A geochemical equilibrium modeling approach to assessing soil acidification impacts due to depositions of industrial air emissions

Soil acidification impacts arising from depositions of industrial air emissions may become a serious environmental concern. Currently, in the literature quantitative mechanistic modeling and the experimental acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) approach and a qualitative evaluation approach classifying soils into various levels of sensitivity to acid additions have been reported to assess the long-term soil acidification impacts due to industrial air emissions. Another alternative quantitative approach proposed by this study is the geochemical modeling approach that can be used to similate an ANC curve based on relevant soil chemistry data by calculating the equilibrium distributions of chemical species in the soil solution according to the specified geochemical processes. The purpose of this syudy was essentially to illustrate the potential applications and practical utility of the proposed geochemical modeling approach to assessing soil acidification impacts due to industrial air emissions. The application of the geochemical modeling approach was illustrated by comparisons of the experimental and simulated ANC curves for a calcareous and a noncalcareous soil representing insensitive and sensitive soil cases, respectively. Results obtained from these comparisons reveal that, in terms of producing the ANC curve for the soil solution, the geochemical modeling approach seems to perform well and produce more reliable results for calcareous soil than for noncalcareous soil. However, the approach can also be used for noncalcareous soils when the air emission rates are low and may need further testing with additional measured data for a wide range of soils other than those presented in this study

Local air quality impacts due to downwash around thermal power plants: Numerical simulations of the effect of building orientation

One of the primary adverse environmental impacts associated with power generation facilities and in particular thermal power plants is local air quality. When these plants are operated at inland areas the dry type cooling towers used may significantly increase ambient concentrations of air pollutants due to the building downwash effect. When one or more buildings in the vicinity of a point source interrupt wind flow, an area of turbulence known as a building wake is created. Pollutants emitted from relatively low level sources can be caught in this turbulence affecting their dispersion. In spite of the fact that natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plants have lower air emission levels compared to other power plants using alternative fossil fuel, they can still create significant local air pollution problems. In this paper, local air quality impacts of a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant located in a coastal area are compared with those of another natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant having identical air emissions but located in an inland area taking into account differences in topography and meteorology. Additionally, a series of scenarios for the inland site have been envisaged to illustrate the importance of plant lay-out configurations paying particular attention to the building downwash effect. Model results showed that different geometrical configurations of the stacks and cooling towers will cause remarkable differences in ambient air pollutant concentrations; thus it is concluded that when selecting a plant site, a detailed site-specific investigation should be conducted in order to achieve the least possible ambient air pollution concentrations with the given emissions

A profile on teaching English as a foreign language at Turkish vocational colleges

Ankara : Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University, 1995.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1995.Includes bibliographical references leaves 62-63This descriptive study examined the general profile of English as a foreign language (EFL) programs at 14 vocational colleges in Turkey. The data collected in this study was not previously available for educators. Fourteen administrators, 22 EFL teachers, and 265 students of vocational colleges from seven different geographical regions in Turkey participated in this study. A structured questionnaire was mailed to the subjects. The present study considered three specific research questions as a part of the general profile. The first research question concerned the EFL curriculum. The results of the EFL teachers' questionnaires indicated that the great majority of EFL teachers were not provided with a curriculum, whereas a large majority of administrators claimed that they provided EFL teachers with a curriculum. The second research question pertained to all subjects' preferences for the ideal number of semesters for EFL courses. A large majority of EFL teachers and students agreed that the ideal number of semesters should not be less than four. Almost half of the administrators agreed with the teachers and students, but half wanted only two semesters. The third research question considered whether the students would take EFL courses if not mandated by the Higher Education Council (YOK). Most of the administrators and EFL teachers thought that the students would not take EFL courses at all, whereas a large majority of the students disagreed. Some of the responses suggest that many issues must be reconsidered at vocational colleges; preparation of the curriculum; the ideal number of semesters and hours per week of EFL courses; types of English necessary. This study can guide in reorganizing and improving EFL programs at all vocational colleges. The results can also be helpful in the development of EFL programs at the many new vocational colleges opening throughout Turkey.Yurteri, ZaferM.S

Evaluation of gender role perceptions in adolescents according to sociodemographic factors

