Social determinants of violence against adolescent married women and how the women respond to it: A qualitative study in the Kurdish areas of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: It is crucial to identify the factors that influence violence against women, one of Iran's most significant health and social issues. Thus, the purpose of this research is to explore the social determinants of violence against adolescent married women and how the women respond to it in the Kurdish areas of Iran via a qualitative approach. METHOD: The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the conventional content analysis method among 33 married adolescent women who experienced violence and key informants in the Kurdish areas of Iran. Targeted and snowball sampling were used to reach the participants, and semistructured interviews were used to collect data. In order to improve the quality of the research results, Guba and Lincoln criteria were observed. RESULTS: Four categories, 18 subcategories, and 195 codes were obtained from the data analysis: (a) sociocultural factors (beliefs dictated by cultural norms, fatalism, incomplete social support, and weakness of the law), (b) family factors (the prevalence of silence in the face of violence, the existence of a model of violence and aggression in families, and inappropriate conditions of the husband), (c) individual factors (strong dependence on the husband, unstable position, low self-confidence, not having enough sexual skills, not having enough skills in interpersonal relationships, and too much insistence on continuing married life), and (d) reactions from the victims (silence and concealment, seeking support, tolerance, confrontation, and revenge). CONCLUSIONS: Violence against adolescent married women is influenced by various sociocultural, family, and individual factors, and women react differently to the violence of their husbands, the most common of which is silence and concealment. Therefore, prevention of this phenomenon requires individual, family, social, and cultural interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Geographical Differences in Wound Complication Rates Following the Sinus Tarsi Approach in Displaced Intra-articular Calcaneal Fractures: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: The sinus tarsi approach (STA) has gained popularity for the treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures. No large studies comparing wound complications worldwide after STA surgery are available. The aim of this systematic review was to compare postoperative wound complication (POWC) and postoperative wound infection (POWI) rates following STA surgery between continents and countries and their differences in climate. Methods: A literature search was performed using the databases of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Studies published before January 1, 2000, including < 10 patients and written in a language other than English were excluded. Results: In total, 86 studies containing 4,392 surgeries via STA from 20 different countries were included. The mean POWC was 5.9% and the mean POWI was 4.4%. The highest median POWC rate was in North America (8.5%) and the lowest in South America (2.0%). No significant differences were found in the POWC and POWI rates between countries (p = 0.178 and p = 0.570, respectively), but significant differences were found between the POWC and POWI rates between continents (p = 0.011 and p = 0.036, respectively). The number of surgeries per year and climate differences, as represented by mean local temperature, were not correlated with both the POWC/POWI rates and functional outcome scores. Conclusions: Significant differences between the POWC and POWI rates were found between continents but not between individual countries. With a mean POWC of 5.9% and a mean POWI rate of 4.4%, STA has an intrinsic low risk for complications given the minimally invasive nature of the approach and is inevitably becoming the gold standard for calcaneal surgery.

Challenges and reactions of families of women survived self-immolation: A qualitative study in western Iran.

OBJECTIVE: Families are a key source of support for women recovering from self-immolation, a common form of suicide in many parts of the world. Yet, we know little about the challenges these families face. The present study explores the challenges and reactions of the families of women saved from self-immolation in western. METHOD: This qualitative research used a phenomenological approach with the families of women who survived self-immolation in western Iran. Saturation was achieved with semi-structured interviews with 31 participants who were selected through purposive sampling and snowball sampling. The Colaizzi approach was used to analyze the data, and Guba and Lincoln's four criteria were used to improve the quality of the results. RESULTS: Two categories, 11 subcategories, and 163 primary codes were obtained from the data analysis. (a) Challenges include the cost of treatment, a lack of appropriate health and treatment centers, family stigma, fear, and worry, challenges in justifying the victim's continued treatment and counseling, unpleasant feelings, the spread of family tensions, and a lack of support. (b) Reactions include rejection of the victim, compensation for the past, tolerance of the victim, and changes in family life conditions. CONCLUSION: The families of women survivors of self-immolation face various challenges. It is possible to reduce their problems to some extent and improve their health through environmental, financial, social, and educational support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparing the Clinical Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation with Traditional Speech and Language Rehabilitation in Children with Hearing Disabilities: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: The use of telerehabilitation for the treatment of speech and language disorders in the field of hearing is increasing. A comprehensive study comparing telerehabilitation's effectiveness with traditional rehabilitation can help us understand it better. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to compare the effectiveness of telerehabilitation with traditional rehabilitation for speech and language disorders in children with hearing disabilities in 2023. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, PubMed Central, Cochrane, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and the Web of Science from 2000 to February 28, 2023. The articles were selected based on keywords, determined criteria, and reviewed in terms of title, abstract, and full text. Finally, articles that were relevant to our aim were evaluated. Results: The initial search resulted in the extraction of 1,788 articles. After reviewing the articles and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine articles were selected for analysis. Four (44.44%) and 3 (33.33%) studies were case-control and quasi-experimental studies, respectively. Four (44.44%) studies were conducted in the United States. SPSS, Preschool Language Scales, fifth edition (PLS-5), and microphone were the most common tools, each of which included 4 (44.44%), 3 (33.33%), and (333.33%) studies. Conclusions: Traditional rehabilitation and telerehabilitation can effectively improve the speech and language skills of children with hearing disabilities. However, it is always suggested to use traditional rehabilitation first to achieve better results.

