO and H 2 S produced by SNP in the roots of Cd‐stressed plants. The results showed that interactive effect of NO and H 2 S can considerably improve plant resistance against Cd toxicity by reducing oxidative stress and uptake of Cd in plants as well as by enhancing antioxidative defence system and uptake of some essential mineral nutrients.

Accumulation of arsenic (As) in soils is increasing consistently day-by-day, which has resulted in increased toxicity of this element in various crop plants. Arsenic interferes with several plant metabolic processes at molecular, biochemical and physiological levels, which result in reduced plant productivity. Hence, the introduction of novel ameliorating agents to combat this situation is the need of the hour. The present study was designed to examine the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in As-stressed soybean plants. Various plant growth factors and enzymes were studied at varying concentrations of As and ZnO-NPs. Our results showed that with the application of ZnO-NPs, As concentration declined in both root and shoot of soybean plants. The lengths of shoot and root, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration, stomatal conductance, photochemical yield and other factors declined with an increase in external As level. However, the application of ZnO-NPs to the As-stressed soybean plants resulted in a considerable increase in these factors. Moreover, the enzymes involved in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) showed a significant increase in their activity with the application of ZnO-NPs to the As-stressed plants. Hence, our study confirms the significance of ZnO-NPs in alleviating the toxicity of As in soybean plants.

During the last decade, consumers’ approach to healthy foods has changed dramatically, and today enhancing the health span of consumers through consumption of healthy food is more important than simply enhancing their life span. Rising medical costs are the prime factor forcing people to find cheaper and effective means of protecting their health. This fact has led to an increase in consumers’ interest in functional foods. Dairy products occupy a significant space in the functional foods market and dairy‐based functional beverages are a growing segment of this sector. This article reviews recent scientific, technological and commercial developments in the functional dairy‐based beverage sector.

In this study, the authors compared ratings of behavioral and emotional problems and positive qualities on the Youth Self-Report (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2001) by adolescents in general population samples from 24 countries (N = 27,206). For problem scales, country effect sizes (ESs) ranged from 3% to 9%, whereas those for gender and age ranged from less than 1% to 2%. Scores were significantly higher for girls than for boys on Internalizing Problems and significantly higher for boys than for girls on Externalizing Problems. Bicountry correlations for mean problem item scores averaged .69. For Total Problems, 17 of 24 countries scored within one standard deviation of the overall mean of 35.3. In the 19 countries for which parent ratings were also available, the mean of 20.5 for parent ratings was far lower than the self-report mean of 34.0 in the same 19 countries (d = 2.5). Results indicate considerable consistency across 24 countries in adolescents' self-reported problems but less consistency for positive qualities.

AIM: To analyze the experience within our hospital and to review the literature so as to establish the best means of diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis. METHODS: The records of 11 patients (4 males, 7 females, mean age 39 years, range 18-65 years) diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis in Harran University Hospital between January 1996 and October 2003 were analyzed retrospectively and the literature was reviewed. RESULTS: Ascites was present in all cases. Other common findings were weight loss (81%), weakness (81%), abdominal mass (72%), abdominal pain (72%), abdominal distension (63%), anorexia (45%) and night sweat (36%). The average hemoglobin was 8.2 g/dL and the average ESR was 50 mm/h (range 30-125). Elevated levels of cancer antigen CA-125 were determined in four patients. Abdominal ultrasound showed abnormalities in all cases: ascites in all, tuboovarian mass in five, omental thickening in 3, and enlarged lymph nodes (mesenteric, para-aortic) in 2. CT scans showed ascites in all, pelvic mass in 5, retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy in 4, mesenteric stranding in 4, omental stranding in 3, bowel wall thickening in 2 and mesenteric lymphadenopathy in 2. Only one patient had a chest radiograph suggestive of a new TB lesion. Two had a positive family history of pulmonary TB. None had acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in the sputum and the tuberculin test was positive in only two. Laparotomy was performed in 6 cases, laparoscopy in 4 and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in 2. In those patients subjected to operation, the findings were multiple diffuse involvement of the visceral and parietal peritoneum, white 'miliary nodules' or plaques, enlarged lymph nodes, ascites, 'violin string' fibrinous strands, and omental thickening. Biopsy specimens showed granulomas, while ascitic fluid showed numerous lymphocytes. Both were negative for acid-fast bacilli by staining. PCR of ascitic fluid was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in all cases. CONCLUSION: Abdominal TB should be considered in all cases with ascites. Our experience suggests that PCR of ascitic fluid obtained by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is a reliable method for its diagnosis and should at least be attempted before surgical intervention.