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, yaşları 12 ile 17 arasında değişen bir grup ergenin toplumsal cinsiyet algılarının cinsiyet, yaş, anne babanın eğitim durumu, ekonomik durumu, çalışma durumu gibi bir takım sosyodemografik özellikler ile ilişkilerini analiz etmektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Toplamda 100 katılımcının sosyodemografik özelliklerini değerlendirmek adına araştırmacı tarafından oluşturulan yarı yapılandırılmış Sosyodemografik Veri Formu, cinsiyet algılarını ve toplumsal cinsiyet rollerini değerlendirmek adına ise “BEM cinsiyet rolü envanteri” ve “toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri tutum ölçeği” kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: “Toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri tutum ölçeği” alt boyutları (eşitlikçi cinsiyet rolü, kadın cinsiyet rolü, evlilikte cinsiyet rolü, geleneksel cinsiyet rolü, erkek cinsiyet rolü) ile yaş, cinsiyet, anne baba eğitim düzeyi, annenin çalışma durumu, ekonomik düzey değişkenleri ile anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur. “BEM cinsiyet rolü envanteri” alt boyutları (feminenlik, maskülenlik, nötr) ile de yaş, cinsiyet, anne eğitim düzeyi, annenin çalışma durumu ve ekonomik düzey değişkenleri ile anlamlı ilişki bulunmuştur. Düşük eğitim düzeyi ve düşük ekonomik gelire sahip ailelerin çocuklarının toplumsal cinsiyet rollerine ilişkin daha çok “geleneksel cinsiyet rolü” algısına sahip olduğu; annenin çalıştığı, eğitim düzeyi ve ekonomik geliri yüksek ailelerin çocuklarının ise daha çok “eşitlikçi cinsiyet rolü” algısına sahip olduğu saptanmıştır. Sonuç: Ergenlerin yaşı, cinsiyeti ve ailelerinin ekonomik durumu ve eğitim düzeyi gibi sosyodemografik özellikleri ile toplumsal cinsiyet algıları arasında anlamlı ilişki bulunmuştur.Objective: The main focus of the study is to evaluate the relationship between the development of gender role perception during the adolescence and the social demographic backgrounds such as sex; age; educational level, financial situation and working status of the parents. Methods: One hundred individuals aged between 12 and 17 were chosen as a study group. To analyze the sociodemographic backgrounds of the participants, a semi-structured questionnaire designed by the researcher was applied to all subjects. To describe the sexual role and gender role perceptions of each individual, two existing measures are used: "BEM sex role inventory" (BSRI) and "gender roles attitude scale" (GRAS). Results: The subcategories of "gender roles attitude scale" (GRAS) (egalitarian gender roles, female gender roles, marriage gender roles, traditional gender roles and male gender roles) were significantly different according to different age and gender groups. Similar results were obtained for the subgroups of "BEM sex role inventory" (femininity, masculinity, and neutral) as well. Furthermore, the novel finding of this study was the significant relationship between the educational and financial situation of the parents and the gender role perception in their children. While children of the families with low education and low income were more prone to have traditional view; the children with highly educated parents, working mother and high income tended to have more egalitarian view. Conclusion: Results of the present study clearly suggest that certain sociodemographic backgrounds of adolescents are significantly associated with certain aspects of their gender role perceptions.Publisher's Versio

DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTINUOUS NANOPARTICLE COATING WITH ELECTROSPRAYING

Coating of micron-sized particles (host particles) with nanoparticles can result in modifying the surface properties of host particles leading to various applications. This work presents a novel concept of combining the electrospraying of nanoparticles onto the charged particles entrained out of the fluidized bed for developing a continuous coating process. By controlling the processes to effectively charge and contact particles using electric forces, we are able to fine-tune the properties of the obtained nano-coated particles

Effects of stratification and moisturizing treatments on breaking seed dormancy in two echinacea species

Echinacea (Echinacea ssp.) has been widely used in folk medicine for centuries and has a high market share and medicinal value, because more than 280 different products are sold economically in Europe. Generally, germination rate of Echinacea seeds is very low and poor seedling growth is an ongoing problem compared to other medicinal plants. Different methods were used before sowing that effect seedling quality which have positive effects on yield. In this study, the effects of stratification and moisturizing on the germination of Echinacea seeds were investigated. It was determined that stratification + moisturizing treatment at +4 degrees C with different day intervals (0, 5, 10, 15 days) had a significant (p<0.01) effect on germination rates on seeds of Echinacea purpurea L. and Echinacea angustifolia L., besides the same effect was observed in epicotyl and hypocotyl lengths. Germination rates and seedling outflows were highest in moist seeds that kept at +4 degrees C temperature for 15 days. It is clear from the study that stratification and moisturizing methods were efficient in breaking dormancy and also used methods were non-chemical, easily applicable and economically advantage for commercial plantations