Identification of causes and consequences of Kolberi among Iranian Kurdish women: a grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Women turn to Kolberi for various reasons, which cause numerous challenges for them. Thus, it is imperative to identify these causes and problems. Since no study has ever been undertaken to deal with this participant, the present research aims to identify the causes and consequences of Kolberi among Kurdish women in Iran. METHOD: The present research uses the grounded theory approach to investigate 28 female Kurdish Kolbers. To achieve several participants, purposive, snowball, and theoretical sampling methods were used, while face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. The process of data collection and analysis took 10 months, from April to December 2022. The data were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin method and MAXQDA-20018 software. The Guba and Lincoln criteria were also met to increase the trustworthiness of the results. FINDINGS: Analysis of the data led to 143 initial codes, 31 subcategories, and 9 main categories: Causal condition (individual characteristics and economic factors); predisposing conditions (social and cultural factors, familial factors); intervening conditions (advantages and characteristics of Kolberi); strategies (strengthening compatibility with Kolberi); and consequences (individual problems, social problems and positive consequences). CONCLUSION: Measures such as training occupational skills for women and providing employment conditions for them, increasing social, financial, and mental support for women without guardians, creating border markets, and expanding women's handicrafts can help prevent female Kolberi.

Exploring the challenges of men who married to adolescent girls in Western Iran: A qualitative study.

Background and Aims: Men face many challenges in their lives with adolescent girls that need to be identified. No research has been conducted in this field in Iran. This research aimed to explore the challenges of men married to adolescent girls in western Iran using a qualitative approach. Methods: This research was conducted using qualitative methods and a conventional content analysis approach. Participants were 28 men in western Iran who had the experience of marrying girls under 18 years of age. Semi-structured interviews were used both face-to-face and over the phone to collect data. Also, snowballing and purposeful sampling were used to select the participants. The data were also analysed using Granheim and Lundman's approach. Results: From the data analysis, 1 category, 9 subcategories, and 103 primary codes were obtained. The main category was lack of empathy and consensus, which includes the subcategories of sexual dissatisfaction, girls' dependence on the family, inability to fulfill the roles of a wife, not being understood in life, remaining in the world of childhood, emotional divorce, limiting progress and preventing the achievement of goals, betrayal, and chaotic life. Conclusion: Young couples problems can be solved by measures such as giving sex education and teaching skills necessary for married life, such as problem solving skills and anger control, to adolescent men and girls, as well as training families on how to properly support adolescent couples.

Screening for causative mutations in ovine BMPR1B and BMP15 genes and their homologous fragments in human.

PURPOSE: The BMPR1B and BMP15 genes are well known for their considerable associations with prolificacy in sheep. These genes may also affect fertility or prolificacy in other species, including human. This study was conducted to investigate possible causative mutations in BMPR1B and BMP15 genes in human and an indigenous breed of sheep. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 83 singleton- and prolific Mehraban ewes and 81 infertile, singleton- and twin-bearing women. A 190-bp fragment, containing the FecB mutation in ovine BMPR1B, a 380-bp fragment in ovine BMP15 gene and their homologous fragments in human were amplified and then investigated by single-stranded conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing methods. RESULTS: The FecB mutation of BMPR1B (g.159A>G) was detected in the sheep population, but no polymorphic loci were found in the homologous fragment in studied human samples. The studied fragments of BMP15 were monomorphic in both sheep and human samples. A total of nine and 69 point-differences in the studied fragments of BMPR1B and BMP15 genes were detected between the species, respectively. In sheep, the G allele of BMPR1B had a positive effect on litter size (p<0.05), whereby all AG or GG ewes were prolific. CONCLUSION: The FecB mutation for the first time was detected in Mehraban sheep and therefore could be considered for marker-assisted selection in this breed. The studied fragments of BMPR1B and BMP15 genes are not responsible for reproduction variation in human. More studies on other genes, associated with fertility in human, are necessary in the future.

