Multidimensional Scaling Research Articles

Life satisfaction, perceived social support of mothers of children with cerebral palsy, and motor function of their children

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a leading cause of long-term disability in children worldwide where severe cases may require complete dependence on caregivers for mobility, self-care, and social participation. The demand for caregiving may negatively impact the level of life satisfaction of the caregivers, especially the mothers. This study was thus carried out to evaluate the level of life satisfaction of mothers of children with CP, its association with perceived social support, and the motor function of their children.MethodThe study involved 58 mothers of children with CP and their children. The level of life satisfaction, perceived social support, and socioeconomic status of the mothers were assessed using the satisfaction with life scale, the multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and the modified Kuppuswamy Socioeconomic Scale, respectively. The motor function of the children with CP was assessed using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).ResultAbout 38% of the mothers of children with cerebral palsy were fully satisfied with their lives. There was no significant association among the level of life satisfaction, perceived social support of mothers of children with CP, and the motor function of their children.ConclusionSix out of ten mothers of children with cerebral palsy are somewhat dissatisfied with life. It was recommended that measures to relieve factors leading to dissatisfaction with life should be put in place by national health policymakers.

Depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and perceived social support among Ugandan palliative care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To identify the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and psychosocial distress among Ugandan palliative care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, measure providers' perceived levels of social support, and identify factors affecting a provider's likelihood of being depressed, anxious, distressed, or perceiving various levels of social support. Data was collected from 123 palliative care providers using an online survey. Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire, respectively. Information on perceived level of social support was gathered through the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The survey also asked about mental health resources available to providers at their place of work and what resources are still needed. Participants ranged in age, gender, religion, marital status, clinical position, and years of experience in palliative care. Results indicate that 20% of respondents show signs of moderate to severe depression, 14% show signs of moderate to severe anxiety, and 33% show signs of psychological distress. Additionally, 50% of respondents reported a low total level of social support. Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress scores were all negatively correlated with perceived social support scores. Over 50% expressed a desire for additional mental health resources at their place of work. In 2021-2022, the severity of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress varied among palliative care providers in Uganda, with some experiencing moderate to severe mental health effects. Higher degrees of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were correlated with lower levels of perceived social support, highlighting the importance of social support during times of crisis. The results highlight a desire for improved access to mental health resources and will help providers and organizations provide better support and better prepare for future crises.

Development and validation of the ethnic trust scale in China.

Considerable research has shown that ethnic trust reflects the existence of friendly relations among all ethnic groups and ethnic individuals, and can help in resolving ethnic conflicts and contradictions, promoting exchanges among various ethnic groups, which is highly relevant to social stability. This research, including three studies, aimed to explore the conceptual structure of ethnic trust in China, and develop and validate a measurement of the ethnic trust scale. In the first study, we used free association and in-depth interview methodology, applied cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis, and grounded theory to construct the theoretical framework of Chinese people's ethnic trust concept. In the second study, we constructed an initial inventory based on the concept dimensions of ethnic trust established in the first study. We screened items by item analysis and extracted common factors using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), thus determining a total of 48 items in the two subscales (interpersonal-oriented ethnic trust subscale and the intergroup-oriented subscale), which consisted of two dimensions including particular trust and universal trust. In the third study, we used first-and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the scale's construct validity. The results indicated a good fit between the two-factor model and the data. And the ethnic trust scale showed very good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha >0.89) and test-retest reliability >0.70. Based on our results, have formed a ethnic trust scale by keeping 48 items, which can beused to measure the levels of interpersonal-oriented and group-oriented ethnic trust within the Chinese cultural context.

Metagenomic Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Bee Bread in Türkiye

This study aims to investigate the bacterial community structure in bee bread samples collected from 10 provinces of Türkiye using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and metagenomic analysis. Bacterial genomic DNA was extracted and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Bioinformatic analysis involved quality assessment, OTU classification, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), and diversity index calculations. Heatmap and PCoA were utilized to explore the impact of locality and ecological zones on microbial diversity. Metagenomic analysis of 12 bee bread samples revealed 276,583 high-quality sequencing reads. The dominant bacterial phyla identified were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes. At the genus level, Streptomyces, Streptococcus, Bacillus, and Synechococcus were the most abundant, with Streptomyces and Bacillus playing key roles in the fermentation process of bee bread. The Shannon diversity index (ranging from 2.92 to 4.26) and Simpson's index (0.83 to 0.95) indicated high species diversity and relative abundance in bee bread. The study underscores the need for locality-specific approaches in beekeeping management and highlights the potential significance of beneficial bacterial taxa, particularly those involved in fermentation, in contributing to the nutritional and health properties of bee bread. These findings provide a foundation for further research on the microbial dynamics that support bee colony health.

