Edible macrofungi of Edremit Gulf (Balıkesir) in Turkey

Gulf of Edremit is an important center of trade, coupled with its sandy beaches, shores and towns that are surrounded by green olive trees (Ayvalık, Edremit, Burhaniye and Havran). It is also one of the largest districts of Balıkesir Province. Macrofungi are ideal food for people because they have a fairly high content of protein which contains all of the essential amino acids. They are also a source of dietary fibre, and are virtually free of cholesterol. The edible native fungi are cultivated and exported to the markets by many countries. This study was done based on the edible macrofungi specimens collected from Edremit Gulf (Edremit, Havran, Burhaniye) between 2007 and 2009. The collected fungi samples were photographed and their morphological and ecological properties and information gathered from the rural people were noted in the field notebook. Fungi were investigated morphologically in the laboratory, and then samples were dried in the oven to preserve them as herbarium samples. 10 edible fungi species belonging to nine families were identified. Six of them are consumed by local people and sold in local markets.Key words: Edible macrofungi, Edremit Bay, Balıkesir, Turke

Supplementing diets for broilers that are low in crude protein and amino acids with protease

The study evaluated supplementation of broiler diets with a protease enzyme. Six hundred Ross 308 female broiler chicks were acquired at one day of age and randomly distributed to three treatments with five replicates of 40 chicks each. The experimental treatements consisted of i) a positive control diet with normal levels of crude protein, digestible lysine and digestible sulphur containing amino acids (PC); ii) a negative diet with reduced levels of crude protein, digestible lysine and digestible sulphur containg amino acids (NC); and iii) the NC diet augmented with Ronozyme ProAct protease at 200 mg/kg (NC+ENZY). Compared to the other diets, feeding the PC produced the highest final bodyweight (BW), bodyweight gain (BWG), and feed intake (FI) and best feed conversion ratio (FCR) over 0 - 42 days. The PC diet also produced the highest hot and cold carcass yields, ileal protein digestibility and improved the serum biochemistry parameters. Relative to the NC, the NC+ENZY diet increased BW, BWG and FI, improved FCR, increased ileal protein digestibility, hot and cold carcass yields, and the crude protein content of meat. However, it decreased serum triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol levels and the crude fat content of meat of broilers. As a result, protease supplementation at the level of 200 mg/kg may not remove the detrimental effects that are caused by a 6% reduction in crude protein and digestible amino acids on performance, hot and cold carcass yields and ileal digestibility of crude protein of broilers. Keywords: broiler, growth performance, low crude protein diet, meat, nutrient digestibility, protease, serum biochemistry parameter

Tuning Electrical Conductivity of CNT-PDMS Nanocomposites for Flexible Electronic Applications

This paper presents a study into the electrical conductivity of multi-wall carbon nanotube-polydimethylsiloxane (MWNT-PDMS) nanocomposite and their dependence on the filler concentration. It is observed that the electrical conductivity of the composites can be tailored by altering the filler concentration. Accordingly, the nanocomposites with filler weight ratio ranging from 1% to 8% were prepared and tested. Finally, the significance of results presented here for flexible pressure sensors and stretchable interconnects for electronic skin applications have been discussed

Team trust and team learning in new product development teams

Farklı örgütsel seviyelerde güven ve öğrenme üzerine yapılan çalışmaların yanı sıra, güvenin takım bağlamında bilgi paylaşımı ve edinimi için önemli bir faktör olduğunu bildiren birtakım çalışmalar bulunmaktadır. Ancak bugüne kadar yeni ürün geliştirme takımlarında (new product development – NPD) Takım Güveni ve Takım Öğrenmesi ilişkileri hakkında çok az tartışma yapılmıştır. Bu çalışma, Takım Güveninin, çeşitli takım faktörleri (Takım Üyesi Deneyimi, Takım İstikrarı ve Takım Otonomisi) ve Takım Öğrenimi arasında arabuluculuk etkisi olup olmadığını incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır.Besides studies on trust and learning at different organizational levels, there are a number of studies reporting that trust is an important factor for knowledge sharing and acquisition in team context. So far, however, there has been little discussion about Team Trust and Team Learning relations in NPD teams. This study focuses on examining whether there is a mediational effect of Team Trust between various team level factors and Team Learning

