Investigation of Monthly Pan Evaporation in Turkey with Geostatistical Technique

The aim of this study is to evaluate the spatial variations of monthly average pan evaporation amounts throughout Turkey by applying Geostatistical methods. Monthly averages of Class A pan evaporation data are reported by the General Directorate of State Meteorological Works using series of record lengths between 20 and 45 years at about 200 stations scattered over an 814.578 km2 surface area of Turkey. The data belonging to the summer months of June, July, and August are used in this study because the evaporation in this three-month period is greater than the sum of those of the other nine months. Monthly averages of the observed pan evaporation data are considered and the spatial variation of evaporation is analyzed. Kriging estimate maps are drawn and interpreted for the summer months. The study indicates that the spatial variation of monthly average pan evaporation values can be reasonably estimated by the geostatistical method based on observed pan evaporation data. It is suggested that this map may be used by decision-makers for accurate estimation of monthly pan evaporation in any reservoir management or irrigation projects where data availability is limited

Modifying Ritchie equation for estimation of reference evapotranspiration at coastal regions of Anatolia

Evapotranspiration (ET) is of great importance in many disciplines, including irrigation system design, irrigation scheduling and hydrologic and drainage studies. A large number of more or less empirical methods have been developed to estimate the evapotranspiration from different climatic variables. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) rates the Penman- Monteith equation as the major model for estimation of reference (grass) evapotranspiration (ET0) because of the fact that it gives more accurate and consistent results as compared to the other empirical models. However, the main disadvantage of this method is that it cannot be used when the sufficient data are not available. The FAO-56 PM equation requires quite a few independent variables such as solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity in predicting ET0. Worldwide, the weather stations measuring all these variables are few as the majority measure air temperature only. Therefore, for regions which may not be measuring all these meteorological variables, the temperature based models like Ritchie, Hargreaves-Samani and Thornthwaite equations is necessarily used instead of the FAO-56 PM equation. In this study, the Ritchie equation is applied on the measured data recorded at 158 stations at the Coastal are of Turkey (Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea regions of Anatolia), and the monthly ET0 values computed by it are observed to be smaller than those given by the Penman-Monteith equation. Next, average values for the coefficients of the Ritchie equation, which are constants originally developed in [6], are recomputed using the ET0 values given by the FAO-56 PM equation at all weather stations in coastal regions of Anatolia (Turkey). The Ritchie equation modified in such manner is observed to yield greater determination coefficients (R2), smaller root mean square errors (MSE), and smaller mean absolute relative errors (MARE) as compared to the original versions of Ritchie equation suggested by [6]. It is concluded that for estimation of reference evapotranspiration at coastal regions of Anatolia where the meteorological measurements are scarce, the modified Ritchie equation can be easily used for estimating the ET0 values

A case of pulmonary aspergillosis in white storks

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗAspergillosis is a fungal infection affecting respiratory system both in mammals and avian species. It is more commonly encountered in birds, in comparison with its mammalian counterpart. Mostly isolated strains are Aspergillus fumigatus (95%) and Aspergillus flavus (5%). Affected lungs and air sacs reveal miliary to gross lesions like gray-yellowish or white-grayish granulomatous foci surrounded by white halos indicative of inflammatory infiltration. Five storks found dead in the rural areas near Istanbul were submitted to our faculty between years 2008 and 2014. Two of them were thought to be younger than 1-year-old and the other three were older than one year of age. Necropsies were performed right after their submissions. Aspergillosis lesions were observed in the lungs and thoracic air sacs of the first four storks. In addition to these changes the lesions were detected at the aortic bifurcation and on the testicular and renal capsule of the fifth stork. Histopathology revealed encapsulated granulomas with foci of caseous necrosis at the center surrounded by numerous macrophages, heterophil leukocytes, lymphocytes and foreign body giant cells in all the storks. Following the gross, histopathological and mycological examinations the agents were detected as Aspergillus fumigatus. Although, the number of reported deaths due to Aspergillosis is not high in storks, we believe that these birds are quite susceptible to the disease and stress factors such as migration increases the risk of pathogenicity. This report was designed as a contribution to literature since there is only one reported case available with respect to aspergillosis associated death in storks and stress factors such as migration may also predispose storks to the disease

Neospora caninum in Aborted Bovine Fetuses in Trakya Region, Turkey - Histopathological, Immunohistochemical and Molecular Detection

