Determination of Cadmium in Tap,Sea and Waste Water Samples by Vortex-Assisted Dispersive Liquid-Liquid-Solidified Floating Organic Drop Microextraction and Slotted Quartz Tube FAAS After Complexation with a Imidazole Based Ligand

This study presents a combination of dispersive liquid-liquid-solidified floating organic drop microextraction (DLLSFODM) and slotted quartz tube (SQT) with conventional flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) to improve the sensitivity for cadmium determination. A ligand namely 2-(4-methylphenyl)-1H-imidazo-[4,5-f]-[1,10]-phenanthroline which has not been used in trace analyte determination was used to form a cadmium complex. Stepwise optimization of parameters affecting complex formation (pH, ligand, and buffer solution) and extraction (extraction and dispersive solvents, salt effect and mixing) was done to maximize cadmium absorbance. The slotted quartz tube was fitted onto the flame burner and optimized to increase residence time of atoms in the flame. Instrumental parameters such as sample and fuel flow rate were also optimized to further enhance the absorbance signal for cadmium. Using optimal parameters and values, the limits of detection and quantification were determined to be 0.81 and 2.69 μg L^?1, respectively. Low percent relative standard deviations (<?6.0%) indicated good precision for both extraction and instrumental measurements. Recovery tests were used to determine the accuracy of the method and the recovery results obtained were between 88 and 113%.

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Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (Pgpr) Increase Yield,Growth And Nutrition Of Strawberry Under High-Calcareous Soil Conditions

Plant growth promoting effects of Alcaligenes 637Ca, Staphylococcus MFDCa-1, MFDCa-2, Agrobacterium A18, Pantoea FF1 and Bacillus M3 were tested on strawberry cv. ‘Aromas’ based on yield, number, and weight of fruit, leaf area, vitamin C, total soluble solids (TSS), acidity and ionic composition of leaves under calcareous soil conditions. The results demonstrated that all of bacterial treatments significantly affected all parameters tested. The best result was obtained from 637Ca treatment, which significantly increased fruit yield, number and weight about 47.5, 34.7, and 9.4%, respectively, compared to control. Except for magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) in the leaf, the concentrations of all plant tissue nutrients [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), boron (B)] were significantly increased by bacterial treatments tested. The data in the present study showed that all bacterial treatments including Alcaligenes 637Ca, Staphylococcus MFDCa-1, MFDCa-2, Agrobacterium A18, Pantoea FF1, and Bacillus M3 to strawberry plants can ameliorative the deleterious effect of high lime on fruit yield, growth and nutrition. These results suggested that plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) treatments could be offer an economic and simple means to increased plant resistance for high calcareous soil conditions.     

Effect of feeding frequency on growth,feed efficiency and nutrient utilization of juvenile flounder (Platichthys flesus luscus)

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of optimal feeding frequency on growth performance, feed efficiency, nutrient utilization and body composition in juvenile flounder. Four feeding frequencies of one (F1), two (F2), three (F3) and four (F4) times a day were evaluated as treatments in triplicate for a period of 60 days. Forty-seven hatchery produced juveniles (2.5 ± 0.7 g) were stocked into 160-L rectangular fiberglass tanks and fed with a commercial diet containing 54 % protein to satiation. At the end of the experiment, the final weight of F1, F2, F3 and F4 were 5.06 ± 0.29, 5.91 ± 0.42, 6.24 ± 0.42 and 6.16 ± 0.46 g, respectively. Growth rates and feed consumption were highest in F3 and lowest in F1. Feed conversion ratios ranged between 0.83 ± 0.04 and 0.90 ± 0.03. There were no significant differences in either moisture or ash content of the fish groups. Protein content decreased with increasing feeding frequency, while lipid content partly increased with increasing feeding frequency. Nitrogen intake and lipid intake were significantly higher in fish fed under F3 and F4 treatment, whereas the nitrogen gain decreased and lipid gain increased with increasing feeding frequency. It is concluded that the flounder juveniles can achieve maximum growth performance and better nutrient utilization when they are fed a given ration two times a day. The findings have practical significance toward establishing an appropriate flounder nursery rearing and will directly benefit the nursery operations.     

The effects of dietary protein levels with amino acid supplementation on the growth performance,haematological profile and histology of meagre (Argyrosomus regius) in two different size classes

A 12‐week feeding trial was conducted to estimate the effects of supplemented amino acids (lysine and methionine) with different dietary protein levels on growth, haematology and liver histology in meagre (Argyrosomus regius) at two different sizes: fingerling (15.2 g) and juvenile (44.4 g). Six practical diets were prepared, and three of these practical diets were formulated with 40 (P40), 44 (P44) and 48% (P48) crude protein without supplementation of amino acids. Other three diets having same protein levels were supplemented with lysine and methionine (P40AA, P44AA and P48AA) to bring these amino acids level up to that estimated to be at the least in the 48% protein diet. Final mean weight (FMW) and specific growth rate (SGR) of P48AA in fingerlings were higher than that of 40AA. According to FMW and SGR of juveniles, there was interaction found between dietary protein levels and the supplementation of amino acids. The FMW and SGR of meagre fed P44AA were higher than that of fish fed the other diets, except fish fed the P48. Economic profit index, packed cell volume and haemoglobin for juvenile meagre were significantly improved with the dietary protein level and amino acid supplementation. The liver tissues of the P48 group in both sizes displayed better structure compared with the other groups. In conclusion, dietary crude protein content of practical diets for juvenile meagre could be reduced from 48% to 44% by adding essential amino acids with an enhancement in growth, health and economic profit.     

