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Abstract Current data suggest that oxidative stress may play an important role in the occurrence of acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), as chorioretinal integrity may be affected by disruption of the patient’s metabolic redox balance, indicating the need for biomarkers. In addition to oxidative stress, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) dysfunction due to dyslipidemia can also lead to many types of physical discomfort. However, little is known about the pathophysiology of the disease resulting from oxidative stress and HDL dysfunction in CSC. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum oxidative stress and HDL functionality markers have an impact on CSC disease. The case series of this study included 33 consecutive patients with treatment-naïve acute CSC. Thirty-five healthy volunteers of similar age were included in this study as non-CSC controls. Serum samples of the participants were taken and routine lipid values, serum Total Antioxidant Status (TAS), Total Oxidant Status (TOS), Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and Paraoxonase (PON1) levels were measured quantitatively. Serum oxidative stress index (OSI) was then calculated. Serum Ox-LDL, TOS and OSI levels in the acute CSC group, consisting of patients who had never been treated before and had no other disease, were statistically significantly higher than the control group. Conversely, serum PON1 and TAS levels were lower in CSC than in the control group. The relationship between CSC and deterioration in serum redox balance and decrease in PON1 activity, an important marker of HDL functionality, was demonstrated for the first time through this study. According to the literature, serum levels of these biomarkers, which identify acute/chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, have not been measured before in CSC disease. Finally, it is conceivable that redox balance and HDL functionality may be important in the diagnosis and treatment of the acute phase of CSC.

This study attempted to identify the information and communication technology items that affected students’ mathematics and science liter-acy scores by making use of the 2015 PISA data, The presence of numerous items related to ICT in the PISA and the administration of these items to large groups of people provides researchers with a large data source. However, researchers experience challenges in revealing the significant and beneficial data among the entire data set. So one of the most commonly used data mining method is the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection method (CHAID), which is the decision tree method. As a result of the CHAID analysis, conducted to reveal the ICT items related to mathematics literacy scores, it was revealed that there was a significant relationship between mathematics literacy scores and the eight variables. For science literacy, there was a ten significant relationship variables. There is a relationship between high science and mathe-matics literacy scores and using digital devices at an early age as well as feeling comfortable with using digital devices at home. As an outcome of the CHAID algorithm, the realization of a significant reduction was achieved in the dimensionality of both models. The selected variables can be used for future research and development of new, parametric models. In the resulting model, apart from the reduction of the number of predictors, the reduction of their categories was also achieved.

Although over-purchasing behavior was mostly addressed in consumer research in the past, now-adays it has been considered a psychological problem. Debates have still continued on how to name excessive shopping behavior, which was previously more prominent among consumer research, as a psychological problem and in which classification it should be included in. The possible options can be impulse control disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and related dis-orders, or a behavioral addiction. This problem that has been stated with various names in the past, is now more commonly referred to as compulsive buying and shopping addiction. Another non-consensual issue is how to measure this behavior. Depending on the context in which the problem is handled, the dimensions of the behavior that the measurement instruments consider will change. The aim of this review was to examine the classification, measurement, and charac-teristics of measurement instruments developed according to the context in which over-purchasing behavior is addressed. Thus, an overview will be provided on which measurement instruments can be preferred in the clinic and purchasing behavior research, and how the treat-ment plan will be developed accordingly. Consequently, it can be stated that the nature of over-purchasing behavior and in what context it occurs should be evaluated in detail, and the behav-ior can be included in different classifications according to different contexts.

The general purpose of this study is to validate the Turkish version of the short form of Self- Compassion Scale (SCS) by Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). For this purpose, data were collected from two different samples. Sample-1 (n = 398) and Sample-2 (n = 233) consist of young and middle-aged adults. Short forms were created by selecting the most suitable items for unidimensional, two-factor correlated, six-factor correlated, six-factor higher-order, bifactor-CFA and bifactor- ESEM factor structures using ACO over Sample-1, and the best short form was determined using model-data fit indices. After the determination of the bifactor-ESEM with Sample-1 as the best factor structure, the model data fits and reliability indices of the relevant factor structure were cross-validated on Sample-2. Strict measurement invariance was established between age groups. The results indicate that the SCS-SF developed in this study is a valid and reliable measurement tool with a bifactor-ESEM structure with 12 items, 6 specific factors, and a general factor.

This research aims to examine the reliability, convergent validity, and measurement invariance of the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). The study focused especially on the examination of the model-data fit of various competitive factor structures in a young adult sample. The results demonstrate that the bifactor-ESEM model shows a high model-data fit according to CFI and RMSEA. In this case, it has been determined that the cross-loadings defined by the bifactor-ESEM model have an increasing effect on the model-data fit. Also with the bifactor-ESEM model, DJGLS has one highly reliable general factor and two irrelevant subfactors. Metric measurement invariance according to gender was provided. DJGLS scores were correlated moderately and highly, and were statistically significant with external variables. Finally, it can be said that DJGLS is a measurement tool with construct and convergent validity and reliability in the young adult sample. In addition, DJGLS is essentially a uni-dimensional scale and shows the best model-data fit in the bifactor-ESEM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology (CTJPP) / Kıbrıs Türk Psikiyatri ve Psikoloji Dergisi is the property of Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology (CTJPP) 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.)