Background: Being the major cause of bovine abortion in the world, Neosporosis is considered to be a very important protozoal infection in dairy cattle. Vertical transplacental transmission is the major route of the infection causing either abortion or birth of calves with persistent infection. As the seropositivity in individual cows and in fetal serology only indicate exposure to the protozoa, the diagnosis of the infection has to be based on histopathology of aborted fetuses. Additional techniques such as immunohistochemistry (IHC) and PCR are required for the detection of the etiological agent. The purpose of the current study was to diagnose Neospora caninum infection in aborted bovine fetuses in Trakya Region of Turkey. For this purpose, serological, histopathological, IHC, and PCR methods were used. Materials, Methods & Results: The blood samples and the fetuses of 55 aborted dairy cattle from various farms located in 3 provinces of Trakya, Turkey constituted the material of the present study. The sera obtained from the blood samples were tested using a Neospora caninum Antibody Test Kit cELISA and anti-N. caninum antibodies were detected in the sera of the dams of the 8 aborted fetuses (8/55; 14.54%). Following the necropsy, samples from the brain, heart, liver, lung, kidney, spleen, and placenta of 55 fetuses were routinely processed for histopathological examination and evaluated under a light microscope. Nonsuppurative encephalitis (15/55; 27.27%), necrosis (5/55; 9%) and gliosis (1/55; 1.8%) in the brain, mild to severe nonsuppurative myocarditis and epicarditis (14/55; 25.45%), and portal to mid-zonal nonsuppurative hepatitis (13/55; 23.63%) were the relevant findings. PCR analysis was performed on fresh frozen fetal tissues. Nested PCR detected N. caninum DNA in the brain, heart, liver, lung, and kidney tissues of 6 fetuses (6/55; 10.9%). IHC was performed on the brain, heart, and liver tissues of all the fetuses using avidin-biotin-complex peroxidase method. Immunoreactivity was observed in the brain of 1 fetus (1/55; 1.8%). Discussion: In the present study, histopathological, immunohistochemical and PCR analyses were performed to detect N. caninum in 55 spontenously aborted bovine fetuses in Trakya Region, Turkey. Histopathologic hallmark of the study was nonsuppurative inflammation found mostly in the brain, heart and liver followed by kidneys and lungs. No protozoa was observed in the microscopic examination supporting the fact that definitive diagnosis of N. caninum infection requires ancillary techniques such as IHC and PCR. Nested PCR detected N. caninum DNA in the tissues of 6 fetuses (6/55; 10.9%). Brain was the most reliable organ for detection by PCR (6/6; 100%), compatible with the previous reports. IHC diagnosis revealed only 1.8% positivity in the present study which was remarkably lower than found in the previous studies. Even though histopathology in conjunction with IHC are accepted as the “gold standard” methods to detect N. caninum infection in aborted bovine fetuses, there are studies claiming that IHC is relatively insensitive in the diagnosis of neosporosis as parasite numbers can be low and thus, false negative results can be obtained. Other factors affecting the sensitivity of the technique are thoroughly discussed by many authors. Supportively, the findings of the current study showed that using both IHC and PCR as complementary techniques, increases the success of detection of N. caninum as recommended in previous studies. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the first molecular diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection in bovine aborted fetuses in Trakya Region of Turkey which has a critical geographical location bordering Europe. Keywords: bovine abortion, protozoal infection, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, PCR, Neospora caninum

Realizing Green Airport Performance through Green Management Intransigence, Airport Reputation, Biospheric Value, and Eco-Design

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2022-11-16, rev-recd 2023-01-17, accepted 2023-01-20, epub 2023-01-30, collection 2023-02Peer reviewed: TrueArticle version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Scientific Research Funding Committee of the Eastern Mediterranean University; Grant(s): BAPC-0B-21-01Studies on the effect of biospheric value, eco-design, and green management intransigence on perceived green performance in the tourism and hospitality industry are gradually emerging. However, more evidence is needed from the aviation industry or airport context, especially in Africa. This cross-sectional study aims to probe and demonstrate the effect of biospheric value on green management intransigence and perceived green performance, the mediating role of management intransigence and biospheric value, and the influence on pro-environmental behavior among airport management and employees. The extended theory of planned behavior (TPBe) and triple bottom line theory (TBL)/sustainable economic development theory (SED) (TBL/SED) set the foundation for this research study. With the case study approach, data were collected through online questionnaires from employees and management staff of two international airports in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. This scientific study contributes to the literature on green energy by shedding light on the importance of integrating green practices into airport operations with environmentally friendly programs. Its focus on green management intransigence and its implications on employees’ behavior has received little or no attention. The data were analyzed using PLS-SEM and Importance–performance matrix analysis (IPMA). The IPMA is innovative as it helps to extend the results of PLS-SEM by also taking the importance and performance of each construct into account graphically as it relates to green airport management. IPMA posits that management tends to take actions to improve conditions that enhance factors of most significant concern to stakeholders. Our results reveal the effect of biospheric value and the behaviors of management and nonmanagement staff of the selected airports on the green performance with apparent differences in the group-specific performance. In practice, this implies an urgent need for airport management to review their approach and strategy to sustainable practices, airports’ resilience, and adaptation to climate change for sustainable tourism development. This study advances scientific and practical knowledge of eco-design of airport buildings (EAB), biospheric-value (BV), and green management intransigence (GMI). The findings can assist decision makers and practitioners in embracing green technologies and practices in airport management and operations

Clinical management of seafood allergy

Seafood plays an important role in human nutrition and health. A good patient workup and sensitive diagnostic analysis of IgE antibody reactivity can distinguish between a true seafood allergy and other adverse reactions generated by toxins or parasites contaminating ingested seafood. The 2 most important seafood groupings include the fish and shellfish. Shellfish, in the context of seafood consumption, constitutes a diverse group of species subdivided into crustaceans and mollusks. The prevalence of shellfish allergy seems to be higher than that of fish allergy, with an estimate of up to 3% in the adult population and fin fish allergy prevalence of approximately 1%. Clinical evaluation of the seafood-allergic patient involves obtaining a detailed history and obtaining in vivo and/or in vitro testing with careful interpretation of results with consideration of cross-reactivity features of the major allergens. Oral food challenge is useful not only for the diagnosis but also for avoiding unnecessary dietary restrictions. In this review, we highlight some of the recent reports to provide solid clinical and laboratory tools for the differentiation of fish allergy from shellfish allergy, enabling best treatment and management of these patients