Agro-morphological traits of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer reticulatum</Emphasis> Ladizinsky in comparison to <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. echinospermum</Emphasis> P.H. Davis in terms of potential to improve cultivated chickpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">C. arietinum</Emphasis> L.)

Germplasm collections of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum are limited, while both species face threats from over-grazing and habitat change in their natural environments. Recently many new accessions of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum were collected in east and south-east Anatolia (Turkey) but they have not yet been evaluated for agro-morphological traits. Therefore, the current study investigated agro-morphological traits of new germplasm sources of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum and evaluated resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses for chickpea improvement. The most attractive agro-morphological traits were canopy width, number of stems and pods per plant and biological yield. The most productive accessions of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum had 712 and 625 pods per plant, respectively. Two distinct seed, flower and leaf shapes were found in accessions of C. echinospermum. Path analyses indicated that biological yield and harvest index had the most direct influence on seed yield in both species. Factor analyses showed that high seed yield in C. reticulatum depended on high biological yield and number of pods per plant, whereas high seed yield in C. echinospermum depended on harvest index. It was concluded that most accessions of C. reticulatum and C. echinospermum were not only resistant to some biotic and abiotic stresses but also had hidden alleles that could produce transgressive segregation in crosses to cultivated material.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular subtyping of 55 Turkish Bacillus anthracis strains using 25-loci multiple-locus VNTR analysis

Anthrax, which is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is one of the oldest documented infectious diseases in both livestock and humans. The differentiation of B. anthracis strains is difficult because of their highly homogeneous genomes. We used multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) with 25 markers to genotype 55 B. anthracis isolates from 16 distinct regions of Turkey. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was investigated using the agar dilution method. An eight-loci MLVA assay revealed six unique genotypes (G(K)13, G(K)27, G(K)35, G(K)43, G(K)44, and G(K)61). However, the 25-loci MLVA was more discriminatory, revealing the presence of ten genotypes instead of six. The additional genotypes resulted from the split of four subtypes: G(K)35 (b and c), G(K)43 (a and f), G(K)44 (d and e), and G(K)61 (i and j). All of the Turkish B. anthracis isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, tigecycline, linezolid, and vancomycin. One isolate was resistant to penicillin and to doxycycline. A total of 34 isolates were susceptible, 20 isolates were partially susceptible, and one isolate was resistant to erythromycin. None of the isolates exhibited susceptibility to cefotaxime. A total of 53 isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, and two were resistant. The genotypes G(K)35 (n=24), G(K)44 (n=13), and G(K)43 (n=10) were the most prevalent in 10, 6, and 5 regions, respectively, of the total 16 provinces. The B. anthracis isolates collected from these regions implied that the movement of B. anthracis is a result of the increased transportation of livestock and the resultant cross contamination.     

Evaluation of biochemical methods for the diagnosis of the avocado sunblotch viroid in Israel

The reliability of biochemical diagnostic methods for avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBV) was evaluated for the Israeli avocado propagation program. Polyacry-lamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was compared with hybridization toin vitro ³²P-labeled cDNA and ASBV-RNA probes. Although hybridization to a cDNA probe was the most sensitive method, not all known infected plants were detected. In the light of these results, the problem of diagnosing ASBV in the Israeli propagation program is discussed.     

Using degree-day accumulations and host phenology for predicting larval emergence patterns of the olive psyllid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Euphyllura phillyreae</Emphasis>

The olive psyllid, Euphyllura phillyreae Foerster is one of the most destructive pests on buds and flowers of olive tree (Olea europaea L.) in May when the olive growers cannot apply any insecticides against the pest. Temperature-dependent development of the psyllid was studied at constant temperatures ranged 16–26°C. A degree-day (DD) model was developed to predict the larval emergence using the weekly cumulative larval counts and daily mean temperatures. Linear regression analysis estimated a lower developmental threshold of 4.1 and 4.3°C and a thermal constant of 164.17 and 466.13 DD for development of egg and larva, respectively. The cumulative larval counts of E. phillyreae approximated by probit transformation were plotted against time, expressed as the sum of DD above 4.3°C, the starting date when the olive tree phenology was the period of flower cluster initiation. A linear model was used to describe the relationship of DDs and probit values of larval emergence patterns of E. phillyreae and predicted that 10, 50 and 95% emergence of the larvae required 235.81, 360.22 and 519.93 DD, respectively, with errors of 1–3 days compared to observed values. Based on biofix depends the development of olive tree phenology; the DD model can be used as a forecasting method for proper timing of insecticide applications against E. phillyreae larvae in olive groves.     

Development and evaluation of a multiplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of Flavobacterium psychrophilum, Yersinia ruckeri and Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida in culture fisheries

Bacterial cold water disease, enteric red mouth disease and frunculosis are the common bacterial diseases of fish worldwide. The etiologic agents of these diseases are Flavobacterium (F.) psychrophilum, Yersinia (Y.) ruckeri and Aeromonas (A.) salmonicida subsp. salmonicida, respectively. In this study, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) method with YER8/10-Fer3/4-FP1/3 primer pairs which can identify these fish pathogens simultaneously was developed and optimized. In optimized conditions, neither false specific nor nonspecific amplification occurred. The detection limits of the m-PCR method using DNA extracts from dilutions of pure cultures of bacteria were 35 pg for Y. ruckeri and F. psychrophilum and 70 pg for A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida. It was determined that 15 CFU Y. ruckeri and F. psychrophilum and 30 CFU A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida could be detected by m-PCR developed using genomic DNA extracted from dilutions of the suspensions. The detection limits in the presence of tissue debris were 125 CFU for Y. ruckeri and F. psychrophilum and 250 CFU for A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida. In conclusion, we submit that the m-PCR method developed and optimized in this study can be used for accurate and rapid identification of these bacteria.     

