Groundwater

About 18% of the total water resources potential of Turkey is made up of groundwater resources. Significant portion of the streamflow of major rivers is supplied by groundwater through springs and baseflow. In 1960s and early 1970s, the financial capacity of Turkey did not allow construction of large dams for irrigation. Development of groundwater resources in alluvial plain aquifers where the agriculture was concentrated has been a priority. In 1990s, the building of large dams has been boosted and irrigation by surface waters preferred due to the lower operational cost. From 1990s, not enough funds have been allocated to explore and develop groundwater resources. In spite of its strategic significance, much more has been invested to investigate and develop the "visible" resource. This unbalanced policy of water resources management has reflected also in the organizational and institutional structure of Turkey. Groundwater resources of Turkey mainly occur in alluvial and karstic aquifers. Large coastal plains and deltas, grabens and pull-apart basins constitute the major alluvial aquifers. The thick and extensive carbonate rocks along the Taurus mountain belt favor formation of productive karst aquifers. The fractured rock aquifers are either low yield or of local importance. Igneous rocks have no permeability and they have very limited outcrops. Groundwater occurs in younger volcanic rocks with limited extension. However, volcanic rock aquifers at foothills of volcanoes, such as Erciyes and Nemrut, may supply a great amount of groundwater where they are recharged by snowmelt. Metamorphic rocks are hydrogeological barriers, in general. They may bear very little amounts of groundwater that might support aquatic ecosystems. Turkey has faced some water mismanagement problems whose consequences are observable in terms of the decline of groundwater levels, reduced spring and streamflows, desiccation of lakes and wetlands and loss of ecosystems. These consequences resulting mainly from managing surface waters and groundwater resources separately, ignoring that they are interacting subsystems of the same and single source, are becoming more frequent and severe. Implementation of the EU-Water Framework Directive has helped, to a certain extent, to maintain the "good status" and to "recover" the degraded water resources and the ecosystems. The "safe yield" approach that has been used in groundwater management needs to be changed to a "sustainable yield" approach which considers also the ecological water needs. This can only be achieved by competent persons who are educated in hydrogeological characterization, conceptualization and modelling of groundwater systems

A Prospective, Randomized Study Comparing 7-day and 14-day Quadruple Therapies as First-line Treatments for Helicobacter pylori Infection in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia

Objective: Standard triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori has a low eradication rate in Turkey. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of 7-day and 14-day lansoprazole, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and bismuth subsalicylate (LACB) treatment regimens as first-line H. pylori eradication therapies. Materials and Methods: This study included 70 patients with symptoms of dyspepsia and a positive H. pylori stool antigen test (SAT). Thirty-five patients received the modified quadruple therapy regimen for 7 days (LACB-7) whereas the remaining 35 patients received the treatment for 14 days (LACB-14). Eradication was assessed by SAT 1 month after the end of therapy. Results: A total of 64 patients completed the therapy. The cumulative per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rates were 89% (n = 57/64) and 81.4% (n = 57/70), respectively. Both the PP and ITT eradication rates were superior in the LACB-14 group, compared with the LACB-7 group (PP: 90.6% vs. 87.5%; ITT: 81.4% vs. 80%, respectively), but these differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.689). Conclusions: Both the 7-day and 14-day first-line LACB therapies provided a high cure rate, were well tolerated, and were equally effective against H. pylori infection in Turkey

Impacts of climatic variables on water-level variations in two shallow Eastern Mediterranean lakes

Variations in temperature and precipitation have direct impacts on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the shallow lakes. This paper examines the possible linkages between climate variables and the water levels of shallow interconnected Lakes Mogan and Eymir, located 20 km south of Ankara in Central Anatolia. The variations in the lakes' water levels during 1996-2015 are studied and the impacts of climate variables on the lake levels are assessed to address the long-term consequences. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall test was used to quantify trends in the climate variables and the lakes' level fluctuations between the observation periods 1998-2007 and 2008-2014. Statistical analyses results showed that precipitation and temperature have crucial influence on the variations in the lakes' levels. The projected increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation over the next century may produce substantial decreases in lake levels, with consequent drying of both lakes

Crystal Structure Of [N,N '-Bis(3,5-Dinitrosalicylidene)-1,3-Propanediaminato)Bis(3,4-Dimethylpyridine)]Nickel(Ii)Dioxane Solvate

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