Dose rate estimates and spatial interpolation maps of outdoor gamma dose rate with geostatistical methods; A case study from Artvin, Turkey

In this study, compliance of geostatistical estimation methods is compared to ensure investigation and imaging natural Fon radiation using the minimum number of data. Artvin province, which has a quite hilly terrain and wide variety of soil and located in the north-east of Turkey, is selected as the study area. Outdoor gamma dose rate (OGDR), which is an important determinant of environmental radioactivity level, is measured in 204 stations. Spatial structure of OGDR is determined by anisotropic, isotropic and residual variograms. Ordinary kriging (OK) and universal kriging (UK) interpolation estimations were calculated with the help of model parameters obtained from these variograms. In OK, although calculations are made based on positions of points where samples are taken, in the UK technique, general soil groups and altitude values directly affecting OGDR are included in the calculations. When two methods are evaluated based on their performances, it has been determined that UK model (r = 0.88, p < 0.001) gives quite better results than OK model (r = 0.64, p < 0.001). In addition, as a result of the maps created at the end of the study, it was illustrated that local changes are better reflected by UK method compared to OK method and its error variance is found to be lower. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was supported by Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Centre (CNEAM) and Artvin Coruh University research grant (BAP-2013.F42.02.05)

Kestane kabuğu, ısırgan otu, kivi meyvesi ve narenciye özütlerinin antioksidan potansiyelleri ve bazı balık patojenlerine karşı antibakteriyel etkileri

The use of antioxidants and antibacterial compounds obtained from natural sources is important for human and animal health, as well as for controlling diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluates the antioxidant potentials and antibacterial effects of water extracts of C. sativa, U. dioica, A. deliciosa and C. aurantium against selected Gram-negative (Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio anguillarum, Vibrio rotiferianus, Vibrio campbellii, Vibrio ponticus and Aeromonas veronii) and Gram-positive (Bacillus thuringiensis) bacteria. Results of antioxidant test indicated that the chestnut shell extract had the highest DPPH inhibition (87.03 %) followed by citrus fruit (80.40 %). All extracts showed antibacterial activity against one or more species of bacteria. The most susceptible bacteria were V. harveyi (32.05 mm zone diameter) and V. campbellii (21.66 mm zone diameter) and the resistant species were V. anguillarum, V. ponticus and A. veronii. The results show that plant extracts have the potential to be used as an antibacterial agent in aquaculture and as an antioxidant agent in processing technology.Doğal kaynaklardan elde edilen antioksidan ve antimikrobiyal bileşiklerin kullanımı, insan ve hayvan sağlığı için olduğu kadar hastalıkların kontrolü açısından da önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, C. sativa, U. dioica, A. deliciosa ve C. aurantium bitkilerinden elde edilen su bazlı özütlerin antioksidan potansiyellerinin belirlenmesi, aynı zamanda seçilen Gram-negatif (Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio anguillarum, Vibrio rotiferianus, Vibrio campbellii, Vibrio ponticus ve Aeromonas veronii) ve Gram-pozitif (Bacillus thuringiensis) bakterilere karşı antibakteriyel etkilerinin değerlendirilmesidir. Antioksidan aktivitesi testi sonuçlarına göre, en yüksek DPPH inhibisyonu (%87,03) kestane kabuğu özütünde, ikinci olarak turunç özütünde (%80,40) belirlenmiştir. Tüm özütlerin bir veya daha fazla bakteri türüne karşı antibakteriyel aktivite gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir. Özütlere karşı en duyarlı bakteriler V. harveyi (32,05 mm zon çapı) ve V. campbellii (21,66 mm zon çapı), dirençli türler ise V. anguillarum, V. ponticus ve A. veronii olarak belirlenmiştir. Çalışma sonuçları, elde edilen özütlerin su ürünleri yetiştiriciliğinde antibakteriyel madde ve işleme teknolojisinde antioksidan ajan olarak kullanılma potansiyeline sahip olduğunu göstermektedi

Radiochemical characterization of mineral waters in the Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey

