Studies of ecomorphological variations of the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in Turkey

Hares (Lepus spp.) are widely distributed across the globe and are adapted to diverse climatic conditions. In order to study the ecomorphological variations of hares from Turkey, the body and cranial measurements and body weight, as well as coat color types, of 138 hares collected from all over Turkey between 2006 and 2012, were examined. Statistically significant differences between regional samples (p <0.05, ANOVA) only in terms of body weight and hindfoot length were found; however, there were a good number of external phenotypes, particularly in terms of coat color variants of the hare specimens. Furthermore, populations had similar variations in terms of morphometric measurement, body weight and coat coloration between different geographical regions. Turkish hares did not exhibit clinal variations from south to north in body and cranial measurements depending on the mean annual temperatures and precipitation. Therefore, it was assumed that all of these variations might be a polymorphism related to the local adaptations and high level of admixture of gene pools in Anatolia

Improving pulse crops as a source of protein, starch and micronutrients

Pulse crops have been known for a long time to have beneficial nutritional profiles for human diets but have been neglected in terms of cultivation, consumption and scientific research in many parts of the world. Broad dietary shifts will be required if anthropogenic climate change is to be mitigated in the future, and pulse crops should be an important component of this change by providing an environmentally sustainable source of protein, resistant starch and micronutrients. Further enhancement of the nutritional composition of pulse crops could benefit human health, helping to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduce risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding the nutritional content of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), two major UK pulse crops, and discusses the potential for their genetic improvement

Could lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy provide oncological providence for local resectional techniques for colon cancer? A review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endoscopic resectional techniques for colon cancer are undermined by their inability to determine lymph node status. This limits their application to only those lesions at the most minimal risk of lymphatic dissemination whereas their technical capacity could allow intraluminal or even transluminal address of larger lesions. Sentinel node biopsy may theoretically address this breach although the variability of its reported results for this disease is worrisome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were interrogated back to 1999 to identify all publications concerning lymphatic mapping for colon cancer with reference cross-checking for completeness. All reports were examined from the perspective of in vivo technique accuracy selectively in early stage disease (i.e. lesions potentially within the technical capacity of endoscopic resection).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-two studies detailing the experiences of 3390 patients were identified. Considerable variation in patient characteristics as well as in surgical and histological quality assurances were however evident among the studies identified. In addition, considerable contamination of the studies by inclusion of rectal cancer without subgroup separation was frequent. Indeed such is the heterogeneity of the publications to date, formal meta-analysis to pool patient cohorts in order to definitively ascertain technique accuracy in those with T1 and/or T2 cancer is not possible. Although lymphatic mapping in early stage neoplasia alone has rarely been specifically studied, those studies that included examination of false negative rates identified high T3/4 patient proportions and larger tumor size as being important confounders. Under selected circumstances however the technique seems to perform sufficiently reliably to allow it prompt consideration of its use to tailor operative extent.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The specific question of whether sentinel node biopsy can augment the oncological propriety for endoscopic resective techniques (including Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery [NOTES]) cannot be definitively answered at present. Study heterogeneity may account for the variability evident in the results from different centers. Enhanced capacity (perhaps to the level necessary to consider selective avoidance of en bloc mesenteric resection) by its confinement to only early stage disease is plausible although not proven. Specific study of the technique in early stage tumors is clearly essential before proffering this approach.</p

Comparative Evaluation of CO2 Emissions in Europe and Turkey Using GIS

Sustainable development requires extraction and utilization of energy resources on a viable basis for the welfare of human beings and global growth. An increased focus on sustainable development and global warming imposes policy-makers and decision-makers to prioritize environmental responsibility while maximizing economic benefits to the industry. Therefore, evaluating environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with energy resources is essential. Turkey, as a signatory of Kyoto protocol, needs to take actions especially in the energy sector to battle emissions. In order to achieve large-scale emission reduction, the current status needs to be placed under closer scrutiny and once the largest emission generating sectors are identified, necessary changes should be involved in accordance with accepted international standards that consider global warming, eco-balance, and sustainability. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of coal production and utilization impacts on carbon dioxide emission in Europe and in Turkey using geographic information systems (GIS)

On line protection systems for induction motors

Protection of induction motors is very important since they are widely used in industry for many applications due to their high robustness, reliability, low cost and maintenance, high efficiency and long service life. So, protecting these motors is crucial for operations. This paper presents a combined protection approach for induction motors. To achieve this, the electrical values of the induction motor were measured with sensitivity 1% through a data acquisition card and processed with software developed in Visual C+ +. An on line protection system for induction motors was achieved easily and effectively. The experimental results have shown that the induction motor was protected against the possible problems faced during the operation. The software developed for this protection provides flexible and reliable media for operators and their motors. It is expected that the motor protection achieved in this study might be faster than the classical techniques and also may be applied to larger motors easily after small modifications of the software. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effects of different organic materials on forage yield and quality of silage maize (Zea mays L.)

This study was conducted at the experimental area of the Field Crops Department of Çukurova University (37°01'N, 35°18'E) in the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons to determine the effects of sole or combined applications of 3 organic materials (poultry litter, cattle manure, and leonardite) with supplemental inorganic fertilizer on the forage yield and quality of silage maize. The field trial was arranged in a complete randomized block design with 3 replications. Poultry litter (PL) and cattle manure (CM) were applied based on P or N requirements (PL-P, PL-N, CM-P, and CM-N) of the crop, whereas leonardite was applied in only 1 dose (500 kg ha-1) and was also combined with 3 inorganic fertilizer doses (100%, 75%, and 50% of the recommended inorganic fertilizer dose, called LEO-100, LEO-75, and LEO-50, respectively). The results show that the highest values of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) yields (18.3 t ha-1 and 1652 kg ha-1, respectively) were observed in LEO-100, whereas the lowest (11.2 t ha-1 and 758 kg ha-1, respectively) were observed in PL-N. In terms of forage quality parameters (CP, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and relative feed value), the P-based poultry litter and cattle manure treatments (PL-P and CM-P) gave similar results to conventional fertilization treatment, whereas the N-based treatments (PL-N and CM-N) significantly decreased forage quality. The combined use of organic materials with inorganic fertilizers instead of a conventional fertilization regime may be effective in maintaining forage supply but N-based treatments have the risk of restricting forage production from silage maize. © TÜBİTAK