Thrombin immobilization to enzymatic modified PET and PAN fabrics and their applications

Enzymatic modification of synthetic materials has immense potential both of the functionalization of polymeric materials, such as poly(acrylonitrile) or polyesters, and the production of polymers for special applications, such as medical devices and enzyme immobilization. In this study, poly(ethyleneterephtalate) and poly(acrylonitrile) fabrics were modified with commercial laccase and nitrilase, respectively. Contact angles of enzymatic modified and unmodified fabrics were measured and it was found contact angles of enzymatic modified fabrics were less than those of unmodified fabrics. Attenuated-Total-Reflection-Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy showed that carboxylic acid groups occurred on fabrics after enzymatic modifications. Surfaces of modified and unmodified fabrics were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Surfaces of unmodified fabrics were smooth but surfaces of modified fabrics were rugged and cracked. Thrombin was immobilized in modified fabrics by using 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimetylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide. Optimization studies were also performed for the immobilization of thrombin. After prepared material was tested to stop bleeding in vitro conditions and it was found that thrombin immobilized poly(ethyleneterephtalate) and poly(acrylonitrile) fabrics had a reduced recalcification time to 51 % and 89 %, respectively. Thrombin immobilized poly(ethyleneterephtalate) fabric was also tested in in vivo conditions by using Cavia porcellus and it was observed that this material caused bleeding to stop at a ratio of 24.6 %. The results were statistically significant.     

Adaptive Grid Modeling with Direct Sensitivity Method for Predicting the Air Quality Impacts of Biomass Burning

The objective of this study was to improve the ability to model the air quality impacts of biomass burning on the surrounding environment. The focus is on prescribed burning emissions from a military reservation, Fort Benning in Georgia, and their impact on local and regional air quality. The approach taken in this study is to utilize two new techniques recently developed: (1) adaptive grid modeling and (2) direct sensitivity analysis. An advanced air quality model was equipped with these techniques, and regional-scale air quality simulations were conducted. Grid adaptation reduces the grid sizes in areas that have rapid changes in concentration gradients; consequently, the results are much more accurate than those of traditional static grid models. Direct sensitivity analysis calculates the rate of change of concentrations with respect to emissions. The adaptive grid simulation estimated large variations in O₃ concentrations within 4?×?4-km² cells for which the static grid estimates a single average concentration. The differences between adaptive average and static grid values of O₃ sensitivities were more pronounced. The sensitivity of O₃ to fire is difficult to estimate using the brute-force method with coarse scale (4?×?4 km²) static grid models.     

Potential Threats from a Likely Nuclear Power Plant Accident: a Climatological Trajectory Analysis and Tracer Study

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - The present paper deals with an extensive review of literature concerning the platinum group elements (PGEs), and their impact on the environment. The increased...     

Geochemical Assessment of Environmental Effects of Ash from Yatagan (Mugla-Turkey) Thermal Power Plant

Yatagan Thermal Power Plant consumes low-quality ligniteproduced from the Yatagan Basin, located in the western part ofthe Aegean region nearby Mugla City. The basin is aligned in anorthwest-southeast direction. The dominant wind direction isalso northwest-southeast, which controls the boundary of thewaste at the disposal site. In this study, the concentration of30 volatile elements was analyzed in coal, bottom ash, fly ashand background soil. The study area was divided into grids. The size of the grids was 1 km² for the background soiland 50–100 m for the ash in the vicinity of the wastedisposal site. 15 fly and bottom ash, six coal and nine-background soil samples were analyzed according to a sequential technique using ICP-AES. The results reveal that heavy metal concentrations in the coal are below the world averages for coal whereas those of bottom ash and fly ash arewithin the world averages for the respective ashes, indicatingheavy metal enrichment. It is recommended that extra care shouldbe taken to prevent subsurface contamination in the study area.     

The Effect of Yatagan Thermal Power Plant (Mugla,Turkey) on the Quality of Surface and Ground Waters

Yatagan thermal power plant consumes annually 5.4 million tons of coal and the annual production capacity of the plant is 3.78 billion KWh. The thermal power plant uses 15 000 tons of coal and discharges 5000 tons of fly and bottom ash daily to the disposal site. The waste is dumped using conveyer belts and pipes into a dam founded on metamorphic rocks. However, as the waste hills formed, the water level reached the karstic marbles that over lay schist. Water leaches through dried waste hills and karstic marbles, ultimately adversely affecting the quality of ground and surface waters. The concentrations of major and minor ions were determined on water samples taken at 2 points in the dam, 5 points in surface water and at 21 points in groundwater located in the vicinity of the waste disposal site, total of 28 samples, for three years. The chemical analyses revealed that the concentrations of Ca²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Sb²⁺ and SO₄ ^2- in some samples exceed the Turkish Drinking Water, the U.S. EPA and WHO limits. Isotope analyses were carried out to determine the origins of waters, which showedthat contamination is taking place in the vicinity of the waste disposal site.