This study investigated the effects of salinity and K-humate concentrations on soybean germination. The findings contribute to our knowledge of soybean germination under salt stress and the potential use of potassium humate. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory of the Department of Field Crops at Adnan Menderes University, Turkey. Seeds were surface-sterilized and placed on filter paper in Petri dishes. Different concentrations of water (control), NaCl solution (3 dS m-1), and K-humate solution were added. The experiment followed a factorial design with two factors and four replications. K-humate had a positive impact on germination rate. Significant differences were observed among control, salinity, and salinity * K-humate applications. Salinity reduced germination percentage. K-humate mitigated the negative effects of salinity, improving germination. These findings suggest the potential use of K-humate to enhance seedling establishment and overall plant productivity in salinity-affected environments.

Ruta montana L. is an annual aromatic plant of the family rutaceae. Quantitative analysis of the methanolic crude extract of Ruta montana L. yielded 8.43%, whereas the qualitative analysis revealed the presence of alkaloid or coumarin. The Litchfield and Wilcoxon method calculated the LD50 of the crude methanolic extract of Ruta montana L. in Wistar albino female rats at 393.18 mg/kg. This allows the plant to be classified as moderately toxic. The subacute toxicity study of the methanolic crude extract of Ruta montana L. in female Wistar albino rats treated with 100 mg/kg (≈ 1/4 LD50) and intraperitoneally showed a significant increase in body weight of the rats treated at the 4th week. Animals treated and sacrificed after 30 days showed a disturbance of the relative mass of the organs. Biochemical parameters of hepatic function assessment showed a significant increase in PAL with elevation of AST and ALT, whereas those of renal function revealed a significant decrease in creatinine with an increase in urea. Hematologic parameters recorded a decrease in RBC, HGB and HCT. The histological sections of the treated rats reveal the existence of blood congestion in the central veins and liver tissues, foci of necrosis and steatosis in the liver, blood congestion and some glomerular atrophy in the kidneys, as well as blood congestions and developed follicles without oocytes in the ovaries.

In this study, 34 molds showing pectin degradation activity were isolated from the soil of orchards, by several tests.  By using these isolates, pectinase group enzymes; studies on pectin lyase and polygalacturonase production were performed in the batch system and under non-sterile culture conditions. 5 isolates denoting polygalacturonase activity were coded as: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and the best polygalacturonase activity among these isolates was determined as 354.4 U/L in T4 isolate. Thus, optimization analyses continued by the use of this isolate. Initial apricot pulp concentration, temperature, pH and incubation period were tested as optimization parameters. The effects on enzyme activities were investigated by changing the initial apricot pulp concentration in the range of 5-100 (g/L), and in this regard, polygalacturonase activity was determined as 397.4 U/L at 50 g/L. In addition, the pH parameter was analyzed in each unit between pH = 3 – 8, and the temperature was tested by increasing 5 units in the range of 5-25°C. Consequently, the maximum polygalacturonase activity was determined as 405.7 U/L at pH 5 and 406.3 U/L at 15°C. Besides, the effect of the incubation period was studied within 1-5 days and the maximum polygalacturonase activity was determined as 429.0 U/L on the 4th day (after 96 hours). As a result, the above-mentioned T4 isolate, with which the optimization studies were conducted, was identified as Sarocladium strictum (Top ekinküfü) T4 by molecular methods.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is known as the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), which is a worldwide distributed disease and has also been detected in marketed beef and dairy products. BLV causes significant economic losses due to the loss of milk and yield or the slaughter of animals without adequate development. It has been reported in epidemiological studies that this infection is common in Türkiye, especially in the western provinces. There is no data on the possible presence or prevalence of BLV infection and its seroepidemiology in Muş province. The aim of this study is to determine the possible presence and prevalence of the infection, its role in yield losses, and to obtain epidemiological data on cattle farming in the Muş district. For this purpose, 300 blood serum samples were collected from cattle aged six months and older in the province of Muş and its different districts. The blood serum samples taken were tested for the presence of BLV-specific antibodies by agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA) methods. As a result of the study, all of the controlled districts were evaluated as negative in the AGID and C-ELISA tests for the presence of BLV-specific antibodies. In conclusion, for the first time, it was demonstrated that cattle farming in the Muş province were BLV-free during the sampling period. Although BLV seropositivity was not detected in the tested animals, it is emphasized that the control of infection and eradication program should not be ignored.