This study has evaluated the levels of natural radionuclides and chemical components of mineral waters in the Eastern Black Sea Region (Turkey). The mean activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th, (137)Cs, (40)K, gross alpha and gross beta were found as 129, 33, 28, 714, 125 and 170 mBq L (-aEuro parts per thousand 1), respectively. Due to consumption of mineral waters, the radiological impact of them on the inhabitants was calculated by taking the annual intake into account through ingestion of aforementioned radionuclides. The estimated effective doses from mineral water were found to be 13.20 mu Sv year (-aEuro parts per thousand 1) ((226)Ra), 2.74 mu Sv year (-aEuro parts per thousand 1) ((232)Th), 0.13 mu Sv year (-aEuro parts per thousand 1) ((137)Cs) and 1.62 mu Sv year (-aEuro parts per thousand 1) ((40)K). The overall contribution of these radionuclides to the committed effective dose from a year's consumption of mineral water in the region is therefore estimated to be only 17.69%, which is in concordance with the recommended WHO value (100 mu Sv year (-aEuro parts per thousand 1)). The chemical analysis results showed that these waters contain Na, Al, P, Cl, K, Ca, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn elements. These values were evaluated and compared with the internationally verified values. This study provides important information for consumers and authorities because of their internal radiochemical exposure risk from mineral water intake.Karadeniz Teknik University 2008.111.01.

Evaluation of Occupational Professionalism of Final Year Nursing Students of a University

AbstractThis descriptive study was undertaken to evaluate the opinions of the nursing students about the nursing profession and their occupational professionalism. 92 students who were present at the school during the data collection period and accepted to participate in the study were included in the study. The data of the study were gathered using “Personal Information Form” and “The Nurses’ Professional Values Scale (NPVS)”. It was found out that 76.1% of them were female students, 65.2% chose the profession willingly, 57.6% liked the profession, 42.2% wanted to work in a field about nursing, 60.9% told that the education given at the school affected their opinions about the profession negatively and 71.7% expressed that the nursing school partly prepared them for the work-life. Mean total NPVS score of the students (N=92) was 172.46±28.47. It is recommended that measures that will increase professional values of the nurses should be taken during undergraduate education

Optimization of some cations for removal of arsenic from groundwater by electrocoagulation process

This study dealt with investigation of arsenic removal from groundwater using electrocoagulation (EC) method in a batch mode by the Box-Behnken experimental design method. Effects of some cations like Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and operating time on the removal were explored by an air injected EC reactor. The combined effects of these variables were analyzed by the quadratic model for predicting the highest removal efficiency of arsenic from groundwater. The arsenic removal efficiency was found to be dependent on increase with operating time and concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe and lower concentration of Mn. When operating variables were considered as minimum operating cost and maximum removal efficiency, the optimum operating parameters were determined to be 132 mg/L of CCa, 55 mg/L of CMg, 4.5 mg /L of CFe, 4.5 mg/L of CMn and operating time of 3 min to meet the target concentration of <10 μg/L. Values of removal efficiency and operating cost at the optimum conditions were 95.1% and 0.041 $/m3

Elemental analysis and mapping of some natural waters in Eastern Black Sea Region and investigation of their effects on environment and human health

