Photonuclear reactions with Zinc: A case for clinical linacs

The use of bremsstrahlung photons produced by a linac to induce photonuclear reactions is wide spread. However, using a clinical linac to produce the photons is a new concept. We aimed to induce photonuclear reactions on zinc isotopes and measure the subsequent transition energies and half-lives. For this purpose, a bremsstrahlung photon beam of 18 MeV endpoint energy produced by the Philips SLI-25 linac has been used. The subsequent decay has been measured with a well-shielded single HPGe detector. The results obtained for transition energies are in good agreement with the literature data and in many cases surpass these in accuracy. For the half-lives, we are in agreement with the literature data, but do not achieve their precision. The obtained accuracy for the transition energies show what is achievable in an experiment such as ours. We demonstrate the usefulness and benefits of employing clinical linacs for nuclear physics experiments

The Analysis of Collective Efficacy Perceptions of Athletes Playing in Table Tennis Leagues In Turkey in Terms of Some Variables,

In team sports, trust and the belief in being successful (collective efficacy) among the athletes of team sports can be effective on performance. In the meantime, analyses of the factors that can be an effective factor on perceptions of collective efficacy become more of an issue in terms of bringing a different perspective to the subject. Therefore, the purpose here is to research the level of collective efficacy of athletes playing in table tennis leagues in Turkey and the reasons affecting it. Target population of the study is composed of 597 players playing in table tennis leagues of Turkey; its sample constitutes randomly selected 224 table tennis players. A two-part questionnaire containing questions related to the demographic features and collective conscious levels was applied to the participants. The questionnaire used in the study was previously used in another study and its reliability was provided. Data of the questionnaire obtained from the participants were analyzed with PASW Statistic 18 package program. Following the reliability analysis, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was found as 0.90. As directed to the purpose of the study, Pearson correlation coefficient was used in analysis of data and Kruskal Wallis test was applied in comparisons with three or more groups. Moreover, Chi-Square test was used for independence research. Regression analyses were carried out with the purpose of determining to what extent the variables affect each other. In line with the researches conducted and data obtained, significant relations (<0.05) were found between the participants’ age, period of being registered athletics, duration of playing in the same team and their collective efficacy perceptions. The more these variables increase, the more the belief in the team and skills of team players increase in a positive way. In summary, it was concluded that the variables of age,sex, period of being registered athletics, duration of playing in the same team and total number of athletes are the factors that are effective on collective efficacy perception and it was found that 82% of the participants are of the opinion that their teams have the capacity to show good performance

The socio-cultural perception of death in Turkish society recorded in lament epics (1955-1975)

This study explores the socio-cultural perception of death among Turkish people. For this reason, 210 published lament epics written by Turkish folk singers across all of Turkey concerning deaths between 1955 and 1975 were selected for analysis. These epics were published on single pages and were sold. The statistical analysis based on detailed content analysis was done at the univariate, bivariate, and multivariate levels. The results of the study provide a full picture of perception of cases of death in Turkish society. These results show Turkish society is especially sensitive to cases of death at young age and to the murdered. Further, a clear perception of the working of fate is encountered in deaths resulting from disaster and accidents; but the desire for vengeance is recorded in those laments concerning martyrs and the murdered. The statistical data show that most commonly cited reasons for death after road accidents, were a consequence of relationships with the opposite sex and from a sense of honor. © 2014, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc

Use of Spectroscopic Techniques to Monitor Changes in Food Quality during Application of Natural Preservatives: A Review

Consumer demand for food of high quality has driven research for alternative methods of food preservation on the one hand, and the development of new and rapid quality assessment techniques on the other hand. Recently, there has been a growing need and interest in healthier food products, which has led to an increased interest in natural preservatives, such as essential oils, plant extracts, and edible films and coatings. Several studies have shown the potential of using biopreservation, natural antimicrobials, and antioxidant agents in place of other processing and preservation techniques (e.g., thermal and non-thermal treatments, freezing, or synthetic chemicals). Changes in food quality induced by the application of natural preservatives have been commonly evaluated using a range of traditional methods, including microbiology, sensory, and physicochemical measurements. Several spectroscopic techniques have been proposed as promising alternatives to the traditional time- consuming and destructive methods. This review will provide an overview of recent studies and highlight the potential of spectroscopic techniques to evaluate quality changes in food products following the application of natural preservatives