Distinct bacterial and eukaryotic communities reflect the specificity of different coral reefs in the South China Sea

The microbial composition of surrounding waters is crucial for the health of coral reefs and holds significant value for understanding the complexity and environmental adaptability of coral reef ecosystems. This study reveals the spatial heterogeneity and diversity characteristics of bacterial and eukaryotic communities in different coral reef regions of the South China Sea. Chao and Shannon indices showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in diversity of bacterial and eukaryotic communities across different coral reefs. PCoA (principal coordinate analysis) indicates significant differences in community composition among regions, highlighting the crucial role of coral reef environmental heterogeneity on microbial community. NST (normalized stochasticity ratio) analysis indicates that community assembly in coral reef areas is more influenced by ecological stochastic processes. Major bacterial groups include Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidota, while dominant eukaryotic groups include Dinophyceae, Apicomplexa, Bacillariophyta, Florideophyceae, Mamiellophyceae, Syndiniales, Prasino-Clade-VII, and Ascomycota, each showing significant abundance differences across coral reef regions (p < 0.05). High abundance of Rhodobacterales and Flavobacteriales are detected in all coral reef waters. Correlation analysis indicates that temperature, pH, and salinity are important factors affecting the bacterial and eukaryotic communities. This study reveals the spatial heterogeneity of microbial communities in coral reef regions of South China Sea and underscores the significant impact of marine environmental heterogeneity on community structure.

Research on Evaluation and Prediction Methods of Cognitive Intentions for Product Morphological Features

The morphological characteristics of a product serve as essential carriers for conveying design intentions. These characteristics directly affect users’ comprehension of the product’s functions and proper usage, which are critical to the safety of product utilization and the overall comfort of the user experience. Incorporating prior experience to predict users’ cognitive intentions regarding product form characteristics can provide valuable evaluation and decision-making references for design. This approach effectively reduces product development risks and contributes to enhancing user acceptance and experience. The study established intention discrimination indicators for form characteristics, covering six dimensions: functional orientation, behavioral intention, recognizability, cognitive load, attention distribution, and experiential feeling. Combining multidimensional scaling (MDS) and systematic clustering, samples were screened, and the morphological decomposition method was used to categorize and extract form characteristic categories and feature factors. The entropy weight method was applied to assign weights to the feature categories, and a feedforward neural network (FNN) was employed to construct a prediction model for cognitive intentions regarding product form characteristics. The model was tested using leave-one-out cross-validation, yielding a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.0089 and an R correlation coefficient of 0.9998, indicating high reliability. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of this method were validated through a case study on earthquake science experience facilities.

Geographical Variation in the Sand Cat, Felis margarita (Carnivora: Felidae)

Sand cats, Felis margarita, range from northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia. Their apparently discontinuous distribution is recognized as comprising four subspecies. Recent genetic research found little differentiation between subspecies except for the North African form. In this study, 90 skins and 88 skulls were analyzed from the four subspecies. A discriminant function analysis of the scores, ranging from 1 to 4, of four pelage characteristics revealed differentiation between putative subspecies, except between Turkmenian and Pakistani sand cats. Northern African and Arabian sand cats tend to be spotted and striped, while Turkmenian and Pakistani sand cats are less spotted and have a dorsal crest of fur. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) models generated from 21 skull measurements revealed an overlap in morphospace between all subspecies, except for larger Turkmenian sand cats; northern African sand cats were smallest. Therefore, both pelage characteristics and skull morphometrics support up to three subspecies. However, considering recent genetic research, it is likely that two subspecies should be recognized, F. m. margarita from northern Africa and F. m. thinobia from the Arabian Peninsula, and Southwest and Central Asia. Widening of the dataset and nuclear DNA evidence are required to increase our understanding of geographical variation in this little studied species.

