Cognitive and functional deterioration in patients with severe COPD

The objective of this study was to examine the association among the duration of COPD, degree of hypoxemia, and neurological abnormalities including cognitive functioning. Fifty-four patients with severe COPD and 24 age- and sex-matched controls, were included in the study. All patients and controls were administered pulmonary function tests, standardized Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS), Physical Self-maintenance Scale (PSMS), Modified Activities of Daily Living scale (MADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale (IADL), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). In addition, detailed physical and neurological examinations were performed. Sixty-four percent of patients with COPD showed abnormalities in MMSE, predominantly in recent memory, construction, attention, language, and orientation domains. Functional abnormalities were correlated with cognitive abnormalities. Although COPD patients did not show significant depression compared to controls, 77.7%. of the patients showed subjective and objective cognitive disturbance and 72.2% of the patients were classified as questionable or mild dementia. In conclusion, patients with COPD show significant cognitive and functional impairments that cannot be explained just by coincidence or by depression.     

Attributes and Behaviors of Salespeople Preferred by Buyers: High Socializing vs. Low Socializing Industrial Buyers

A random sample of purchasing agents was surveyed and split into two groups based on their socializing behavior. These two groups differ as to the importance of various salesperson attributes and behaviors. It was also found that “high” socializers tend to engage in after-hour meetings and discuss non-business related topics more so than “low” socializers. In addition, “high” socializers tend to be younger, provide more time for sales meetings, have less tenure, and are more likely to be found in smaller purchasing departments compared to “low” socializers. Other findings and implications are discussed and areas for further research are suggested.     

Color and number preferences of patients with psychiatric disorders in eastern Turkey

Color and number preferences have not been studied in healthy sublets and psychiatric patients in Turkey. The study group consisted of a total of 500 patients who had been referred to Firat University Medical Faculty Psychiatry Clinic between March and July 2000 and diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder according to DSM-IV criteria. Preferred colors were requested as a selection from the Lüscher Color Test. Then the patients were told to choose a number between 0 and 9. Green was the most frequently preferred of all colors and the number 3 was the most preferred number. Our results demonstrate that patients' choice of color and number reflect the region's religious and cultural milieu.     

Mentoring in-service chemistry teachers: acquirements as mentees

The aim of this study is to identify a group of chemistry teachers’ (mentees) acquirements of mentoring program by analyzing their reflective journals. Four mentees participated in this study and they met with their mentors once a week for eight consecutive weeks. The mentees devised lesson plans as well as activities during the mentoring sessions. After each mentoring session, the mentees were asked to reflect the process and their gains to their journals. The journals were analyzed in two stages; content analysis of the journals and the analysis of the mentees level of reflections. The analysis of the mentees’ journals showed that the mentorship program supported the mentees to improve their pedagogical content knowledge; allow them to utilize various methods, techniques, and materials in their lessons. Besides, the mentees indicated that they performed chemistry courses more effectively with the help of the acquirements from the mentoring sessions. The result of this study showed also that mentors can play key roles in supporting professional developments of teachers. It is suggested that rehearsing lesson plans before going into the classroom would make the mentoring sessions more beneficial.     

Behaviors and attitudes of normally developing children toward their intellectually disabled siblings

This study investigated behaviors of children who have normal development toward their siblings with intellectual disabilities. 9- to 17-year-old normally developing siblings (55 girls, 39 boys) of 94, 5- to 15-year-old mentally disabled children (51 girls, 43 boys) who were attending a special education and rehabilitation center were enrolled in the study. Data were gathered by using a general information form and the Schaeffer Sibling Behavior Rating Scale. Age of the disabled child did not have a significant effect on siblings' behaviors, while knowledge of family about the diagnosis and educational status of their child with intellectual disabilities affected sibling behaviors.     

Prevalence of bulimic behaviors and trends in eating attitudes among Turkish late adolescents

The eating attitudes and the prevalence of bulimic behaviors in a group of 300 late adolescents were investigated using the key questions from the Bulimia Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE), and additional questions. Only four subjects (1.3%) scored above the cut-off point on the BITE, and prevalence rates of males and females were the same. Results showed that higher symptom scale scores were associated with the emergence of binge eating behavior and high energy intake. Females were less likely than males to see themselves as normal eaters and more likely to feel "miserable" when they binge. Higher score groups evidenced more dieting behavior than other groups and also more abnormal eating behavior. It was concluded that the prevalence of bulimic behaviors in Turkish late adolescents was low, but there was an increasing risk since they share Western ideals of slimness and engage in dieting.     

Mergers and group status: the impact of high,low and equal group status on identification and satisfaction with a company merger,experienced controllability,group identity and group cohesion

Although mergers are seen as tools to enhance business in today's global marketplace, they have had a low success rate, possibly because the focus has been on financial and legal issues rather than on the human factors involved. In this respect, focusing on the social psychological variables, social identity theory can provide an explanation for the failure of most mergers. An experiment based on this theory involving mergers between two workgroups was conducted to investigate the effects of merger‐related status on participants' psychological responses to the mergers. Thirty‐six small groups were assigned to three different status groups (high, low and equal status groups) using the minimal group paradigm. Most negative responses to the merger—in terms of identification with the merger group, satisfaction with the merger, common in‐group identity, group cohesion and controllability—were given by the members of the low status groups. Contrary to expectations, status was not related to the performance of the groups. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.