Thiadiazuron ve Zeatin’in Helichrysum Pallasii’de bitki rejenerasyonuna etkisi

The genus of Helichrysum comprises many species which have therapeutical effects and used in folk medicine. H. pallasii is one of these species, used in the region for traditional medicine and ornamental purposes. Therefore, optimizing alternative micropropagation protocols of tissue culture conditions and secondary metabolite production for these species needs attention. The effect of Thidiazuran (TDZ) combined with Zeatin (ZEA) on shoot regeneration in H. pallasi was investigated during this study. The leaf, stem and root parts taken from the seedling germinated under in vitro conditions were used as explants. As a result, the root explants were more efficient compared to other explants in inducing plant regeneration using 1 mg L-1 Thidiazuran (TDZ) + 0.1 mg L-1 Zeatin (ZEA) (88.9%) and 1 mg L-1 TDZ treatment (85.7%). The lowest plant regeneration percentage (16.7%) was found in control medium using leaf explants.Helichrysum cinsi, tedavi edici etkileri olan ve halk hekimliğinde kullanılan birçok türü içermektedir. H. pallasii yörede geleneksel tıp ve süs amaçlı kullanılan bu türlerden bir tanesidir. Bu nedenle, bu türler için doku kültüründe alternatif mikroçoğaltım protokollerinin ve sekonder metabolit üretiminin optimize edilmesi gerektirmektedir. Bu çalışmada Zeatin (ZEA) ile kombine edilmiş Thidiazuran (TDZ)’ nın H. pallasi'de sürgün rejenerasyonu üzerine etkileri incelenmiştir. İn vitro koşullarda çimlendirilen bitkiciklerden alınan yaprak, gövde ve kök kısımları eksplant olarak kullanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, en yüksek bitki rejenerasyonu kök eksplantlarına uygulanan 1 mg L-1 Thidiazuran (TDZ) + 0.1 mg L-1 Zeatin (ZEA) (%88.9) ve 1 mg L-1 TDZ (%85.7) uygulamalarından elde edilmiştir. En düşük bitki rejenerasyon yüzdesi (%16.7) ise yaprak eksplantları kullanılan kontrol uygulamasından elde edilmiştir

Genetic Basis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood. Due to studies reporting that the effects of ADHD diagnosis on functioning may last throughout life, this disorder, which has great importance for child and adolescent psychiatry, started to attract greater attention recently in terms of adult psychiatry. A review, evaluating the results of studies conducted on the genetic basis of ADHD, which started to attract increasing attention both in our country and the world, was thought to help clinicians working in this field. PubMed and Turkish Psychiatry Index online search engines were screened using “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”, “ADHD”, “genetics” as key words. The data obtained were combined with information gleaned from several textbooks. Based on previous studies, it could easily be concluded that ADHD is one of the most common heritable psychiatric disorder with distinguished genetic features. Despite its importance for diagnosis and treatment, the etiology of ADHD is still not clear and the disorder seems to be a complex problem arising from the effects of both genetic and environmental factors. Although previous studies revealed that ADHD displayed familial and hereditary transmission, stable patterns of Mendelian inheritance could not be discriminated by evaluation of pedigrees. Therefore, many studies have been conducted on the molecular genetic basis of ADHD recently. The previous studies did not report consistent results in identification of the genes responsible for ADHD which has been partially linked to heterogeneity of the disorder. Grouping relevant patients according to comorbidities and persistence in adolescence rather than DSM-IV subtypes could be an important alternative method for overcoming this limitation in the research studies

Chemical and morphological diversity among wild populations of Hypericum aviculariifolium Jaub. et Spach subsp. depilatum (Freyn et Bornm.) N. Robson var. depilatum

In this study, the chemical and morphological diversity among eleven wild populations of Hypericum aviculariifolium Jaub. et Spach subsp. depilatum (Freyn et Bornm.) N. Robson var. depilatum, an endemic Turkish species was studied. These populations were investigated for their contents of hypericin, pseudohypericin, hyperforin, the chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, caffeic and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acids, hyperoside, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, avicularin, 13,118 biapigenin, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin as well as for their morphological traits, including density of leaf light and dark glands, leaf area, leaf length/width ratio and plant height. The top two-thirds of the plants representing thirty individuals was harvested at full flowering from eleven sites and analyzed for the content of bioactive compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography after being dried at room temperature. Morphological characterization of the wild populations was performed on twenty randomly selected individuals from each plant-growing locality. The content of the tested compounds, except for caffeic acid and avicularin, and some morphological traits, namely, the density of leaf translucent glands and black nodules and leaf area varied significantly with the investigated populations. It was observed that hypericin and pseudohypericin contents were connected positively with leaf black nodule density, but negatively with leaf area and the contents of hyperforin, quercitrin and 13,118-biapigenin were correlated positively with leaf translucent gland density. Data presented here could be useful in determining future targets for further wide-ranging studies on this endemic species as well as in identifying superior germplasm in terms of high chemical content

Extended-spectrum ?-lactamases among cloacal Escherichia coli isolates in healthy broilers in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and clonal typing of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- producing Escherichia coli in healthy broilers in Turkey. Three hundred broiler cloacal samples were collected from various broiler slaughterhouses and inoculated on Levine agar plates supplemented with 2 &amp;#956;g/mL cefotaxime. Suspected strains were identified using a BBL Crystal Enteric/Nonfermenter ID Kit (Becton Dickinson, USA) and ESBL production was confirmed using an ESBL phenotypic confirmatory test. ESBL types were analyzed using PCR and sequencing. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed with XbaI for the clonal typing of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates. While 33 phenotypic ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were identified, eight of them had only the blaTEM-1. Twenty-five ESBL-producing isolates were detected. This research is the first on the investigation and detection of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from broilers in Turkey. In this study, 8.3% ESBL-producing E. coli were isolated from the cloacal samples of broilers collected from slaughterhouses in Turkey. CTX-M-15 (80%) was the most frequently isolated ESBL type. Using PFGE analysis, it was determined that these isolates had clonal similarity