School-to-Work Transition in the Youth Labor Market in Central and Eastern Europe: A Cluster Analysis Approach

Abstract Background This study analyzes education, training, and the youth labor market in central and eastern Europe. Objectives This study aims to evaluate similarities and differences in youth labor markets among eleven central and eastern European countries from 2008 to 2021. It specifically examines three aspects: wage ratios, early departure from education or training, and the share of the population not in employment, education, or training. Methods/Approach This study applies hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling to panel data. The complete-link method organizes countries into clusters. This study combines three-dimensional Cartesian projections and two-dimensional projections based on multidimensional scaling with dendrograms and heatmaps, to graphically illustrate the "school-to-work" transition across this region. Results Clustering highlights the Visegrád countries, the Baltics, and the Balkans as zones with internally homogeneous yet externally heterogeneous challenges for the youth generation. As the outliers in each of these regions, Poland, Estonia, and Bulgaria support clustering solutions that deviate from conventional understandings of central and eastern Europe. Conclusions Historical and geographical ties continue to define this region’s youth labor markets across political and economic dimensions. Clustering analysis identifies triumphs and struggles in policymaking in some of the poorest and most politically challenging member-states of the European Union.

Bully victimization and self-esteem among students with communication disorders

BackgroundBullying is a universal problem among school-aged adolescents, characterized by recurrent and destructive behavior toward peers. Bullying victimization has a strong impact on self-esteem. Students diagnosed with communication disorders are more likely to experience low self-esteem. The study’s main goal is to detect a correlation between victimization and self-esteem in teenage students diagnosed with communication disorders.MethodsFrom October 2023 to March 2024, we conducted this cross-sectional study in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The study included 150 teenage students of both genders diagnosed with communication disorders. Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale was used to measure self-esteem, and the multidimensional peer victimization scale was used to measure bullying victimization. We analyzed the data using independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and simple linear regression analysis.ResultsThis study found that students with communication disorders experience high levels of bullying victimization (M = 18.63) and report low self-esteem (M = 13.56). A significant negative correlation was observed between bullying victimization and self-esteem (r2 = 0.21), indicating that bullying accounts for 21% of the variance in self-esteem. Male students were more likely to experience higher levels of bullying victimization and lower self-esteem compared to female students.ConclusionThe study determined the severe impact of bullying on the self-esteem of adolescent students with communication disorders, particularly among males and those with stuttering. The long-term effects of bullying and potential protective factors that could mitigate its impact on self-esteem require further research.

Characterization of newborn gut microbiota according to the pre-gestational maternal nutritional status and delivery mode.

The aim of this study is to characterize the composition of the newborn gut microbiota based on the maternal pre-pregnancy nutritional status and the delivery mode. A biological sample was collected from the anal mucosa of the newborns between 24 and 48h after delivery, as it was not possible to collect a meconium sample at that time. A general data collection questionnaire was administered. The microbiome of the samples was analyzed by next-generation sequencing of the hypervariable regions v3-v4 of the 16S gene. Alpha diversity analyses were performed using the Observed Richness and Shannon diversity index metrics and Beta diversity analyses were conducted using Nonmetric multidimensional scaling with Weighted Unifrac, Differential abundance analysis was performed using a Negative Binomial Wald Test with maximum likelihood estimation for coefficients of Generalized Linear Models. Newborns of obese mothers exhibited lower alpha diversity compared to newborns of mothers with adequate BMI (body mass index). We observed variation in the composition of the microbial community in newborn stool samples, both from mothers with overweight/obesity and those with adequate pre-pregnancy BMI. We observed a visible correlation between the mode of delivery and the newborn's microbiota. We found variation in the overall composition of the microbial community in the stools of newborns, regardless of the delivery mode. The results of our study demonstrate differences in the microbiota of neonates born via cesarean section compared to those born vaginally as well as differences in newborns of mothers with overweight/obesity compared to those with an adequate pre-pregnancy BMI.

Elder mistreatment and psychological resilience: the moderating role of social support

ABSTRACT This study examines the possible consequence of elder mistreatment on resilience and whether social support moderates this posited association, using a rural sample of 432 community-dwelling older Chinese adults aged 60 to 79 years. Elder abuse included verbal abuse, physical abuse, or financial exploitation. Social support was measured by The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Resilience was represented by a seven-item scale. Hierarchical regression models indicated that mistreatment is significantly related to low levels of resilience when confounding factors are adjusted. A significant interaction term (abuse × social support) was also detected. Mistreated respondents who reported higher levels of social support were less likely to experience low resilience compared to those with lower levels of social support. Social support buffers against the undesirable effect of mistreatment on resilience, especially for those who were abused.