A meta-analysis of the validity of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task in predicting young children's academic performance.

The present study represents the first meta-analytic synthesis of the utility of a widely used early-childhood self-regulation measure, the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task, in predicting children's academic achievement. A systematic review of the literature yielded 69 studies accessed from peer reviewed journals representing 413 effect sizes and 19,917 children meeting the complete set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Robust variance analysis demonstrated that the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task was a consistent predictor of children's academic achievement across literacy, oral language, and mathematical outcomes. A moderator analysis indicated that in accordance with prior research, the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task was more strongly associated with children's mathematics performance relative to their performance on language and literacy measures. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task demonstrated statistically significant, positive associations with children's overall academic performance. These associations remained stable across different participant and measurement factors and are comparable to meta-analyses examining the self-regulation and academic association with multiple measures of self-regulation and executive function.

Adaptive fuzzy-based stability control and series impedance correction for the grid-tied inverter.

The regenerative braking in the tram allows the energy to be returned to the power grid through a power inverter. Since the inverter location between the tram and the power grid is not fixed, resulting in a wide variety of impedance networks at grid coupling points, posing a severe threat to the stable operation of the grid-tied inverter (GTI). By independently changing the loop characteristics of the GTI, the adaptive fuzzy PI controller (AFPIC) can adjust according to different impedance network parameters. It is challenging to fulfill the stability margin requirements of GTI under high network impedance since the PI controller has phase lag characteristics. A correction method of series virtual impedance is proposed, which connects the inductive link in a series configuration with the inverter output impedance, correcting the inverter equivalent output impedance from resistance-capacitance to resistance-inductance and improving the system stability margin. Feedforward control is adopted to improve the system's gain in the low-frequency band. Finally, the specific series impedance parameters are obtained by determining the maximum network impedance and setting the minimum phase margin of 45°. The realization of virtual impedance is simulated by conversion to an equivalent control block diagram, and the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method are verified by simulation and a 1 kW experimental prototype.

Prediction of Academic Motivation Based on Variables of Personality Traits, Academic Self-Efficacy, Academic Alienation and Social Support in Paramedical Students.

BACKGROUND: Academic motivation is one of the indices of success in scientific activities. Therefore, the goal of the present research is to predict academic motivation based on variables of personality traits, academic self-efficacy, academic alienation, and social support in students studying in different fields of paramedicine. METHOD: The research was correlation-descriptive in which 183 paramedical university students in the academic year of 2019-2020 were selected by a two-stage cluster random sampling method, studying in the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through the Vallerand Academic Motivation questionnaire, NEO Personality Inventory Test, Sherer Self-Efficacy questionnaire, Fleming Social Support questionnaire, and Johnson Academic Alienation, and the collected data were analyzed (Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression) using SPSS V.22 software. FINDINGS: The results showed that personality traits of extroversion (ß=0.255,p<0.01), openness to experience (ß=0.185,p<0.01), conscientiousness (ß=0.136,p<0.01), and self-efficacy could predict academic motivation, significantly; but neuroticism (ß=-0.188,p<0.05), and academic alienation (ß=-0.111,p<0.05) reversely related to academic motivation. Self-efficacy (ß=0.121,p<0.05) could significantly predict academic motivation. There was also a significant relationship between social support and academic motivation. CONCLUSION: The results of the research illustrated that some of the personality traits and self-efficacy had a positive role in predicting academic motivation among paramedical students, and neuroticism and alienation had a reverse negative role in academic motivation. Therefore, in order to promote the academic level of students, it is necessary to improve the harmful effects of self-efficacy and some personality traits that improve better learning performance and quality.

