A novel procedure to measure the antioxidant capacity of Yerba maté extracts

Yerba maté extracts have in vitro antioxidant capacity attributed to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, mainly chlorogenic acids and dicaffeoylquinic acid derivatives. DPPH is one of the most used assays to measure the antioxidant capacity of pure compounds and plant extracts. It is difficult to compare the results between studies because this assay is applied in too many different conditions by the different research groups. Thus, in order to assess the antioxidant capacity of yerba maté extracts, the following procedure is proposed: 100 µL of an aqueous dilution of the extracts is mixed in duplicate with 3.0 mL of a DPPH 'work solution in absolute methanol (100 µM.L-1), with an incubation time of 120 minutes in darkness at 37 ± 1 °C, and then absorbance is read at 517 nm against absolute methanol. The results should be expressed as ascorbic acid equivalents or Trolox equivalents in mass percentage (g% dm, dry matter) in order to facilitate comparisons. The AOC of the ethanolic extracts ranged between 12.8 and 23.1 g TE % dm and from 9.1 to 16.4 g AAE % dm. The AOC determined by the DPPH assay proposed in the present study can be related to the total polyphenolic content determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay

Not the End of the World? Post-Classical Decline and Recovery in Rural Anatolia

Between the foundation of Constantinople as capital of the eastern half of the Roman Empire in 330 CE and its sack by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 CE, the Byzantine Empire underwent a full cycle from political-economic stability, through rural insecurity and agrarian decline, and back to renewed prosperity. These stages plausibly correspond to the phases of over-extension (K), subsequent release (Ω) and recovery (α) of the Adaptive Cycle in Socio-Ecological Systems. Here we track and partly quantify the consequences of those changes in different regions of Anatolia, firstly for rural settlement (via regional archaeological surveys) and secondly for land cover (via pollen analysis). We also examine the impact of climate changes on the agrarian system. While individual histories vary, the archaeological record shows a major demographic decline between ca .650 and ca. 900 CE in central and southwestern Anatolia, which was then a frontier zone between Byzantine and Arab armies. In these regions, and also in northwest Anatolia, century-scale trends in pollen indicate a substantial decline in the production of cereal and tree crops, and a smaller decline in pastoral activity. During the subsequent recovery (α) phase after 900 CE there was strong regional differentiation, with central Anatolia moving to a new economic system based on agro-pastoralism, while lowland areas of northern and western Anatolia returned to the cultivation of commercial crops such as olive trees. The extent of recovery in the agrarian economy was broadly predictable by the magnitude of its preceding decline, but the trajectories of recovery varied between different regions

Modelling climate and societal resilience in the Eastern Mediterranean in the last Millennium

This article analyses high-quality hydroclimate proxy records and spatial reconstructions from the Central and Eastern Mediterranean and compares them with two Earth System Model simulations (CCSM4, MPI-ESM-P) for the Crusader period in the Levant (1095–1290 CE), the Mamluk regime in Transjordan (1260–1516 CE) and the Ottoman crisis and Celâlî Rebellion(1580–1610 CE). During the three time intervals, environmental and climatic stress tested the resilience of complex societies.We find that the multidecadal precipitation and drought variations in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean cannot be explained by external forcings (solar variations, tropical volcanism); rather they were driven by internal climate dynamics. Our research emphasises the challenges, opportunities and limitations of linking proxy records, palaeoreconstructions and model simulations to better understand how climate can affect human history

Eastern Mediterranean hydroclimate over the late glacial and Holocene, reconstructed from the sediments of Nar lake, central Turkey, using stable isotopes and carbonate mineralogy

There is a lack of high-resolution records of hydroclimate variability in the Eastern Mediterranean from the late glacial and early Holocene. More knowledge of the speed of climate shifts and the degree to which they were synchronous with changes in the North Atlantic or elsewhere is required to understand better the controls on Eastern Mediterranean climate. Using endogenic carbonate from a sediment sequence from Nar Gölü, a maar lake in central Turkey, dated by varve counting and uranium-thorium methods, we present high-resolution (∼25 years) oxygen (δ18O) and carbon isotope records, supported by carbonate mineralogy data, spanning the late glacial and Holocene. δ18Ocarbonate at Nar Gölü has been shown previously to be a strong proxy for regional water balance. After a dry period (i.e. evaporation far exceeding precipitation) in the Younger Dryas, the data show a transition into the relatively wetter early Holocene. In the early Holocene there are two drier periods that appear to peak at ∼9.3 ka and ∼8.2 ka, coincident with cooling ‘events’ seen in North Atlantic records. After this, and as seen in other records from the Eastern Mediterranean, there is a millennial-scale drying trend through the Mid Holocene Transition. The relatively dry late Holocene is punctuated by centennial-scale drought intervals, at the times of 4.2 ka ‘event’ and Late Bronze Age societal ‘collapse’. Overall, we show that central Turkey is drier when the North Atlantic is cooler, throughout this record and at multiple timescales, thought to be due to a weakening of the westerly storm track resulting from reduced cyclogenesis in the North Atlantic. However, some features, such as the Mid Holocene Transition and the fact the early Holocene dry episodes at Nar Gölü are of a longer duration than the more discrete ‘events’ seen in North Atlantic records, imply there are additional controls on Eastern Mediterranean hydroclimate