An innovative technology for producing agricultural Jiaosu from fruit waste without additional sugar and water: Fermentation characteristics, microbial community, and its impact on the growth of pakchoi

Landfilling or incineration of fruit waste causes serious environmental problems and economic losses. Agricultural Jiaosu (AJ) can convert fruit waste into agricultural inputs. However, traditional AJ preparation requires large amounts of brown sugar and water, restricting its large-scale application. In this study, five types of single fruit waste and one type of mixed fruit waste were used to produce AJ without additional of sugar and water. The physicochemical properties and microbial community dynamics of AJ fermentation were analyzed, and the effects and potential mechanism of AJ in promoting pakchoi growth were evaluated. The results showed that during the digestion process, the pH value of all AJ gradually decreased to below 3.6. Organic acids were the main metabolites, lactic acid and acetic acid accounted for 46.55 %–99.22 % of all organic acids. As fermentation progressed, Firmicutes gradually replaced Proteobacteria as the most dominant phylum, accounting for 54.1 %–99.41 % of the microbial communities. After 90 days, Lactobacillus and Lentilactobacillus were the dominant genera in all AJ, accounting for 44.49 %–92.54 % of the communities. Structural equation modeling revealed that AJ promoted plant growth through organic acids and bacterial community. This study is the first time to propose the concept of producing AJ from fruit waste without additional sugar and water and reveals the fermentation characteristics and microbial dynamics of AJ, as well as its potential mechanism as a biological inoculant in promoting plant growth. This study provides a new approach for the large-scale utilization of fruit waste to produce green agricultural inputs.Abbreviations: AJ, agricultural Jiaosu; ANOVA, analysis of variance; ASVs, amplicon sequence variants; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; LDA, linear discriminant analysis; LEfSe, linear discriminant analysis effect size; PCoA, Principal coordinates analysis; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; RDA, redundancy analysis; rRNA, ribosomal RNA; SEM, structural equation modeling.

An Investigation of The Relationship Between Perceived Social Support And Care Dependency In Patients Who Underwent Cardiovascular Surgery Intervention

This study aims to investigate the relationship between perceived social support and care dependency in patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery intervention. The study sample consisted of 165 patients who were hospitalized and underwent cardiovascular surgery intervention between 01.06.2021 and 01.09.2021. Data were collected using a questionnaire form, the Care Dependency Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The average age of the participating patients was 60.81±1.46 years. Of all the patients, 60% were male, 77% were married. While 58.8% of the participants had another chronic disease, 53.3% could take care of themselves. Patients’ level of care dependency was found to be low (59.80±16.88), and their level of perceived social support was found to be high (74.15±11.41). A weak and negative correlation (r=-0.262) was detected between the Care Dependency Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Increasing the perceived social support in hospitalized patients who underwent surgical intervention is considered to decrease their level of care dependency. It is important to determine these patients’ perceived social support and care dependency levels and to plan necessary nursing interventions accordingly.

Characteristics of Phytoplankton Community Structure in Lakes of Wetlands Dominated by Different Aquatic Plants and Its Driving Factors

In wetland ecosystems, small shallow lakes are critical transition zones of land and water, which are usually dominated by aquatic plants with different growth forms. However, the differences and key influencing factors of phytoplankton communities in shallow lakes dominated by different aquatic plants are unclear. On this basis, nine surveys were conducted at five sampling sites of three lakes in Zhangye National Wetland Park from June to November in 2022, which were respectively dominated by the emergent Phragmites australis （LL）, the submerged Potamogeton perfoliatus （CL）, and the floating-leaved Nymphaea tetragona （SL）. During the study period, the three lakes showed obvious habitat differences. A total of 237 species of phytoplankton in seven phyla and 93 genera were identified in the three lakes, including 189 species, 151 species, and 147 species in the LL, CL, and SL lakes, respectively. Among them, Ulnaria acus, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Nitzschia stagnorum, Navicula radiosa, and Gymnodinium aeruginosum were shared dominant species of all three lakes, indicating that they had strong environmental adaptability, whereas Navicula lanceolala, Encyonopsis cesatii, and Eunotia diodon and Cymbella aequalis were only dominant in the CL, LL, and SL lakes, respectively. Simultaneously, these dominant algae appeared with obviously distinct statuses of niche width, niche overlap, and interspecific correlation among the three lakes. Using principal coordinate analysis （PCoA） and permutational multivariate analysis of variance （PERMANOVA）, significant differences were found in algal community composition among the three lakes （P<0.001）. Multiple regression on （dis）similarity matrices analysis （MRM） showed that the heterogeneity of phytoplankton communities among the three lakes was positively affected by NO3--N and pH and negatively affected by dissolved oxygen （DO） and was closely positively correlated with the abundance of six dominant species, namely, S. quadricauda, U. acus, N. stagnorum, Pseudoanabaena sp., Merismopedia punctata, and A. minutissimum. These results indicate that aquatic plants with different growth types could affect the composition, structure, and stability of phytoplankton communities in the same habitat with them by shaping their habitat heterogeneity. Therefore, selecting specific growth types of aquatic plants for aquatic ecosystem restoration in wetland construction and management will be conducive to regulate the state of water habitat and phytoplankton community structure effectively.