Occurrence of simple sequence repeats in cDNA sequences of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) reveals the importance of SSR-containing genes for cell biology and dynamic response to environmental cues.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a diploid crop plant belonging to the family Asteraceae and is well known as one of important oilseed crops due to edible oil containing unsaturated fatty acids. In recent years it is gaining increased attention for food, pharmaceutical and industrial uses, and hence the updating its breeding methods is necessary. Genic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in addition of being desire molecular markers, are supposed to influence gene function and the respective phenotype. This study aimed to identify SSRs in cDNA sequences and further analysis of the functional features of the SSR-containing genes to elucidate their role in biological and cellular processes. We identified 1,841 SSR regions in 1,667 cDNA sequences. Among all types of repeats, trinucleotide repeats were the most abundant (35.7%), followed by hexanucleotide (29.6%) and dinucleotide repeats (22.0%). Thirty five SSR primer pairs were validated by PCR reaction, detected a high rate of polymorphism (>57%) among safflower accessions, physically mapped on safflower genome and could clearly discriminate the cultivated accessions from wild relatives. The cDNA-derived SSR markers are suitable for evaluation of genetic diversity, linkage and association mapping studies and genome-based breeding programmes. Occurrence of SSR repeats in biologically-important classes of proteins such as kinases, transferases and transcription factors was inferred from functional analyses, which along with variability of their repeat copies, can endow the cell and whole organism the flexibility of facing with continuously changing environment, and indicate a structure-based evolution mechanism of the genome which acts as an up-to-dating tool for the cell and whole origanism, which is realized in GO terms such as involvement of most SSR-containing genes in biological, cellular and metabolic processes, especially in response to stimulus, response to stress, interaction to other organisms and defense responses.

Implementation of a Distributed Framework for Permissioned Blockchain-Based Secure Automotive Supply Chain Management.

An automotive supply chain includes a range of activities from the concept of the product to its final transfer to a customer and subsequent vehicle maintenance. The three distinct stages of this chain are production, sales, and maintenance. In many countries, automobile records are not available to the public and anyone who has access to the central database or government systems can tamper with these records. In addition, used vehicle maintenance and transfer histories remain unavailable or inaccessible. These issues can be overcome by incorporating state-of-the-art blockchain technology into automotive supply chain management. Blockchain technology uses a chain of blocks for distributed transfer and storage of information, creating a decentralized data register that makes records of any digital asset tamper-proof and transparent. In this paper, we implement a permissioned blockchain-based framework for secure and efficient supply chain management of the automobile industry. We employed Hyperledger Fabric; an enterprise-grade distributed ledger platform for developing solutions. In our solution, the blockchain is customized and private in order to ensure system security. We evaluated our system in terms of memory cost, monetary cost, and speed of execution. Our results demonstrate that only 346 MB of extra memory space is required for storing the automotive data of 1 million users, thus rendering the memory cost negligible. The monetary cost is insignificant as all open source blockchain resources are employed, and the speed of record update is also fast. Our results also show that the decentralization of the automotive supply chain using blockchain can implement system security with minor modifications in the established configuration of the web application database.

Activities and challenges of volunteers in confrontation with COVID-19: A qualitative study in Iran.

The control and prevention of COVID-19 requires the active and voluntary participation of the people. Because volunteers experience different activities and challenges, the present study aimed to identify the activities and challenges of volunteers in the face of COVID-19. The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis method among 35 volunteers in the field of COVID-19 using snowball sampling and semi-structured interviews. Data management was performed using MAXQDA-2018 software and its scrutiny was done by the Graneheim and Lundman analysis method. After analyzing the data, 2 main categories and 15 subcategories were obtained, including 1- Activities (instruction and training; production and distribution of hygiene items; economic aid; psychological and social support for COVID-19 affected people; cooperation with government organizations to implement quarantine; environmental disinfection; cooperation with and support of the medical staff; encouraging and persuading people to participate in voluntary work; attending and cooperating in high-risk centers) and 2- Challenges (fear and worry of getting infected; rejection; being different from other voluntary activities; experience of failure and helplessness; the difficulty of the recruitment and cooperation process; lack of adequate instruction on how to help). Volunteers have played wide and diverse roles in confrontation with COVID-19 and have been able to provide various types of support to government, health and social organizations and the general public in various ways, but due to the special circumstances of the COVID-19 epidemic, they have experienced many challenges at the same time.

Determinants of observing health protocols related to preventing COVID-19 in adult women: A qualitative study in Iran.