narrating traditional iranian carpet merchants

Iranian carpet merchants developed a collective identitary narrative to enhance their capital creation in the social field of the German market, the field of Iranian foreign trade, and transnational bazari networks. This chapter goes beyond the practicalities of juggling resources across social fields: it explains the motivation behind this agency. Building on David Graeber's anthropology of value, as well as on studies about identity marketing and ethnic entrepreneurship, I show how the merchants' resources were evaluated between the 1950s and today to explain by which systems of value these social fields were shaped. From the confrontation between changing systems of value emerges Iranian carpet merchants' potential to increase the efficiency of their capital creation by—collectively—trying to redefine the meaning of their resources

Preferences of the Common Octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) to artificial nests placed in different habitats at Urla Islands, Aegean Sea, Turkey

2-s2.0-85077661137The common octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 exhibits specific building den characteristics. This specific sheltering behaviour is a factor affecting distribution and abundances of octopuses in the marine environment. Based on this, the preference of octopuses to natural dens and artificial nests located in two habitats, i.e. sea-grass meadows of Neptune grass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile and sandy bottom areas, was determined. Totally, 200 artificial nests were placed along shores of Urla Islands, Aegean Sea, and observed through three years. During the study, a total of 245 octopuses were observed and 107 of them (43.67%) inhabited natural dens while 138 were found in artificial nests (56.33%). For those from artificial nests, octopuses preferred Neptune grass habitats (66.33%) and only 33.33% of individuals gave a preference to sandy areas. In the case of natural dens, these rates were 52.34% for Neptune grass meadows and 47.66% for sandy habitats. These results indicate that Neptune grass areas are preferred by octopuses in terms of using artificial nests with higher ratio. © 2019 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.F/028 Istanbul Üniversitesi: 54586 Firat University Scientific Research Projects Management Unit, FÜBAP: 2014/SÜF/028We thank ?skele Fisheries Cooperative and ?lyas Varol, one of the local fishermen, for their help in field works, and Seda K?ken, a graduate student at Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, for her help and dedicated work throughout the study. We also thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. ?lker Ayd?n for his positive support. This study was financially supported by the Scientific Research Projects Unit of Ege University, Project No. 2014/S?F/028. This study was also supported by Scientific Research Project Coordination Unit of the Istanbul University, Project no. 54586.Acknowledgments: We thank İskele Fisheries Cooperative and İlyas Varol, one of the local fishermen, for their help in field works, and Seda Köken, a graduate student at Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, for her help and dedicated work throughout the study. We also thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Aydın for his positive support. This study was financially supported by the Scientific Research Projects Unit of Ege University, Project No. 2014/SÜF/028. This study was also supported by Scientific Research Project Coordination Unit of the Istanbul University, Project no. 54586

Age and growth of bullet tuna, Auxis rochei (Risso), from the Turkish Mediterranean coasts

The study aims to identify the age and growth parameters of bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) in Turkish waters. The fish were caught from the Turkish Mediterranean coasts between December 2008 and December 2009. A total of 186 dorsal fin spines obtained from the specimens were analyzed for ageing and growth studies. The fork length of the aged individuals ranged from 34 to 48 cm for males and from 35 to 46.5 cm for the females. Fish ages ranged 1 to 5 years old and the mean lengths by age were calculated for both sexes. Growth parameter estimates were calculated from 150 cut spine sections which provided readable growth annuli by sex. The growth parameters based on standard von bertalanffy growth function are the following: for males, L∞ (asymptotic length) is equal to 60.417 cm; k (growth coefficient) is equal to 0.159; t0 (age at zero length) is equal to − 4.311; for females, L∞ is equal to 49.238 cm; k is equal to 0.312; t0 is equal to −3.011; for both sexes, L∞ is equal to  57.388 cm; k is equal to 0.181and t0 is equal to −4.155, respectively. The length and weight relationship was calculated with W equal to 0.0542 L2.68.Key words: Bullet tuna, Auxis rochei, age determination, growth, the Mediterranean sea

Chemical composition of grape canes

In this study, chemical composition of canes which were sampled from ten different grape cultivars was investigated. For the determination of total phenolics, total flavanols and total flavonol contents, canes were analyzed spectrophotometrically. The phenolic compositions of the canes, including caffeic acid, catechin, p-coumaric acid, epicatechin, gallic acid, luteolin and trans-resveratrol were detected by HPLC. The anthron method was used for the determination of total carbohydrate content. The minerals such as K, P, Ca, Fe, Mg and Zn were determined by ICP-OES. All the parameters investigated in this study significantly changed depending on the cultivar. The results showed that grape canes as agricultural wastes from commercial viticultural activities represent a potentially important source of phenolics, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins. Therefore the grape canes may be used as an easily accessible source of natural antioxidants and food supplement. © 2011 Elsevier B.V