Morphological and molecular evaluation of Turkish rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - This study was carried out to evaluate Turkish rice landraces, in 2016 and 2017. Twenty-nine morphological traits were used for morphological evolution and 10...     

Effects of early and late feed restriction or feed withdrawal on growth performance,ascites and blood constituents of broiler chickens

A study was conducted with male broilers to determine the effects of early and late feed restriction or feed withdrawal. In the experiment five treatments were represented by three replicate floor pens, each containing 20 broilers. The experimental procedure was a completely randomized design. The treatments were ad libitum (AL), 25% (FR-25) and 50% (FR-50) feed-restricted or 8 h (FW-8) and 16 h (FW-16) feed withdrawal regimes, respectively. FW-16 regime significantly reduced weight gain to 21 days of age compared to AL or FR-25 regimes (P<0.05). However, the overall weight gains between 9 days and 42 days of age were not significantly affected by the treatments. FW-8 and FW-16 broilers consumed significantly less feed than either AL or FR broilers between 9 and 21 days (P<0.05), however FW-8 and FW-16 broilers had similar feed intake to AL or FR-25 and FR-50 broilers between 9 and 42 days of age. Feed: gain, abdominal fat pad and heart weights, mortality, death due to ascites, and the incidence of leg disorders were unchanged by feeding regimes, although the incidence of ascites in FW-16 was significantly (P<0.05) lower than AL fed broilers. Blood constituents, such as albumin, total cholesterol, ketone bodies, glucose, chlorine, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase and creatine were also significantly affected by feeding regimes (P<0.05).     

The comparison of the effect of enzyme, peroxide, plasma and chitosan processes on wool fabrics and evaluation for antimicrobial activity

Pretreated (enzymatic and enzymatic+hydrogen peroxide) knitted wool fabrics were treated with atmospheric argon and air plasma to improve their adsorption capacity. After plasma treatments chitosan solution was applied to have antimicrobial effect on wool fabrics. The treated fabrics were evaluated in terms of washing stability as well as antimicrobial activity. The surface morphology was characterised by SEM images and FTIR analysis. From the results it was observed that atmospheric plasma treatment had an etching effect and increased the functionality of a wool surface. Atmospheric plasma treatment also enhanced the adhesion of chitosan to the surface and improved the antimicrobial activity of the wool sample. Argon was found to be more effective than air, since argon radicals played an important role in killing and removing bacteria. No significant difference in washing durability was observed in terms of plasma treatments. The samples of combined pretreatment processes had good washing durability even after 10 washing cycle. From the SEM images it was observed that combination of plasma and the other pre-treatment processes gave less damage than only one process.     

Dimensional and mechanical characterization of newly developed denim fabrics based on experimentally determined property-structural pattern relations for upholstery applications

The aim of this study was to develop new pattern denim fabrics and characterize the dimensional, the abrasion and pilling properties of these fabrics. Furthermore, tensile and tear strengths of these fabrics were determined. The potential enduses of pattern denim fabrics were evaluated by comparing the test results with traditional denim fabrics. The produced fabrics were classified as ‘Design group I’ and ‘Design group II’. In design group I, the fabrics had small structural patterns whereas the structural patterns of the fabrics of design group II were large. The dimensional properties and weights of developed pattern denim fabrics in both of the design groups were different in terms of weft densities, structural pattern sizes which influenced the numbers, directions and distributions of warp-weft interlacement. The abrasion behaviours of the traditional denim fabrics and the fabrics with large-small structural patterns were similar. However, it was determined that the fabrics with large and small patterns were abraded on the earlier abrasion cycles compared to the traditional denim fabrics. The pilling resistances of the fabrics not only depended on the hairiness levels of the yarns used during weaving, but also on the pattern sizes of the fabrics. The small structural pattern fabrics showed more resistance to pilling than those of the large structural pattern fabrics. There was a decrease on the warp and weft tensile strengths of the large structural pattern fabrics in comparison with the traditional denim fabrics. The average tear strengths of the large structural pattern denim fabrics on the warp course were higher than those of the traditional denim fabrics while the tear strengths of the large pattern and traditional denim fabrics on the weft course were similar to each other. The end-uses of the newly developed structural pattern denim fabrics were recommended as home textile.     

Development of energy generating photovoltaic textile structures for smart applications

The aim of this study is to develop a method with lower application temperature and a device structure to obtain reproducible photovoltaic textiles. Two different kinds of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solutions over a silver (Ag) layer was used as anode, a blend of poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as light absorbing layer and a thin aluminum (Al)/Ag layer as semi-transparent cathode. These devices capable of generating electricity from sunlight were fabricated on polypropylene tapes that could be woven into a textile fabric. The short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic tapes were increased by using an Ag layer beneath the PEDOT:PSS electrode. The photovoltaic textile structure exhibited remarkable power conversion efficiency (0.29 %) by transmitting the light through the upper electrode. This approach may be used in industrial applications to develop photovoltaic textile materials.     

Dietary protein requirement of juvenile shi drum,Umbrina cirrosa (L.)

