This study was conducted to evaluate the quality features, antioxidant capabilities, microbiological and sensory aspects of yogurt fortified with 2%, 5%, and 7% red dragon (RD) peel powder. The yogurt was formulated using the classical technology adapted to laboratory conditions. The results of the physicochemical properties showed significant differences in pH (4.73–4.36), acidity (0.18–0.16 g lactic acid/100 g), and ascorbic acid (1.17-1.34 mg/100 g) among different yogurt formulations (P<0.05). In addition, RD peel powder fortification showed increasing trends in crude fiber (1.53-3.34 g/100 g), ash (5.19-5.29 g/100 g), and moisture (76.70-80.19 g/100 g) content, respectively; while the reversed trend was observed for fat (3.48-2.36 g/100 g), and crude protein (4.49-4.07 g/100 g) contents, respectively. Furthermore, gradual progression of RD peel powder in fortified yogurt manifested an improvement of the overall antioxidant activity (1.30-1.57 µmol TE/mL). The analyses of the sensory properties demonstrated that yogurt with RD peel powder in proportions of 2% received the highest hedonic score for consumer approval. Moreover, no coliform was reported in any of the control and fortified yogurts. Therefore, it could be concluded that RD peel powder can be employed as a functional food constituent in yogurt with improved quality attributes and sensory properties compared to plain yogurt.

The aim of this study was to determine the fertility, herd life and milk yield characteristics of Simmental (SIM) cows of Austrian origin, which have increased the interest of cattle breeders in Türkiye in recent years. From the records of the farm between 2011 and 2021, the first calving age (FCA), calving interval (CI), herd life (HL), productive life (PL), lactation length (LL), lactation milk yield (LMY) and 305 days milk yield (305-dMY) were calculated. A total of 307 FCA, 619 CI, 212 HL and PL, 447 LL, 271 LMY and 497 305-dMY data were used. The means of FCA, CI, HL, PL, LL, LMY and 305-dMY for SIM cows were 842.35±5.30 days (28.1 months), 422.98±3.18 days, 75.48±1.72 months, 47.15±1.73 months, 363.52±3.52 days, 10,596±152 kg and 8647.0±58.0 kg, respectively. Based on the long FCA and CI averages of Austrian-origin SIM cattle, although it can be interpreted that there are some problems in terms of reproductive efficiency in the farm, finding long HL and PL and high milk yield, it can be said that the farm contributes to the increase of milk yield per cow by turning the negativity caused by the reproductive efficiency into an advantage.

Renewing and reuniting the regions of cities that have become collapse areas with the city; urban renewal, which enables the city to be restored, is a term frequently used today. These collapsed areas need to be physically and socially renewed and revitalized. The main purpose of urban renewal studies is to reintegrate the isolated living spaces with the city. This integration should be realized not only physically and economically, but also socially and culturally. Kreuzberg Region in Germany suffered great damage in the World War II and turned into a depression zone over time. The “Protective City Renewal” method, which has been applied in the region since 1961, has an important place in urban renewal studies with its 12 basic principles. Urban renewal works in Tepebağ-Kayalıbağ neighborhoods, which constitute the historical city center in Adana province, are still at the very beginning of the process. Several projects have been carried out within the scope of street rehabilitation studies in the area, but these are thought to be insufficient. The aim of this study is to evaluate the “Protective City Renewal” method and to conduct an experiment on how the 12 principles of this method can be applied to the Tepebağ-Kayalıbağ section, which is an important historical texture to be preserved in Adana.

Recent studies have shown the positive effects of Cucurbita pepo L. (pumpkin) seed oil (PSO) in different disease models. However, the effect of PSO on neurological diseases has not been clarified yet. Therefore, this study aims to elucidate the effects of BBS on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced neuronal damage and the possible roles of oxidative and nitrosative stress in this effect in vitro. The HT-22 hippocampal neuronal cell line was used in the study. Cell survival after PTZ-induced neuronal damage was evaluated with the XTT test in the groups. While the effects of BBS on total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) after PTZ were measured with colorimetric commercial kits, its effects on neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) levels were also determined by ELISA kits. In light of the data obtained, it was found that pre-treatment with PSO prevented the decrease in cell survival after exposure to PTZ. In addition, it has been found that PSO normalizes the increase in TOS, nNOS, and NO in neuronal cells after PTZ. As a result, it was determined that the treatment of neuronal cells with PSO prevented neuronal damage caused by PTZ and showed neuroprotective properties. It is thought that PSO may achieve these effects through oxidative and nitrosative systems. Enrichment of a daily diet with PSO might be beneficial in reducing the risks of neurological diseases.

In the current study, the essential oil of Thymus citriodorus (Pers.) Schreb (Lamiaceae) was evaluated for its ability to control adults of two significant pests of stored products, Sitophilus granarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), under laboratory conditions. Using a microapplicator, test insects were exposed to 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15 µl/insect concentrations of plant essential oil in order to assess contact toxicity. At 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours following applications, deaths were noted. The experiment revealed that, depending on the insects and dosages, the essential oil showed varying degrees of contact activity. The essential oil of T. citriodorus generally had low effect on adult T. castaneum, with the greatest effect was 15.32% at 0.15 µl/insect dose after 96 hours. Adults of S. granarius showed greater sensitivity to the essential oil of T. citriodorus. After 48 hours, doses of 0.1 and 0.15 µl/insect concentrations of the essential oil resulted in over 95% of S. granarius adult mortality. The findings of the study indicate that T. citriodorus essential oil has the potential to be used in the control of S. granarius.