Background: The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to observe health protocols. Therefore, identifying the reasons of following these protocols in order to plan and make intervention seems necessary. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of observing health protocols related to prevention of COVID-19 among the Iranian adult women with a qualitative approach. Method: In this qualitative study, the conventional content analysis approach was used. saturation was obtained after face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 38 women from Kermanshah who were selected through purposeful sampling and snowball sampling. Guba and Lincoln criteria were used for the strength of the research and Graneheim and Lundman method was used for its analysis. Results: After analyzing the interviews, 5 categories, 12 subcategories and 110 initial codes were obtained. Categories and sub-categories were: 1- Individual factors (personality traits, health literacy about COVID-19); 2- Perceived risk having underlying disease in oneself and family, history of getting COVID-19 and death in close relatives; 3- Fear of the destructive consequences of the disease (concern about the economic consequences of getting the disease, concern about the treatment process); 4- Social and cultural factors (social monitoring, religious insight, ability to properly manage social interactions, impressionability from important others); 5- Environmental factors (supportive living environment, access to health and anti-infective materials). Conclusion: Increasing the adherence of adult women to health instructions related to COVID-19 requires interventions at different levels of individual, environmental and social, and without accurate knowledge of the customs and culture of a society effective interventions cannot be established.

Low-Stress and Optimum Design of Boost Converter for Renewable Energy Systems.

This paper examines the design and analysis of DC-DC converters for high-power and low-voltage applications such as renewable energy sources (RESs) and comparisons between converters based on switch stresses and efficiency. The RESs including photovoltaic arrays and fuel cell stacks must have enhanced output voltages, such as 380 V DC in the case of a full bridge inverter or 760 V DC in the case of a half bridge inverter, in order to interface with the 220 V AC grid-connected power system. One of the primary difficulties in developing renewable energy systems is enhancing DC-DC converters' efficiency to enable high step-up voltage conversion with high efficiency and low voltage stress. In the present work, the efficiency, current, and voltage stress of switches of an isolated Flyback boost converter, simple DC-DC Boost converter, and an Interleaved boost converter, are explored and studied relatively. The most suitable and optimized options with a high efficiency and low switching stress are investigated. The more suitable topology is designed and analyzed for the switch technology based on the Silicon-Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (Si-MOSFET) and the Gallium Nitride-High Electron Mobility Transistor (GaN-HEMT). The Analytical approach is analyzed in this paper based on efficiency and switching stress. It is explored that GaN HEMT based Flyback boost converter is the best. Finally, the future direction for further improving the efficiency of the proposed boost converter is investigated.

Nanostructure Sn/C Composite High-Performance Negative Electrode for Lithium Storage.

Tin-based nanocomposite materials embedded in carbon frameworks can be used as effective negative electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), owing to their high theoretical capacities with stable cycle performance. In this work, a low-cost and productive facile hydrothermal method was employed for the preparation of a Sn/C nanocomposite, in which Sn particles (sized in nanometers) were uniformly dispersed in the conductive carbon matrix. The as-prepared Sn/C nanocomposite displayed a considerable reversible capacity of 877 mAhg-1 at 0.1 Ag-1 with a high first cycle charge/discharge coulombic efficiency of about 77%, and showed 668 mAh/g even at a relatively high current density of 0.5 Ag-1 after 100 cycles. Furthermore, excellent rate capability performance was achieved for 806, 697, 630, 516, and 354 mAhg-1 at current densities 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 Ag-1, respectively. This outstanding and significantly improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the good distribution of Sn nanoparticles in the carbon framework, which helped to produce Sn/C nanocomposite next-generation negative electrodes for lithium-ion storage.

Duplex PD inertial damping control paradigm for active power decoupling of grid-tied virtual synchronous generator.

The growth of distributed generation significantly reduces the synchronous generators' overall rotational inertia, causing large frequency deviation and leading to an unstable grid. Adding virtual rotational inertia using virtual synchronous generators (VSG) is a promising technique to stabilize grid frequency. Due to coupled nature of frequency and active output power in a grid-tied virtual synchronous generator (GTVSG), the simultaneous design of transient response and steady state error becomes challenging. This paper presents a duplex PD inertial damping control (DPDIDC) technique to provide active power control decoupling in GTVSG. The power verses frequency characteristics of GTVSG is analyzed emphasizing the inconsistencies between the steady-state error and transient characteristics of active output power. The two PD controllers are placed in series with the generator's inertia forward channel and feedback channel. Finally, the performance superiority of the developed control scheme is validated using a simulation based study.