This study was undertaken to determine the dietary protein requirement of shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.) with an initial weight of 86.3±0.4 g. The fish were fed five isoenergetic diets containing dietary protein levels ranging from 35% to 59% by 6% increments [the estimated digestible protein (DP) levels ranged between 29.6% and 52.8%], and the growth response over a 10‐week period was monitored. Each experimental diet was given to triplicate groups of fish. The final weight, weight gain and daily growth coefficient increased with the dietary protein level, reaching a plateau at the dietary level of 47% protein. The feed conversion ratio improved with increasing dietary protein level. The daily feed intake was significantly lower in fish fed 53% and 59% protein diets compared with those fed 35% protein diet. However, protein intake showed an increasing trend with increasing dietary protein and became significantly different between the 59% and the 35% protein diets. The protein efficiency ratio, protein retention and condition factor were not affected significantly by the dietary treatments. The final body composition was not influenced by the treatments. The recommended dietary protein percentage and DP/digestible energy (DE) ratio for juvenile shi drum diets are 51.4% (45.6% DP) and 28.5 g DP MJ DE^?1 respectively.     

Investigation of the antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from gangrenous mastitis of ewes

In this study, Staphylococcus aureus strains (n = 110) isolated from seven ewe flocks in Sanliurfa, Turkey were screened for antibiotic resistance and biofilmforming ability as well as for genes associated with antibiotic resistance and biofilm-forming ability. All isolates were found to be susceptible to oxacillin, gentamicin, clindamycin, cefoxitin, tetracycline, vancomycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin and sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim. The percent proportions of strains resistant to penicillin G, ampicillin and erythromycin were 27.2% (n = 30), 25.4% (n = 28) and 6.3% (n = 7), respectively. Regarding the antibiotic resistance genes, 32 (29%) isolates carried the blaZ and 8 (7.2%) the ermC gene. Other resistance genes were not detected in the isolates. All isolates showed biofilm-forming ability on Congo red agar (CRA), while 108 (98.18%) and 101 (91.81%) of them were identified as biofilm producers by the use of standard tube (ST) and microplate (MP) methods, respectively. All isolates carried the icaA and icaD genes but none of them harboured the bap gene. The results demonstrated that S. aureus isolates from gangrenous mastitis were mainly resistant to penicillins (which are susceptible to the staphylococcal beta-lactamase enzyme), and less frequently to erythromycin. Furthermore, all of the S. aureus isolates produced biofilm which was considered a potential virulence factor in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal mastitis.     

Assessment of spatial and seasonal changes in groundwater nitrate pollution of agricultural lands through ordinary and indicator kriging techniques

Geostatistical approaches (ordinary kriging (OK) and indicator kriging (IK)) were used in this study to investigate the spatial and temporal variations in groundwater nitrate concentrations in Çar?amba plain of Turkey. Groundwater samples were taken in April 2012, July 2012, September 2012 and March 2013 from 78 groundwater wells. The experimental semivariograms were often fitted well by a Gauss model for April 2012 and September 2012, whereas a spherical model was fitted to experimental semivariograms for July 2012 and March 2013. Spatial distribution maps revealed that groundwater nitrate concentrations were above the threshold value of 50 mg L^?1 specified for drinking water in 4.3% of the study area in April 2012, 40.8% in July 2012, 32.8% in September 2012 and 19.1% in March 2013. Probability maps created with IK showed that 3.1% and 3.2% of the total area had very strong probability (0.8–1.0) of exceeding the threshold nitrate concentration in July 2012 and September 2012, respectively. Current findings revealed that groundwater nitrate concentrations changed seasonally and increased much more in summer. It was concluded that OK and IK may yield significant outcomes for groundwater management, identification of risky sites for potential pollution and identification of the sites with excessive fertilizer uses.     

The zonal distributions of alkaline phosphatase, adenosine triphosphatase, laminin, fibronectin and chondroitin 4-sulphate in growing rat humerus proximal epiphyseal cartilage: a histochemical and an immunohistochemical study

Although there are many studies about epiphyseal cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) macromolecules in bone formation, studies of their distribution and role in the mineralization of these components in growing rat humerus proximal epiphyseal cartilage have not been sufficiently detailed. The aim of this study was to determine the distributions of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), laminin, fibronectin and chondroitin 4-sulphate in growing rat humerus proximal epiphyseal cartilage. The rats were killed by cervical dislocation, and the humeri were removed, sectioned (6 and 10 microm) on a cryotome or paraffin microtome, and stained using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. ALP and ATPase were markedly observed in the hypertrophy and calcifying cartilage. In addition, ATPase was found to be very strongly positive in the tangential zone of articular cartilage. Results of immunohistochemical staining for laminin, fibronectin and chondroitin 4-sulphate showed that the immunostaining was the heaviest in the tangential zone of articular cartilage. In growing epiphyseal plates, there were differences in the density of these macromolecules of chondrocytes as a function of the maturation process. In conclusion, these ECM macromolecules of epiphyseal cartilage may regulate the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions as well as the matrix calcification during the ossification of epiphyseal cartilage.