Identifying Comorbidity Patterns in People with and without Alzheimer's Disease Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation.

Multimorbidity is common in older adults and complicates diagnosing and care for this population. We investigated co-occurrence patterns (clustering) of medical conditions in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their matched controls. The register-based Medication use and Alzheimer's disease study (MEDALZ) includes 70,718 community-dwelling persons with incident AD diagnosed during 2005-2011 in Finland and a matched comparison cohort. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was used to cluster the comorbidities (ICD-10 diagnosis codes). Modeling was performed separately for AD and control cohorts. We experimented with different numbers of clusters (also known as topics in the field of Natural Language Processing) ranging from five to 20. In both cohorts, 17 of the 20 most frequent diagnoses were the same. Based on a qualitative assessment by medical experts, the cluster patterns were not affected by the number of clusters, but the best interpretability was observed in the 10-cluster model. Quantitative assessment of the optimal number of clusters by log-likelihood estimate did not imply a specific optimal number of clusters. Multidimensional scaling visualized the variability in cluster size and (dis)similarity between the clusters with more overlapping of clusters and variation in group size seen in the AD cohort. Early signs and symptoms of AD were more commonly clustered together in the AD cohort than in the comparison cohort. This study experimented with using natural language processing techniques for clustering patterns from an epidemiological study. From the computed clusters, it was possible to qualitatively identify multimorbidity that differentiates AD cases and controls.

A taxonomy for human social perception: Data-driven modeling with cinematic stimuli.

Every day, humans encounter complex social situations that need to be encoded effectively to allow interaction with others. Yet, principles for organizing the perception of social features from the external world remain poorly characterized. In this large-scale study, we investigated the principles of social perception in dynamic scenes. In the primary data set, we presented 234 movie clips (41 min) containing various social situations to 1,140 participants and asked them to evaluate the presence of 138 social features in each clip. Analyses of the social feature ratings revealed that some features are perceived categorically (present or absent) and others continuously (intensity) and simple social features requiring immediate response are perceived most consistently across participants. To establish the low-dimensional perceptual organization for social features based on movies, we used principal coordinate analysis and consensus clustering for the feature ratings. These dimension reduction analyses revealed that the social perceptual structure can be modeled with eight main dimensions and that behaviorally relevant perceptual categories emerge from these main dimensions. This social perceptual structure generalized from the perception of unrelated Hollywood movie clips to the perception of a full Finnish movie (70 min) and to the perception of static images (n = 468) and across three independent sets of participants (n = 2,254). Based on the results, we propose eight basic dimensions of social perception as a model for rapid social perception where social situations are perceived along eight orthogonal perceptual dimensions (most importantly emotional valence, empathy vs. dominance, and cognitive vs. physical behavior). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Validity of the multidimensional reputation perception scale in private universities

University reputation is the result of the assessments that the stakeholders make of the university, especially the user of the education service, the student. The literature has shown an important impact of reputation on the student’s perception of the university, and it has been related to success, competitiveness, sustainability, stakeholder decision-making and the differential of the value offer. Therefore, its evaluation has been the subject of several studies that seek to measure and assess reputation in higher education to understand how to manage it. This article evaluates the psychometric properties of the reputation scale in students at private universities in Colombia. The methodology used included an adaptation of the scale to the Spanish language, content validity analysis, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed the validity and reliability of the scale and, through the analyses carried out, provided evidence of the scale’s robustness.