Classification of the Mediterranean lowland to submontane pine forest vegetation

Vegetation SurveyAim: Vegetation types of Mediterranean thermophilous pine forests dominated by Pinus brutia, Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea were studied in various areas. However, a comprehensive formal vegetation classification of these forests based on a detailed data analysis has never been developed. Our aim is to provide the first broad-scale classification of these pine forests based on a large data set of vegetation plots. Location: Southern Europe, North Africa, Levant, Anatolia, Crimea and the Caucasus. Methods: We prepared a data set of European and Mediterranean pine forest vegetation plots. We selected 7,277 plots dominated by the cold-sensitive Mediterranean pine species Pinus brutia, Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea. We classified these plots using TWINSPAN, interpreted the ecologically and biogeographically homogeneous TWINSPAN clusters as alliances, and developed an expert system for automatic vegetation classification at the class, order and alliance levels. Results: We described Pinetea halepensis as a new class for the Mediterranean lowland to submontane pine forests, included in the existing Pinetalia halepensis order, and distinguished 12 alliances of native thermophilous pine forests, including four newly described and three informal groups merging supposedly native stands and old-established plantations. The main gradients in species composition reflect elevational vegetation belts and the west–east, and partly north–south, biogeographical differences. Both temperature and precipitation seasonality co-vary with these gradients. Conclusions: We provide the first formal classification at the order and alliance levels for all the Mediterranean thermophilous pine forests based on vegetation-plot data. This classification includes traditional syntaxa, which have been critically revised, and a new class and four new alliances. We also outline a methodological workflow that might be useful for other vegetation classification syntheses. The expert system, which is jointly based on pine dominance and species composition, is a tool for applying this classification in research and nature conservation survey, monitoring and managementinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Protection of Animals through Human Rights. The Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights

The chapter discusses the potential of a human rights framework to contribute to the growth and development of global animal law. It takes as example the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, and examine the major trends in the Court’s judgments and admissibility decisions that directly or indirectly concern the rights or welfare of animals. It is concluded that the Court is not indifferent to the welfare of animals, but that animal welfare is instrumentalised: it is understood not as a good in itself, but is instead valued for its implications for human welfare and rights. The chapter then considers the obstacles that the anthropocentrism of the human rights idea and the instrumentalisation of animal concerns present to the use of human rights frameworks to further the development of global animal law, as well as the opportunities that exist in the meeting of these paradigms. It concludes that although the telos of human rights law is different from that of animal law, nevertheless there exist many overlapping concerns within which mutually beneficial interactions are possible

High-K volcanism in the Afyon region, western Turkey: from Si-oversaturated to Si-undersaturated volcanism

Volcanic rocks of the Afyon province (eastern part of western Anatolia) make up a multistage potassic and ultrapotassic alkaline series dated from 14 to 12 Ma. The early-stage Si-oversaturated volcanic rocks around the Afyon city and further southward are trachyandesitic volcanic activity (14.23 ± 0.09 Ma). Late-stage Si-undersaturated volcanism in the southernmost part of the Afyon volcanic province took place in three episodes inferred from their stratigraphic relationships and ages. Melilite– leucitites (11.50 ± 0.03 Ma), spotted rachyandesites, tephryphonolites and lamproites (11.91 ± 0.13 Ma) formed in the first episode; trachyandesites in the second episode and finally phonotephrites, phonolite, basaltic trachyandesites and nosean-bearing trachyandesites during the last episode. The parameter Q [normative q-(ne + lc + kls + ol)] of western Anatolia volcanism clearly decreased southward with time becoming zero in the time interval 10–15 Ma. The magmatism experienced a sudden change in the extent of Si saturation after 14 Ma, during late-stage volcanic activity of Afyon volcanic province at around 12 Ma, though there was some coexistence of Si-oversaturated and Si-undersaturated magmas during the whole life of Afyon volcanic province