Spontaneous snap-through of strongly buckled liquid crystalline networks

The field of soft robotics is ever-changing, and substantial effort is allocated towards designing highly versatile and adaptable machines. However, while the soft robots demonstrate exceptional delicacy and flexibility, their ability to release energy in short timescales is rather unremarkable in contrast to their rigid predecessors. One of the routes to remedy that is to utilise mechanical instabilities, which are capable of accumulating substantial amounts of elastic energy and then releasing it in a very short period of time. In this work, we demonstrate a novel design of partially active liquid crystal network strips, which are then mechanically buckled and then snap-through due to the change in temperature. The experimental work combined with the numerical simulations demonstrate remarkable agreement and show different instability modes of various strengths. We provide a fundamental understanding of what governs the modes and how they can be accessed. The strongest mode results in snap-throughs taking as little as 6 ms with peak speeds as high as 60 cm/s for systems only a few millimetres in size

Structural, optical and magnetic properties of Zn1−xMnxO micro-rod arrays synthesized by spray pyrolysis method

Undoped and Mn-doped ZnO micro-rod arrays were fabricated by the spray pyrolysis method on glass substrates. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy showed that these micro-rod arrays had a polycrystalline wurtzite structure and high c-axis preferred orientation. Photoluminescence studies at 10 K show that the increase of manganese content leads to a relative decrease in deep level band intensity with respect to undoped ZnO. Magnetic measurements indicated that undoped ZnO was diamagnetic in nature whereas Mn-doped ZnO samples exhibited ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature, which is possibly related to the substitution of Mn ions (Mn2+) for Zn ions in the ZnO lattice

The morphometric measurement of the brain stem in Turkish healthy subjects according to age and sex

Background: This paper determined the morphometric measurements of the brainstem including mesencephalon, pons and medulla using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in Turkish healthy population. Materials and methods: Two hundred sixty-three (263; 158 females and 105 males) subjects aged from 18 to 65 years were included in this study. The measurements were taken from subjects having brain MRI in the Radiology Department. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 21.00 package programme. ANOVA test and χ2 test were used to determine the relation between measurements and age and sex groups. The p < 0.05 value was considered as significant. Results: The overall means and standard deviations of the measurements were: pons anteroposterior diameter, 15.41 ± 1.27 mm; pons vertical diameter, 22.02 ± 2.07 mm; mesencephalon anteroposterior diameter 9.39 ± 1.00 mm; mesencephalon vertical diameter, 15.20 ± 1.53 mm; distance between the interpeduncular fissure and aqueduct, 11.72 ± 1.58 mm; distance from cerebral peduncles to aqueduct, 13.64 ± 1.66 mm; anterior surface of the pons midway between the mesencephalon and medulla to the fourth ventricular floor, 21.62 ± 1.64 mm; the shortest anteroposterior diameter of the medulla at the pontomedullary junction, 13.46 ± 1.28 mm, and the shortest anteroposterior diameter of the medulla at the medullospinal junction, 10.24 ± 1.43 mm in females, respectively, whereas the corresponding values were 15.58 ± 1.53 mm; 22.64 ± 2.35 mm; 9.37 ± 1.66 mm; 15.64 ± 1.52 mm; 11.14 ± 1.31 mm; 13.01 ± 1.30 mm; 21.97 ± 1.65 mm;13.47 ± 1.19 mm; 9.91 ± 1.35 mm in males, respectively. There were significant differences in some parameters such as pons vertical diameter, mesencephalon vertical diameter, distance between the interpeduncular fissure and aqueduct, and distance between cerebral peduncles to aqueduct between sexes. Conclusions: The brainstem dimensions of healthy population provide important and useful knowledge in terms of comparison of abnormalities clinically. These data may be valuable for the representatives of clinical disciplines