Son çalışmalar, astaksantinin merkezi sinir sistemi üzerinde koruyucu etkilere sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Ancak, astaksantinin hidrojen peroksit (H2O2) ile indüklenen oksidatif hasar üzerindeki etkileri ve apoptotik ile enflamatuar sistemlerle etkileşimi hala belirsizdir. Bu nedenle, bu çalışma astaksantinin H2O2 ile indüklenen oksidatif stres sonrası glial hücre hasarı üzerindeki koruyucu etkisini ve bunda enflamatuar ve apoptotik yollarla etkileşimini araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada C6 glioma hücreleri kullanıldı. H2O2 grubundaki hücreler H2O2 ile 24 saat boyunca inkübe edildi. Astaksantin grubundaki hücreler farklı konsantrasyonlarda astaksantin ile 24 saat boyunca inkübe edildi. Astaksantin + H2O2 grubundaki hücreler ise çeşitli konsantrasyonlarda astaksantin ile 1 saat boyunca inkübe edildikten sonra 24 saat boyunca H2O2’ye maruz bırakıldı. Hücre canlılığı XTT testi kullanılarak değerlendirildi. Antioksidatif etkinin gösterilmesi için total oksidatif stres (TOS) ve total antioksidatif stres (TAS) ölçümleri yapıldı. Antiinflamatuar etkinin ölçümü için ELISA yöntemi ile TNF‑α ve IL‑1β ölçümleri yapıldı. Antiapoptotik etkinin ölçümü için ELISA yöntemi ile kaspaz 3, BAX ve Bcl‑2 ölçümleri yapıldı. H2O2 grubuna kıyasla astaksantin + H2O2 grubunda, astaksantin C6 hücrelerinde hücre canlılığını önemli ölçüde artırdı. Aynı zamanda, astaksantin antioksidatif stresin bir göstergesi olan TAS seviyelerini önemli ölçüde artırırken TOS seviyelerini düşürdü. Ayrıca, astaksantin TNF-α ve IL-1β gibi enflamasyon faktörlerini önemli ölçüde azalttı. Bunun yanı sıra, astaksantin apoptotik proteinleri olan bölünmüş kaspaz-3 ve Bax seviyelerini önemli ölçüde azaltırken, anti-apoptotik Bcl-2 protein seviyelerini artırdı. Özetlemek gerekirse, astaksantin, oksidatif stres, apoptoz ve enflamasyon belirteçlerini etkili bir şekilde inhibe ederek anlamlı bir koruyucu etki sağlamaktadır. Bununla birlikte, olası temel mekanizmaları ele almak için daha kapsamlı bir araştırma gerekmektedir.

The study aimed to evaluate the pH, water activity (aw), residual nitrite, lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcus/Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae and yeast-mould in fermented sausage samples from different firms. A total of 30 sucuk and 30 heat-treated sucuk samples were taken from 10 different brands with different batch numbers. According to analysis results, all samples, with the exception of some heat-treated sucuk samples from one brand, provided pH values that were within the permitted limit of regulation. For sucuk, mean aw value of only one brand was below 0.90, while aw values for heat-treated sucuk were in the range of 0.928 to 0.957. All samples had residual nitrite levels less than 15 mg/kg (in the range of 7.84-14.80 mg/kg). Yeast-mould and Enterobacteriaceae numbers were often below <2 log cfu/g. The number of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus showed a wide variation in both products which was <2 - 5.96 log cfu/g for sucuk and <2 - 7.85 log cfu/g for heat-treated sucuk. Lactic acid bacteria counts varied between 2-<4.0 log cfu/g in 40% of heat-treated sucuk samples. In sucuk, the number of lactic acid bacteria was <6 log cfu/g in 23.33% of the samples, and 6-<8 log cfu/g in 50% of the samples.