Physiologic Scoring Systems versus Glasgow Coma Scale in Predicting In-Hospital Mortality of Trauma Patients; a Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, several scoring systems have been developed to assess the severity of trauma and predict the outcome of trauma patients. This study aimed to compare Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in predicting the in-hospital mortality of trauma patients. METHODS: This diagnostic accuracy study was done on adult patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) between June 21, 2019, and September 21, 2020, following multiple trauma. Patients were followed as long as they were hospitalized. The REMS, MEWS, GCS, and ISS were calculated after data gathering and comprehensive assessment of injuries. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to examine the prognostic performance of the four different tools. RESULTS: Of the 754 patients, 32 patients (4.2%) died and 722 (95.8%) survived after 24 hours of admission. The mean age of the patients was 38.54 ± 18.58 years (78.9% male). The area under the ROC curves (AUC) of REMS, MEWS, ISS, and GCS score for predicting in-hospital mortality were 0.942 (95% CI [0.923-0.958]), 0.886 (95% CI [0.861-0.908]), 0.866 (95% CI [0.839-0.889]), and 0.851 (95% CI [0.823-0.876]), respectively. The AUC of REMS was significantly higher than GCS (p=0.035). The sensitivities of GCS ≤ 11, ISS ≥ 13, REMS ≥ 4, and MEWS ≥ 3 scores for in-hospital mortality were 0.56, 0.97, 0.81, and 0.94, respectively. Also, the specificities of GCS, ISS, REMS, and MEWS scores for in-hospital mortality were 0.93, 0.82, 0.81, and 0.85, respectively. CONCLUSION: It seems that REMS is more accurate than GCS, ISS, and MEWS in predicting in-hospital mortality ≥ 24 hours of multiple trauma patients.

Comparison of regression tree-based methods in genomic selection.

The aim of this study was to compare the predictive performance of tree-based methods including regression tree (RT), random forest (RF) and Boosting (BT) in genomic selection. To do this, a genome comprised of five chromosomes was simulated for 1000 individuals on which 5000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were evenly distributed. Comparison of methods was made in different scenarios of genetic architecture (number of QTL and distribution of QTL effects) and heritability level (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5). Computing time and memory requirement of the studied methods were also measured. In all the scenarios studied, the RT had the lowest accuracy, one-half to one-third of that was observed for RF and Boosting. Therefore, while RT was most efficient user of time and memory, because of its low accuracy, it was not recommended for genomic selection. Comparing RF and Boosting, at low levels of heritability (0.1 and 0.3), the prediction accuracy of RF was significantly higher than Boosting, but at heritability of 0.5, their accuracy was almost equal. In addition, RF was significantly superior to Boosting regarding computing time and memory requirement. While, heritability had a significant impact on the accuracy of prediction, the effect of number of QTL and distribution of QTL effects were not very dramatic. According to the overall performance of the studied methods, RF is recommended for genomic selection.

Assessment of anxiety in elderly population during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of compulsory home-stay in the central districts of Ankara, Turkey: A quantitative, qualitative mixed method study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the level of anxiety in elderly individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ankara province of Turkey and determine its associated factors. METHODS: A quantitative, qualitative mixed-method study performed in 1-10 June 2020 during the compulsory home-stay for elderly people in Turkey. The quantitative study was conducted using a structured online questionnaire with 278 participants aged 65 or older. The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) was used to assess the anxiety. An in-depth interview with 20 participants was used to fill the gap of face-to-face interview due to pandemic situation and strengthen the results of quantitative survey. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed separately. RESULTS: Of all participants, 88 (31.7%) had a score above the cut-off point for GAI. The prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) was significantly higher in female (37.8%) than in male (23.8%). Female gender, economic loss, uncertainty, and the time participants expend to follow news about COVID-19 pandemic were risk factors of GAD. On the other hand, higher education level, hobbies, and regular physical activity were protective factors against GAD. CONCLUSION: During the pandemic, social isolation and lockdown for elderly people make serious risk factor for their mental well-being. Measures must be taken to support the psychological well-being of elderly by promoting physical activity and hobbies at home, and reducing their economic concerns.