Bu çalışmada, Doğu Karadeniz Bölgesi’ndeki 7 ildeki (Artvin, Rize, Trabzon, Giresun, Ordu, Gümüşhane ve Bayburt) doğal kaynak sularının elemental analizinin yapılması ve bu analiz yardımıyla, jeoistatistik analiz kullanılarak bölgenin tamamının elemental olarak dağılımının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, Doğu Karadeniz Bölgesi’ndeki 40 adet doğal kaynak suyu örneğinde ICP-OES cihazı yardımı ile elemental analiz (Na, Al, P, Cl, K, Ca, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn) yapılmıştır. Her bir element için Doğu Karadeniz Bölgesi’ndeki ortalama kimyasal analiz değerleri sırasıyla; 10270, 215, 122, 4749, 1093, 15960, 59, 5, 89, 18, 10 ve 90 µg/L olarak bulunmuştur. Elde edilen sonuçların genel olarak Dünya Sağlık Örgütü ve Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Sağlık Bakanlığı’nın izin verilebilir değerleri ile uyumlu olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca dünya üzerinde farklı noktalarda gerçekleştirilen benzer çalışmalarla da yapılan karşılaştırma neticesinde genel bir uyum gözlenmiştir. Jeoistatistik analiz kullanılarak her bir elementin çalışma alanındaki dağılımı belirlenmiş ve haritalandırılmıştır. Bu dağılım haritaları vasıtasıyla, numune alınmamış yerlerdeki suların da kimyasal dağılımları hakkında tahmini bir sonuç elde edilebilmiştir. Son olarak, bu çalışmada analiz edilen elementlerin insan sağlığı için olası etkileri ve hangi bölgelerin element fazlalığı dolayısıyla risk altında olduğu tartışılmıştır.In this study, it was aimed to make an elemental analysis of the natural spring waters in 7 cities (Artvin, Rize, Trabzon, Giresun, Ordu, Gümüşhane and Bayburt) in the Eastern Black Sea region and to determine the elemental distribution of the entire region using geostatistical analysis with the help of this analysis. In accordance with this purpose, elemental analyses (Na, Al, P, Cl, K, Ca, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn) were carried out with the help of ICP-OES device for 40 samples of natural spring water in Eastern Black Sea Region. The average chemical analysis values for each element in Eastern Black Sea Region were as 10270, 215, 122, 4749, 1093, 15960, 59, 5, 89, 18, 10 and 90 µg / L, respectively. The results were generally consistent with the permissible limits of World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkish. In addition, a general harmony was observed as a result of the comparison made with similar studies carried out at different points in the world. Using geostatistical analysis, the distribution of each element was determined and mapped in the study area. By means of these distribution maps, an estimated result could also be obtained about the chemical distributions of waters in unsampled locations. Finally, the possible effects of the analyzed elements on human health and which areas being under risk due to excess elements were discussed in this study

Treatment of textile wastewaters by electrocoagulation: technical and economic evaluation