Assessing the population structure and genetic diversity of wheat germplasm with the iPBS-retrotransposons marker system

Context Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important crop that provides food to millions of people all over the world. Currently, wheat production is limited due to various biotic and abiotic stresses resulting from uneven patterns of climate change. Therefore, it is very important to develop climate-resilient wheat cultivars. Crop genetic diversity allows the scientific community to identify genetic variations that can be utilised in the development of improved cultivars. Aims This study planned to characterise the wheat germplasm with the iPBS-retrotransposons marker system. Methods A total of 30 iPBS-retrotransposons markers were screened and among these, the 12 most polymorphic markers were selected for further analysis. Key results Molecular characterisation yielded a total of 170 bands, of which 143 were polymorphic. A substantial level of genetic diversity was observed (mean effective number of alleles: 1.37, Shannon’s information index: 0.23, gene diversity: 0.35). Maximum genetic distance was observed in G9 and G60 genotypes. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that most genetic variation (95%) occurred within the populations. The model-based structure algorithm divided the studied germplasm into three populations based on their collection regions. Similarly, the neighbour-joining analysis also divided 70 tested wheat genotypes into three populations, whereas principal coordinate analysis divided the evaluated germplasm into four populations. Conclusions This study confirms the iPBS-retrotransposons as an ideal marker for the genetic diversity assessment studies for any crop, especially for wheat. Implications The results presented here will be helpful for the scientific community in the marker-assisted breeding of wheat.

Socioeconomic status and the perceived social support in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder: the SOLACE-Brasil study

Objectives The socioeconomic status of families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can significantly impact the perception of social support. This study aimed to determine the perceived social support in mothers of children with ASD and to identify the sociodemographic variables associated with low perceived social support. Methods The SOLACE-Brasil study is a web-based cross-sectional survey that enrolled 1,924 mothers of children with ASD. Data were collected by distributing the online form on social media in a snowball fashion. Perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results The average score for perceived social support was 46.7 ± 16.3, with 24.9% of respondents reporting low perceived social support. Higher family income was associated with a lower chance of having low social support, independent of other confounding variables (OR: 0.54 95%CI: 0.34–0.85). Additionally, unemployment was independently associated with low social support (OR: 1.49 95%CI: 1.13–1.96). Divorced mothers and those with more than one child with ASD were more likely to report low perceived social support. Conclusions Assessing socioeconomic status is crucial for improving the perceived social support of families with children with ASD. Governmental policies should guarantee a minimum income and employment programs to support these families.

Intergroup variability of the khakas based on non-metric cranial traits data

Introduction. The formation of the gene pool of modern Khakas people occurred through the interaction of various groups of ancient inhabitants of the Minusinsk Basin. This article is focused on the inter-group analysis of craniological series representing different Khakassian subethnic groups. Materials and Methods. The cranial series of the Kachins, Koibals, Sagais, and Beltirs was studied using the battery of 36 cranial non-metric characteristics. The obtained data was compared with data on other populations of Southern and Western Siberia: Shors, Tuvans, Telengits, Selkups, Khants, and Mansis. The analysis of the biological diversity of populations was carried out using Smith's mean measure of divergence (MMD) followed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Results. The Kachins are the most distant from the other Khakas subethnic groups, forming a cluster with the Telengits and Tuvans. The Koibals and Beltirs were positioned quite close to the Shors. The Sagais occupied a separate position in the Khakas cluster, presumably due to a greater proportion of Europoid admixture compared to other Khakas groups. The pooled Khakas sample shares similar cranial non-metric characteristics with Turkic-speaking ethnic groups of Southern Siberia: Shors, Telengits, and Tuvans. Discussion. The nature of phenetic differentiation of the Khakas sub-ethnic groups presumably reveals their complex population history. The position of the Kachins outside the Khakas cluster based on non-metric traits resulted from specificity of their phenofund, which is also supported by molecular genetic data. The similarity in the phenofund of the Khakas groups to those of the Tuvans and Telengits may result from gene flow between Khakas populations and the peoples of Southern Siberia or/and from their common episodes in their ethnogenesis. The similarity between pooled Khakassian sample and the Shors presumably suggests involvement of common genetic components in the gene pools of these peoples, which is consistent with molecular genetic data. Conclusion. The correspondence of the obtained results with genetic data suggests the possibility of using cranial non-metric traits to identify genetic relationships between ancient populations in the absence of direct genetic information.