Use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) to Manage Extensive Sheep Farming and Pasture Land

The terrestrial climate is not sufficient to produce enough food to meet the roughage needs of the animals benefiting from the pasture lands because of excessive and early grazing of those areas. Plant growth is adversely affected in pastures that are not uniformly grazed. Tracking animals using the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a very important factor in determining the uniform distribution of grazing animals in a pasture, increasing the utilization rate of the pasture, and saving costs and time. With GPS tracking systems, establishing more effective pasture-use systems by monitoring the feeding regimes of small animals, the status of feed in the pasture, and the grazing behavior of the animals would be possible. The present study aimed to investigate the use of GPS for pasture and herd management in Turkey in addition to using the traditional techniques.In the present study conducted in the village of Köseyusuflu in Yozgat Province in May 2017, 2018, and 2019, grazing benefits that were determined from the pasture containing two Akkaraman sheep herds were recorded using GPS tracking devices. The results suggested that the area covered with vegetation along the sheep’s spring grazing routes varied between 43.6 and 62.9%, the ratio of legumes in the pasture grass in the low grazing areas was between 0.50 and 4.10%, and the grass species were between 12.75 and 44.50%. We determined that the sheep in herd A traveled between 7.6 and 9.9 km, while the sheep in herd B traveled between 4.7 and 5.7 km daily, and the two herds grazed an average of between 122 and 254 daa

Determination of limited nutrients in the Turkish coastal waters of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas

Increased human activities, rapid and uncontrolled industrial development, intensive urbanization have polluted and hence drastically modified the Turkish coastal water ecosystem of North East (NE) Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. Assessments of nutrient budgets and limiting nutrients in aquatic systems are of wide interest because of their fundamental importance in understanding carbon fixation, coastal eutrophication and wastewater management. In this study, the relative importance of nitrogen and phosphorus as potential limiting factors for primary producers during spring and summer seasons of 2009 was investigated in the near surface water along the Turkish coasts of the NE Mediterranean and Aegean Seas by using the 14C bioassay technique. The results of bioassays and nutrient concentrations (DIN, PO4, Si) indicate that phosphorus is primarily limiting factor in the less contaminated, nutrient-depleted coastal waters of NE Mediterranean (including the Aegean Sea). However, nitrogen appears to be potential limiting element in heavily polluted semi-closed coastal zones (Izmir and Edremit Bays of the Aegean Sea) due to large organic and nutrient loads from industrial and domestic sources in the last decades and consequent occurrence of intense denitrification in the elongated Izmir Bay, reducing the N/P ratio in the shallow water column

The Relationship Between Knee Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women

In this study the bone density of the upper femur and radius were compared accoding to the severity of knee osteoarthritis (OA), bone mineral index (BMI) and age. Eighty two postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis were recruited in this study. Bone mineral density of the femur and radius was measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry(DEXA). Radiological grading of knee OA was done by using Kellgren-Lawrence and individual feature scales. In our study, there were 15 subjects with Kellgren and Lawrence grade 0, 13 with grade 1, 21 with grade 2, 25 with grade 3, and 8 with grade 4 OA. There were no differences in hip and radius bone mineral density (BMD) by presence of any radiographic features of OA in patients (p>0.05). BMD of the femoral neck and trochanter was significantly associated with BMI (p<0.01). Negative correlation was found between age and BMD (p<0.05). BMD was not associated with knee OA. With aging, we found a strong correlation between the femur BMD and BMI, although BMD decreased with age

Microstructural and Tribological Characterization of Aluminium Bronzes with Additions of Si and Cr

The article presents the investigation results of the crystallization (performed by means of the TDA method) and the microstructure of complex aluminium bronzes with the content of 6% Al, 4% Fe and 4% Ni, as well as Si additions in the scope of 1–2% and Cr additions in the scope of 0.1–0.3%, which have not been simultaneously applied before. For the examined bronze, the following tests were performed: hardness HB, impact strength (KU2). For bronze CuAl6Fe4Ni4Si2Cr0.3, characterizing in the highest hardness, wear tests were conducted with dry friction and the dry friction coefficient. The investigations carried out by means of the X-ray phase analysis demonstrated the following phases in the microstructure of this bronze: αCu, γ2 and complex intermetallic phases based on iron silicide type Fe3Si (M3Si M={Fe,Cr,…}). Compared to the normalized aluminium bronzes (μ=0.18–0.23), the examined bronze characterizes in relatively low wear and lower friction coefficient during dry friction (μ=0.147±0.016)

Multicentric Plasma Cell Type of Castleman Disease in a Child: Difficulty in Diagnosis and Treatment

Multicentric plasma cell variant of Castleman disease (CD) has rarely been reported and the optimal therapeutic approach is unknown, especially in childhood. In this case report, we discuss the case of a 7-year-old boy with multicentric plasma cell variant of CD, who presented with cervical lymphadenopathies, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, bone marrow insufficiency, pulmonary, renal, hepatic, and gastrointestinal involvement, emphasizing the difficulty in diagnosis and treatment approach