Determination of spermatological properties of male Liza abu (Heckel, 1843) in Atatürk Dam Lake, Şanlıurfa

The aim of this study was to determine the spermatological characteristics in male L. abu during the spawning season. Semen was collected weekly by abdominal massage from 26 males in March. In collected semen, volume, motility, duration of motility, concentration and pH were determined. In the L. abu sperm, volume (μl), motility (%), duration of motility (s), concentration (×10⁹/ml), and pH values were found 45.76 ± 3.55, 54.25 ± 2.93, 330.15 ± 37.92, 4.27 ± 0.40 and 7.87 ± 0.05, respectively. A correlation was found between semen volume and semen pH. Semen volume and the duration of sperm motility were higher in the 2nd and 3rd sampling dates than in the 1st and 4th sampling dates (P < 0.05; P < 0.01, respectively). Neither sperm motility nor sperm concentration was affected by sampling dates. Major changes in semen pH were observed in the 4th sampling date (P < 0.001). The Pearson correlation test presented significant relationships with the duration of motility, semen volume, and motility. Semen pH values were significantly correlated with the sperm concentration and semen volume. Sperm concentration was inversely correlated with semen volume. Sperm motility and duration significantly correlated with total weight. Total length significantly correlated with the duration of motility and total weight. In conclusion, these characteristics represent a valuable baseline dataset for establishing a semen quality standard and provide background information that may be useful for assisted breeding programs in this species.     

Induction of triploidy in Melicertus kerathurus (Forskal, 1775) with temperature shock

Triploidy in fertilized eggs of Melicertus kerathurus was induced by cold (8, 10, 12°C) and heat (34, 36, 38°C) shock for different duration times (2, 4 and 8 min) after 10 min of post spawning. The best individual treatment produced 64.5% triploid nauplii in cold shock application at a temperature of 10°C for a duration of 8 min. Temperature did not have significant effect (P > 0.05) on triploid rate but duration time had a significant effect (P < 0.05) for individual cold or heat shock. This study demonstrates that because of a wide variety of effective parameters, it is essential to optimize shock conditions for each species strain at each location.     

Fatty Acid Composition and Oxidative Stability of Fish Oil Products in Turkish Retail Market

The fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of fish oil and syrups available in the Turkish retail market were examined in this study. The major saturated fatty acids in capsules and syrups were palmitic acid (16:0) and stearic acid (18:0). The monounsaturated fatty acid contents of fish oil products have very different results (10.71–50.46%). The results show that the label claims for total omega-3, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid presented a reasonable accuracy for the examined products, but it was noted that some of the results showed a considerable difference with the labels.

The free fatty acid level in fish oil products was generally low (0.13–1.95% of oleic acid). Peroxide value of all examined products was below the limit of 10 meq kg^?1 oils for edible oil as indicated in Codex (1999). It was detected that the p-Anisidine value of fish oil capsules (5.36–8.90) was considerably lower than for fish oil syrups (21.86–26.74). According to our results, the totox value of fish oil capsules evaluated in this study (7.08–17.35) was within acceptable limits. However, fish oil syrups (34.72–38.06) highly exceeded the upper tolerable limit (26).     

Development of 8-armed airflow olfactometers for measuring olfactory responses of insect predators

In the present study two types of 8-armed airflow olfactometers are developed, one is for individual test, called the individual olfactometer, another is for population test, called the population olfactometer. Both of them consist of an exposure chamber, 8 odour arms, 8 odour chambers and a sample plate or a sample chamber. In the former, the odour chamber is movable for regulating the distance between an odour source and the exposure chamber. In the latter, the sample chamber can be driven up and down to control the predator population under test to be exposed to the exposure chamber at the same time, and the odour chambers are designed for two functions viz., for placing odour sources and for catching the predator reaching them. By means of the NH₄CL smoke tests, it is clear that the odour airflows in both apparatus are separated in the outward area of the exposure chamber and gradually unified around the center to form the combination of the odour fields, from which the predator under test begins searching the odours. The control tests for random distribution in both apparatus have been conducted to provide the evidence that the same odour source in all odour chambers causes the random selection by the predator. The one-odour tests have been executed to prove the sensitivity of both apparatus for testing insect kairomone responses.     

Ecological studies on parasitism ofEretmocerus longipes Compere (Hym., Aphelinidae) on the whitefly,Aleurotuberculatus takahashi David et Subramaniam (Hom., Aleyrodidae) on jasmine in Fuzhou region of the southeastern China

Experiments on host-stage preference, influence of temperature on parasitization, and the feeding niche ofEretmocerus longipes Compere (Hym., Aphelinidae) parasitizingAleurotuberculatus takabashi David et Subramaniam (Hom., Aleyrodidae) on jasmine were conducted both in the laboratory of Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and in the field in the Fuzhou region, Fujian Province, PR China. The results showed that the most preferred host-stage ofE. longipes was the 3rd instar ofA. takahashi. The parasitization rate ofE. longipes was significantly affected by temperature, valuing 4.8% at 18 °C, 27.3% at 23 °C, and 55.1% at 33 °C, respectively. The whitefly immature stages and the parasitoid vertically selected all the layers of jasmine plant as their feeding niches, but the whitefly nymph preferred to gather on the top layer, which was considered as its suitable feeding niche, while the parasitoid selected the middle layer as its feeding niche. To measure the ability to utilize spatial resources, the feeding niche breadth was introduced to demonstrate that the parasitoid had the less wide feeding niche breadth among the all stages tested on jasmine, which revealed that the spatial activity for the parasitoid was smaller than that for any stage of the whitefly. The cluster analysis showed that the feeding niche of the parasitoid was more closely related to the 3rd instar than to any other stage of the whitefly. It was suggested that relation between the whitefly and its parasitoid was not only depending on the host-stage preference but also on the feeding niche similarity.