The concept of lighting is of great importance in providing the security that people need so that they can have a quality of life and in meeting their aesthetic needs. Lighting design is related to the physical structure and the environment, and thanks to the lighting design, the aesthetic and functional needs of people will be met and the quality of life will be increased. The need to reflect the historical, cultural and aesthetic values of the city has brought the issue of urban lighting to the agenda. Lighting systems, which are applied without paying attention to the necessary lighting standards and criteria, cause some problems in urban spaces. One of these problems is light pollution; It is generally defined as the use of light in the wrong place, in the wrong amount, in the wrong direction and at the wrong time. Light pollution adversely affects the natural life and daily lives of people, and it is necessary to take various measures to eliminate such negativities in human life, to detect and eliminate these problems. In this study; The standards for the lighting of the city parks obtained by the literature studies were determined, the current lighting situation of the Butterfly Valley Park and the recommended lighting design produced by the Relux software in accordance with the standards. According to the findings; In the current lighting project, the total power consumed as a result of the lighting of all the lamps of the area has been calculated as 96 005.0 W. In the proposed lighting project, the total power consumed as a result of the burning of all lamps was calculated as 27 630.0 W. The obtained energy gain was found to be 96 005.0 W – 36 700.0 W = 68 375.0 W. As a result of working in the light of this information, energy savings of 1 in 3 have been achieved.

Agricultural farming is a complicated system that involves continuous interactions among its multiple components over a period of time. The series of activities involved in farming practices have enormous contributions to ensure food security for the humanity. With the passage of time, agriculture sector faces diversified challenges like high food demand of rapidly growing population, scarcity of available resources and adverse effect of climate change. In developing countries like Bangladesh, food sufficiency is mostly achieved through intensive farming which has detrimental effects on natural resources, surrounding environment, and the whole ecosystem. The review attempts to discover the potentials of conservation agriculture practices for sustainable crop productivity and economic profitability of smallholder farmers in Bangladesh. This study revealed that conservation farm management practice is a cost-effective modernized technique that has the ability to accelerate crop productivity and farmers income through minimum utilization of agricultural inputs. Although the concept of conservation agriculture is widely practiced in other parts of the world, Bangladesh is experiencing a slow rate of adoption during the last few years. The policy implication of the study suggests that the government should take coordinated and combined initiatives involving both public and private sector organizations to incorporate this concept into the mainstream agricultural system of Bangladesh.

Sorbitol is an important source of abiotic stress that is used to increase osmolality in cell cultures. It increases the antioxidant enzymes of defense catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the stress state of cells. Sorbitol plays an important role in stimulating these enzymes in cells and increasing phenylalanine ammonium lyase (PAL) activity. The aim of this study was to apply increasing doses of sorbitol elicitor to cell suspension cultures to determine the changes in cell number, viability, dry weight, and camphor content. In vitro plantlets were obtained from plant seeds and stem segments of these plants were used as explant source. Cell cultures were established after callus formation. Then, 0 (control), 5, 25, and 50 g L-1 sorbitol was dissolved in distilled water and cultured. Samples were taken three times in total, starting from day 1 to day 3. The content of camphor was detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Cell number, viability,dry weight, and camphor content increased significantly with increasing doses of sorbitol compared to sampling times. Compared to the initial culture, the amount of camphor increased by 40% at the 5 g L-1 dose, 82% at the 25 g L-1 dose, and 154% at the 50 g L-1 dose. In A. gypsicola cell cultures, increasing doses of sorbitol have clearly demonstrated the secondary metabolite accumulation and its positive effect on cell growth.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fatty acid contents in various tissues (fillet, liver, gonad) of different ploidy (triploid and diploid) and sex (female and male) rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the breeding season. In the study, diploid and triploid rainbow trouts belonging to the same age group (3+) were used. Fish were fed with commercial feed containing 45% crude protein and 20% crude fat until satiation. At the end of the 75-day study, biometric measurements of the fish were made and the tissues were stored in a deep freezer until biochemical and fatty acid analysis. The first finding of this study identified that ploidy (triploid and diploid) affects the biochemical and fatty acid composition of rainbow trout. The second major finding was that the polyunsaturated fatty acid values were higher and the saturated fatty acid values were lower in all tissues (especially female gonads) than other fatty acids. The results also indicate that the comparative among the biochemical and fatty acid composition of the fillet, liver, and gonad of rainbow trout is further illuminated by these data.