Toxoplasma gondii, an obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite, can infect a wide range of warm-blooded animals, including livestock species. T. gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that affects both humans and other warm-blooded animals. The aim of this study was to detect T. gondii by using PCR in the brain tissues of 60 aborted sheep fetuses from the Iğdır Province in Türkiye. For this purpose, 60 brain tissue samples of sheep were collected within the lambing seasons of 2023 in Iğdır, Türkiye. The DNA extraction was performed using the PureLink™ Genomic DNA Mini Kit from brain samples. The PCR was performed with the appropriate primers from the obtained DNA samples. T. gondii was found in the brain (16.6%) samples of aborted sheep fetuses. According to the present study, T. gondii infection can be one of the causes of fetus abortion of sheep in Iğdır province, Türkiye. This result emphasizes the need for vigilance and preventive measures in managing this potential public and animal health concerns.

In this study, the insecticidal effect of the Detech® (Turkish Diatomaceous earth) DE formulation against Galleria mellonella L. was determined. The study was conducted in a laboratory environment with materials taken from beehives produced at Muş Alparslan University in 2022. Diatomaceous earth (DE) was applied in two different forms (dust and slurry DE) and as positive control GüveSavar®, which is currently used against some pests in beekeeping. DE concentrations of 0, 3, 5, and 7 g/m2 in different exposure times were tested for the control of G. mellonella larvae. As a result of all treatments, the highest mortality occurred at 7 g/m2 dust DE concentration. Larvae (3rd stage) exposed to 7 g/m2 concentration according to dust DE mortality rates reached 100% mortality after 40 hours. According to the results of the slurry DE, the larvae exposed to the slurry diatom at all concentrations achieved 100% mortality at the end of the 96 hours. When the dust and slurry DE results were examined, the direct use of dust formulations greatly accelerated the effectiveness against larvae. The study showed very promising results, suggesting that slurry DE and dust formulations could be a new alternative control method for Greater Wax Moth. In addition, for the first time, the insecticidal efficacy of DE against the honey bee pest, the greater wax moth, was determined.

Supercritical-CO2 extraction, Soxhlet extraction, and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods were conducted in this study to recover valuable components, specifically phenolic antioxidant compounds, from orange peels. Basic operating parameters such as temperature and pressure, which affect the extraction efficiency of phenolic substances in orange peel with supercritical-CO2, were designed using the central composite design methodology. In the Soxhlet and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods, 2-hour extraction processes were carried out using ethanol at different concentrations (50%, 80% and 100%) as a solvent. Yield comparison was made by performing total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and total flavonoid content analyses in the extracts. The total phenolic content (TPC) in the extracts was determined to be 5034 mg GAE/L for supercritical-CO2 extraction at 61.5°C and 20 MPa. In comparison, Soxhlet extraction yielded a TPC of 1728 mg GAE/L, while the ultrasound-assisted extraction method resulted in a TPC of 4056 mg GAE/L. It was determined that the optimum operating parameters of supercritical-CO2 extraction were 60°C and 26.4 MPa in case all the responses were maximized. The best phenolic recovery was obtained at 100% ethanol in Soxhlet extraction and 80% ethanol in ultrasound-assisted extraction. Although supercritical-CO2 extraction is an environmentally friendly application, the recovery rate of valuable components from raw materials is lower than in Soxhlet extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction. However, since the volume of the extracts obtained from the supercritical-CO2 extraction is small, the ratio of phenolic compounds is higher.

Foliar supplementation may be useful for boron to a crop when its demands are higher compared to the supply from soil. Boron is an important micronutrient which had a substantial impact on oil content, seed yield, and the components of the sesame yield. A field investigation was implemented to determine the impact of foliar application of boron on seed yield, growth and oil content of sesame cv. BARI Til-4. The investigation included four concentrations of boron viz. 0, 25, 50, and 75 ppm and three frequencies of boron application viz. one time at 30 days after sowing (DAS), two times at 30 and 50 DAS,  and three times at 30, 50, and 70 DAS. The experiment was conducted following randomized complete block design, which was replicated thrice. At the vegetative stage, the highest plant height (107.3 cm), branches/plant (5.0) and shoot dry weight (45.20 g/plant) resulted in 75 ppm boron spray at 30, 50 and 70 DAS. However, the highest root dry weight (5.80 g/plant) was recorded in 75 ppm with one application of boron at 30 DAS. The plants with the highest plant height (112.1 cm), branches/plant (5.13), pods/plant (44.13), seeds/pod (54.33), seed yield (609.0 kg/ha), harvest index (30.65%), and oil content (42.33%) were also observed with the combination of 75 ppm boron spray with thrice application at 30, 50 and 70 DAS. The lowest seed yield (368.7 kg/ha) resulted in without boron application. Therefore, it can be inferred that the most efficient method for increasing the sesame seed yield and oil content is thrice (30, 50, and 70 DAS) foliar spraying of 75 ppm boron.

This research was carried out within the scope of spatial evaluation of the land and soil properties of Edirne-Meriç district, located in the Thrace region (Türkiye) by using GIS. Arc GIS 10.3.1 software was used in the classification of soil and land features. Digital soil maps (1/25.000 scale) were used to determine soil and land properties. Alos Palsar (12.5m) satellite images were used to determine land elevation and aspect distributions. As a result of the research, it was seen that the soil class with the largest area in terms of large soil groups in Meriç district is lime-free brown forest soils (261.2 km2). III. It was determined that class lands (153.7 km2) cover the largest area. In general, it was observed that the soil depth was greater than 150 cm (261.9 km2). It was determined that 23.3 km2 of the Meriç district lands were exposed to severe water erosion. It was determined that the study area consists of lands with a steep slope of 12-20% (126.7 km2). It has been observed that the height distribution of Meriç district lands varies between 4.7-120.5 m. It was defined that the majority of the lands were in the southwestern direction group. It is thought that the soil and land information database created as a result of the research will make significant contributions to researchers and the public, institutions and organizations.