Conventional radiography produces a single image of an object by measuring the attenuation of an x-ray beam passing through it. When imaging weakly absorbing tissues, x-ray attenuation may be a suboptimal signature of disease-related information. In this paper we describe a new phase-sensitive imaging method, called multiple-image radiography (MIR), which is an improvement on a prior technique called diffraction-enhanced imaging (DEI). This paper elaborates on our initial presentation of the idea in Wernick et al (2002 Proc. Int. Symp. Biomed. Imaging pp 129-32). MIR simultaneously produces several images from a set of measurements made with a single x-ray beam. Specifically, MIR yields three images depicting separately the effects of refraction, ultra-small-angle scatter and attenuation by the object. All three images have good contrast, in part because they are virtually immune from degradation due to scatter at higher angles. MIR also yields a very comprehensive object description, consisting of the angular intensity spectrum of a transmitted x-ray beam at every image pixel, within a narrow angular range. Our experiments are based on data acquired using a synchrotron light source; however, in preparation for more practical implementations using conventional x-ray sources, we develop and evaluate algorithms designed for Poisson noise, which is characteristic of photon-limited imaging. The results suggest that MIR is capable of operating at low photon count levels, therefore the method shows promise for use with conventional x-ray sources. The results also show that, in addition to producing new types of object descriptions, MIR produces substantially more accurate images than its predecessor, DEI. MIR results are shown in the form of planar images of a phantom and a biological specimen. A preliminary demonstration of the use of MIR for computed tomography is also presented.

Abstract With the increase in studies about artificial intelligence (AI) in the educational field, many scholars in the field believe that the role of teachers, school and leaders in education will change. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to examine what possible scenarios are there with the arrival of AI in education and what kind of implications it can reveal for future of schools. The research was designed as a phenomenological study, a qualitative research method, in which the opinions of participants from different sectors were examined. The results show that schools and teachers will have new products, benefits and also face drawbacks with the arrival of AI in education. The findings point out some suggestions for use of AI and prevention of possible problems. While participants generally seem to have positive perceptions towards AI, there are also certain drawbacks, especially highlighted by teachers and academicians, regarding the future of teaching. Lawyers and jurists tend to focus more on legal grounds for AI in education and future problems, while engineers see AI as a tool to bring quality and benefit for all in the education sector.

The building industry, which emits a significant quantity of greenhouse gases, is under tremendous pressure due to global climate change and its consequences for communities. Given the environmental issues associated with cement production, geopolymer concrete has emerged as a sustainable construction material. Geopolymer concrete is an eco-friendly construction material that uses industrial or agricultural by-product ashes as the principal binder instead of Portland cement. Fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, rice husk ash, metakaolin, and palm oil fuel ash were all employed as binders in geopolymer concrete, with fly ash being the most frequent. The most important engineering property for all types of concrete composites, including geopolymer concrete, is the compressive strength. It is influenced by different parameters such as the chemical composition of the binder materials, alkaline liquid to binder ratio, extra water content, superplasticizers dosages, binder content, fine and coarse aggregate content, sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate content, the ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide, the concentration of sodium hydroxide (molarity), curing temperature, curing durations inside oven, and specimen ages. In order to demonstrate the effects of these varied parameters on the compressive strength of the fly ash-based geopolymer concrete, a comprehensive dataset of 800 samples was gathered and analyzed. According to the findings, the curing temperature, sodium silicate content, and alkaline solution to binder ratio are the most significant independent parameters influencing the compressive strength of the fly ash-based geopolymer concrete (FA-BGPC) composites.