Bu &ccedil;alışmada, bir tekstil atıksuyunun elektrokoag&uuml;lasyon (EC) ile arıtılmasının sonu&ccedil;ları ortaya konmuştur. Demir ve al&uuml;minyum elektrotlar, monopolar paralel, monopolar seri ve bipolar seri bağlantı şekli ile kullanılmıştır. Arıtma verimliliğinin &ouml;l&ccedil;&uuml;lmesinde KOİ ve t&uuml;rbidite giderimleri dikkate alınmıştır. KOİ gideriminde, her iki elektrot materyalinde asidik ortam daha uygun olup; demir elektrot i&ccedil;in, Bipolar Seri (BP-S) bağlantı şekli etkili olurken, al&uuml;minyum elektrotlarda ise her &uuml;&ccedil; bağlantı şekli i&ccedil;in birbirine yakın sonu&ccedil;lar elde edilmiştir. T&uuml;rbidite gideriminde; optimum pH&rsquo;nın elektrot materyaline bağlı olduğu, al&uuml;minyum elektrotlar i&ccedil;in asidik ortamın, demir elektrotlar i&ccedil;in ise n&ouml;tral ortamın daha uygun olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Genel olarak, y&uuml;ksek akım yoğunluklarının y&uuml;ksek KOİ ve t&uuml;rbidite giderme verimleri sağladığı g&ouml;r&uuml;lm&uuml;şt&uuml;r. D&uuml;ş&uuml;k akım yoğunluğunda (30 A.m-2) demir elektrotlarda sadece Monopolar Paralel (MP-P) sistemden verim alınmıştır. Al&uuml;minyum elektrotlarda ise; KOİ giderimi bağlantı şekline g&ouml;re değişirken, t&uuml;rbidite giderimi bağlantı şeklinden olduk&ccedil;a bağımsızdır. Diğer yandan, EC prosesi al&uuml;minyum elektrotlarla daha hızlı ilerlediğinden; her &uuml;&ccedil; bağlantı i&ccedil;in de 5 dakikalık bir s&uuml;re etkili olurken, demir elektrotlarda ise; seri bağlantı sistemleriyle en az 10 dakikalık bir işlem s&uuml;resine ihtiya&ccedil; duyulmakta, MP-P bağlantı şekli ise daha fazla işlem s&uuml;resi gerektirmektedir. Ekonomik analizde, bir tekstil fabrikasının 1000 m3.g&uuml;n-1 debide atıksuyunun EC ile arıtılmasının işletme giderleri hesaplanmıştır. Sonu&ccedil; olarak, bu &ccedil;alışmada EC prosesinin, kimyasal koag&uuml;lasyona g&ouml;re daha az materyal t&uuml;keten ve daha az &ccedil;amur &uuml;reten, daha hızlı ve daha ekonomik bir proses olduğu belirlenmiştir.&nbsp;Anahtar kelimeler: Ekonomik analiz, elektrokoag&uuml;lasyon, elektrot malzemesi, KOİ, tekstil atıksuları, t&uuml;rbidite.Electrocoagulation (EC) is an effective method for wastewater treatment. This paper presents the results of the treatment of a textile wastewater by EC process. Two electrode materials, aluminium and iron, were connected in three modes namely, monopolar-parallel (MP-P), monopolar-serial (MP-S), and bipolar-serial (BP-S). In MP-P mode; anodes and cathodes are in parallel connection, the current is divided between all the electrodes in relation to the resistance of the individual cells. Hence, a lower potential difference is required in parallel connection, when compared with serial connections. In MP-S configuration; each pair of sacrificial electrodes is internally connected with each other, because the cell voltages sum up, a higher potential difference is required for a given current. Otherwise, in BP-S connection; there is no electrical connection between inner electrodes, only the outer electrodes are connected to the power supply. Outer electrodes are monopolar and inner ones are bipolar. This connection mode has simple setup with and has less maintenance cost during operation. The effects of wastewater pH, current density and operating time are presented separately for two sacrificial electrode materials, Fe and Al, and three electrode connection modes mentioned above.  COD and turbidity removals were selected as performance criteria. The following conclusions may be drawn from the experimental results; acidic medium is preferable for a high COD removal for both electrode materials; iron electrode performs clearly better with BP-S mode, while the performance of aluminium is not strongly dependent on connection mode. For a high turbidity removal, the optimum pH depends on the electrode material; aluminium electrode connected in BP-S mode performs better in acidic medium, while the poor filterability of the flocs dictates pH 7 to be more suitable for the iron electrode connected in MP-S mode. High current density is generally favorable for high COD and turbidity removals in the case of iron; at low current density, MP-P mode performs better, while at high current densities, the three modes perform equally well. In the aluminium case, the effect is more pronounced on COD removal and it depends strongly on the connection mode, but it has nearly a negligible effect on the turbidity removal which also unaffected by the connection mode. In the case of aluminium, steady removal efficiencies are reached within 5 min for all three systems, while for iron electrode, serial connection systems, BP-S and MP-S reach steady values in 10 min, while MP-P needs longer operating time. For a complete technical analysis, it is worth to compare EC with conventional chemical coagulation, in regard with removal efficiencies and various important aspects. For this purpose, jar-tests were performed at laboratory scale in order to determine the adequate coagulant dosage. After choosing the best amount, same experiments have been performed to determine optimum pH value for each coagulant. Experimental conditions, removal efficiencies and some other pertinent data of electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation process variations are shown in text. At first sight, it is clearly seen that EC is faster, consumes less material and produces less sludge than chemical coagulation for similar COD and turbidity removal levels. The process using aluminium electrodes connected in MP-S mode seems to be the best choice. Meanwhile, an economic analysis is, of course, needed for a final selection. In economic analysis; the total operation cost was calculated using various experimental dataset such as; energy consumption, sacrificial electrode material, chemicals and sludge amounts per m3 of wastewater for a textile plant with 1000 m3.day-1 of wastewater. Iron is preferred as a low cost one for electrocogulation. On the other hand, FeCl3 is the preferable salt in view of its techno-economic performance for CC. Finally, when EC and CC are compared both technically and economically, the following results may be drawn; the COD removal performance of CC is 10% higher than EC, the turbidity removal is nearly the same, but in 60% longer retention time. With the same initial pH, the final pH is 7.9 in EC, but 2.9 in CC. The final acidic and chloride bearing medium is an important drawback of CC, causing severe corrosion problems which may necessitate high-cost building materials. From this point, Fe2(SO4)3.7H2O may be used despite of its higher operating cost. High coagulant consumption in CC means high chloride concentration in the effluent. Finally, and more importantly, the operating cost of CC is 3.2 times as high as the operating cost of EC. Keywords: COD, economic analysis, electrocoagulation, electrode material, textile wastewaters, turbidity