Electrospun Nanofibre Air Filters for Particles and Gaseous Pollutants

Nanofibre filters may offer new properties not available in commercial fibre filters. These include a higher surface area and the ability to include novel materials within the fibres. In addition the small size allows potential gains in performance due to the slip-flow phenomenon in which normal gas viscosity does not apply to objects smaller than the mean free path of the gas. We tested the properties of novel electrospun fibre filters generated from polyvinyl alcohol solutions, optionally embedded with nano-grains of photocatalytic TiO2 and activated charcoal. The tested materials exhibited pressure drops in the range of 195 Pa to 2693 Pa for a face velocity of 5.3 cm/s and a removal efficiency greater than 97% for 12–480 nm particles. Basis weights for the filters ranged from 16.6 to 67.6 g/m2 and specific surface areas ranged from 1.4 to 17.4 m2/g. Reactivity towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was achieved by irradiating the photocatalytic filters with ultraviolet light. It is necessary to solve the problems connected to the absorbance of VOCs and further reduce the resistance to airflow in order for these filters to achieve widespread use. The incorporation of reactive air filtration into building ventilation systems will contribute to improved indoor air quality

A comparative study on the abundance and elemental composition of POM in three interconnected basins: the Black, the Marmara and the Mediterranean Seas

The abundance and elemental composition of suspended particulate organic matter in the upper layers of the interconnected Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Seas having different ecosystems were determined in 1990-1998. The aim was principally to compare the C:N:P ratio of seston and understand factors controlling the seston composition in near- and off-shore waters of these seas. In the Marmara Sea, euphotic zone average particulate concentrations varied regionally and seasonally between 10-35 ìM for POC, 0.4-4.5 ìM for PON and 0.05-0.45 ìM for PP. These concentrations are mostly above the off-shore Black Sea values but much greater than those measured in the open waters of the north-eastern Mediterranean whose near-shore data are comparable with the seston content of the deep Black Sea. Comparison of C:N:P ratios of seston reveals that atmospheric and land-based phosphorus input influences the C:P and N:P ratios in the near-shore waters. Apparent nutrient deficiencies observed in the water column were not as remarkable in the elemental composition of seston. Unexpectedly, in the NE Mediterranean, N:P ratios from regression analyses of particulate data are very low (7-9) in the coastal region but slightly increase to levels of 10-15 in the open sea. In the Sea of Marmara, the N:P ratios (7-12) of seston are as low as in the Mediterranean, being consistent with the particulate ratios of the Black Sea inflow and NO3:PO4 ratios of the Marmara sub-halocline water. The Black Sea seston is relatively rich in carbonaceous compounds with N:P ratio ranging merely between 15-17 in the open sea but 9-27 in coastal waters where riverine discharges markedly influence the stoichiometry of seston

The spatial range of peripheral collinear facilitation

Contrast detection thresholds for a central Gabor patch (target) can be modulated by the presence of co-oriented and collinear high contrast Gabors flankers. In foveal vision collinear facilitation can be observed for target-to-flankers relative distances beyond two times the wavelength (λ) of the Gabor's carrier, while for shorter relative distances (<2λ) there is suppression. These modulatory influences seem to disappear after 12λ. In this study, we measured contrast detection thresholds for different spatial frequencies (1, 4 and 6 cpd) and target-to-flankers relative distances ranging from 6 to 16λ, but with collinear configurations presented in near periphery at 4° of eccentricity. Results showed that in near periphery collinear facilitation extends beyond 12λ for the higher spatial frequencies tested (4 and 6 cpd), while it decays already at 10λ for the lowest spatial frequency used (i.e., 1 cpd). In addition, we found that increasing the spatial frequency the peak of collinear facilitation shifts towards larger target-to-flankers relative distances (expressed as multiples of the stimulus wavelength), an effect never reported neither for near peripheral nor for central vision. The results suggest that the peak and the spatial extent of collinear facilitation in near periphery depend on the spatial frequency of the stimuli used