The present study was based on the Turkish sample in PISA 2009 and PISA 2018. To investigate the effect of both gender and economic, social and cultural status index on reading literacy, the causal mediation effect was utilized in order to test the mediating role of the following variables: enjoyment of reading, the metacognitive strategy of summarizing, and the metacognitive strategy of reading and comprehension. With respect to the effect of the variable of gender on reading literacy, it was revealed in the present research study that all the variables utilized in the study had a statistically significant partial mediating role in the variable of enjoyment of reading, which was the strongest mediator variable. As for the effect of the economic, social and cultural status on reading literacy, it was revealed that there were statistically significant variables that played a mediating role; however, as these variables contributed very little to the explained variance, these variables were concluded to have no mediating role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of tobacco and tobacco products is a leading cause of preventable health problems and results in many deaths. Thus, a better understanding of cigarette use and the mechanisms of addiction would advance the literature. This study aims to explain the addiction to smoking in accordance with the metacognitive approach, which has a current and innovator point of view, and provides evidence that the metacognitive approach might be a novel treatment for smoking dependency. The metacognitive approach has been used to understand and treat resistant psychological disorders, provide novel understanding regarding addiction mechanisms, and present a treatment approach that explains the following factors: initiating, perpetuating, and smoking dependency relapse. The findings of the few studies that have investigated the role of metacognitions in the mechanisms of cigarette use and quitting smoking are promising to demonstrate evidence of the validity of the metacognitive approach. According to the findings, possible interventions to improve policies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bir kentin yaşanabilir olması yeşil ve açık alanların miktarı ile belirlenmektedir. Yeşil alan sistemi içerisinde yer alan su elemanları, kentlerin estetik ve işlevsel donatı elemanlarıdır. Hayatın varlığı ve sürekliliği bağlamında kritik bir öneme sahip olan bileşenlerden biri olarak su, insan ve insanın biçimlendirdiği, yapılandırdığı mekânlar üzerinde, geçmişten günümüze değişen öncelikler uzamında son derece belirleyici olmuş, hatta tarih boyunca su, insan yaşamının temel elemanlarından biri olmuş; deniz ve nehirler birçok yerleşkeye hayat vermiş ve genellikle yer seçimlerinin ana nedenlerinden biri olmuştur. Uzun yıllar gerçekleşen yapılaşma sonucunda durgun hale gelen kent ortamında su, bulunduğu ortamdaki mikroklimayı dengelemek, mekâna canlılık kazandırmak, aktif ve pasif rekreasyonel aktivitelere imkân sağlamak amacıyla bir tasarım elemanı olarak kullanılmıştır. Su, bütün kentsel peyzajlar için temel bir nitelik olup çeşmelerin, fıskiyelerin ve kaskatlı suların faaliyetleri, doğanın en hoş şelalelerin görsel ve işitsel seremonisini yansıtmaktadır. Zamanla bütün bu estetik ve fonksiyonel etkiler suyun kentsel mekânda yoğun olarak kullanılmasına yol açmış, en çok kullanım olanağını da meydanlarda bularak kentsel mekânda yerini almıştır. Çünkü kentsel yaşamın geçtiği en önemli açık mekânlardan biri olan meydanların tasarımlarında, su elemanlarının önemli bir öğe olarak kullanılmasının nedeni, yoğun kent dokusu içinde görsel ve zihinsel bir rahatlama sağlamaları, birçok estetik ve işlevsel özelliğe sahip olmalarıdır. Meydanlarda önemli bir görsel odak oluşturmalarının yanı sıra, su elemanları çıkardıkları sesle çevredeki trafik gürültüsü gibi istenmeyen sesleri perdelerken, havaya karışan su zerrelerinin yarattığı serinlik ile de sıcak havalarda iklimsel konforu sağlamaktadır. Çalışmamız kapsamında öncelikle İstanbul meydanlarından su öğesini barındıran meydanların araştırma ve analizi yapılmış, yapılan araştırmalar sonucunda Sultanahmet Meydanı barındırdığı su öğeleri kapsamında çalışma alanları olarak seçilmiştir. Çalışmada Sultanahmet meydanının genel bir tarihçesi verilerek, kullanılan su öğelerine değinilmiş ve bu su öğelerinin tasarım açısından kullanım şekilleri ve sebepleri irdelenmiştir.

Divorce is a stressful life transformation process that includes the post-divorce stage as well as the stages of decision making and divorce proceedings. This process affects almost all areas of life and causes many changes in living conditions. On the one hand, the divorced individual confronts the reality of the divorce and realizes the intense emotions and changes to deal with. On the other hand, the individual focuses on his/her transition to a new identity and lifestyle. Current statistics reveal the increase in divorce rates both in the world and in our country. Therefore, it seems important to consider the divorce process in terms of adjustment. There are many approaches to examine divorce and post-divorce adjustment process. Although these models differ in explaining post-divorce adjustment, all of them consider adjustment as a part of the divorce process. Thus, this review study has several purposes. First of all, current divorce rates and effects of divorce in legal, economic, social terms and in terms of psychological and physiological health will be included. Then, divorce and post-divorce adjustment models and assessment of adjustment will be explained. It is believed that a comprehensive review of divorce and post-divorce adjustment would facilitate divorced individuals to access appropriate information and support. Besides, correct understanding of the process regarding divorce and divorce-adjustment will be useful for further studies.