The effect of different compost applications in organic production of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

It is well-known that compost and manure applications to all kinds of soils if these organic materials are mature and composted under favorable conditions result in improved soil fertility and crop production in terms of yield and quality, but because manure is expensive in our region and the application of in-farm production compost for organic lands and farms of Turkey is limited, there is a great and urgent need for demonstrate compost using advantages to soil fertility, plant yield-quality and food safety (Kir 2006). Vegetables account for only approximately 2% of total organic production in Turkey, but there is great potential for growth of organic production for both export and domestic consumption of organic products in our country. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most important species for testing effects of compost applications because of its sensitivity related with phyto-toxic effects of compost (Fuchs et al. 2008) and very important to find out productivity and sustainable production levels in crop production. It is obtained from the results at the end of the first two-year trials, respectively of the three year-planned research under organic management (framework of regulations of EU and Turkey) that (1) the artificial organic materials sourced from farms can be composted and applied to lettuce production to get a great profit in terms of environment and economic aspects of organic lettuce production significantly, (2) promising improvement of industry of compost production can be expected, (3) Organic lettuce can be consumed as microbiologically safe, (4) high quality lettuce production can be attained by using compost

Reduction of the Radiofrequency Heating of Metallic Devices Using a Dual-Drive Birdcage Coil

Cataloged from PDF version of article.In this work, it is demonstrated that a dual-drive birdcage coil can be used to reduce the radiofrequency heating of metallic devices during magnetic resonance imaging. By controlling the excitation currents of the two channels of a birdcage coil, the radiofrequency current that is induced near the lead tip could be set to zero. To monitor the current, the image artifacts near the lead tips were measured. The electric field distribution was controlled using a dual-drive birdcage coil. With this method, the lead currents and the lead tip temperatures were reduced substantially [<0.3 C for an applied 4.4 W/kg SAR compared to >4.9 C using quadrature excitation], as demonstrated by phantom and animal experiments. The homogeneity of the flip angle distribution was preserved, as shown by volunteer experiments. The normalized root-mean-square error of the flip angle distribution was less than 10% for all excitations. The average specific absorption rate increased as a trade-off for using different excitation patterns. Magn Reson Med 69:845–852, 2013. VC 2012 Wiley Periodicals, In

Effects of E‐textbook Instructor Annotations on Learner Performance

With additional features and increasing cost advantages, e-textbooks are becoming a viable alternative to paper textbooks. One important feature offered by enhanced e-textbooks (e-textbooks with interactive functionality) is the ability for instructors to annotate passages with additional insights. This paper describes a pilot study that examines the effects of instructor e-textbook annotations on student learning as measured by multiple-choice and open-ended test items. Fifty-two college students in a business course were randomly assigned either a paper or an electronic version of a textbook chapter. Results show that the e-textbook group outperformed the paper textbook group on the open-ended test item, while both groups performed equally on the multiple-choice subject test. These results suggest that the instructional affordances that an interactive e-textbook provides may lead to higher-level learning

Magic wand and the Enigma of the Sphinx

This paper presents an evaluation of the benefits and user acceptance of a multimodal interface in which the user interacts with a game-like interactive virtual reality application "The Enigma of the Sphinx". The interface consists of a large projection screen as the main display, a "magic wand", a stereo sound system and the user's voice for "casting spells". We present our conclusions concerning "friendliness" and sense of presence, based on observations of more than 150 users in a public even

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Electrochemical determination of ?-lactoglobulin in whey proteins

2-s2.0-85073938067Determination of ?-lactoglobulin in milk products is very important because ?-lactoglobulin is the main ingredient in whey-based protein powders. However, ?-lactoglobulin is a dangerous food allergen. On such an occasion, the determination of ?-lactoglobulin is coming into prominence and electrochemistry is a good alternative for this purpose because of its simple, economic and rapid response. In this work, a graphene oxide modified pencil graphite electrode is developed to determine ?-lactoglobulin based on the current signal of known concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Cyclic voltammetry technique is performed to obtain the electrochemical behavior of ?-lactoglobulin. Linear range, limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated according to the calibration curve of various amounts of ?-lactoglobulin. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy technique is also used to investigate the absorption behavior of ?-lactoglobulin in various biological macromolecules including whey proteins. The proposed graphene oxide modified pencil graphite surface is successfully applied to determine ?-lactoglobulin in real milk sample, so a new methodology based on a newly developed electrochemical technique is described as a promising alternative in diary products. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Museums as an educational medium: an implementation model

AbstractThe aim of the study was to construct knowledge about the prehistoric life style of Istanbul with regard to the clothing and sheltering. The research was carried out in three stages as pre-visit, visit, and post-visit to the Archeologically Museum where various educational techniques were used. 63 5th grade elementary school children participated in the study to test the effectiveness of the program. Statistical analysis revealed that the experimental group was more successful than the control group on conceptualizing the prehistoric life style and constructing knowledge about clothing and sheltering