The “Basic Design” is one of the common introductory courses in design disciplines. It has great importance in interior architecture education as it forms the basis of design practice. Education that proceeds through abstract concepts creates difficulties for students to internalize this course. To avoid these difficulties, learning by doing is of great importance. The learning-by-doing approach was carried out in the form of a workshop within the scope of the “Basic Design 1” course of the Department of Interior Architecture at Konya Technical University in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. Students were asked to produce three-dimensional designs using basic design principles and elements. The class was divided into groups of eight people and studies were carried out with a workshop coordinator in each group. The duration of the workshop was planned as four weeks. During the workshop, students learned to use materials and colors, to design an original composition. At the end of the workshop, students learned to embody the abstract concepts they learned during the year by creating a composition that considers functionality and aesthetics. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the workshop, a survey study was carried out after the course period ended. As a result, it has been seen that the intelligibility of Basic Design 1, which is a course taught through abstract concepts, has increased thanks to the workshop.

This study investigates the reactions of four summer pumpkin cultivars (cvs. Çağlayan, Mert Bey, Sena Hanım, TG38) to root and crown rot caused by Fusarium proliferatum by taking into account criteria such as disease severity, plant growth (number of leaves, height, dry and fresh weight of shoot) and the accumulation of phenolic compounds in the roots. Seeds of each cultivar were inoculated with the pathogen and left to develop for 1 month at 25oC in a controlled climate room. The content of phenolic compounds in ethanolic root extracts was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cv. Sena Hanım had the lowest disease severity (4.40%) among the cultivars, followed by cvs. Çağlayan (10.62%) and Mert Bey (11.07%). Plants developed from inoculated seeds of cvs. Çağlayan and Sena Hanım had no decrease in the number of leaves and in length, fresh and dry weight of shoots in comparison to the control (plants from non-inoculated seeds), while cv. Mert Bey demonstrated a decrease at very low rates in shoot fresh and dry weight (2.24% and 0.77%, respectively). The phenolic compound that exhibited the highest increase in root extracts of cv. Sena Hanım compared to the control among the cultivars was p-coumaric acid (6.57-fold). This study demonstrates that p-coumaric acid can play an important role in the resistance of pumpkin to seed infestation by F. proliferatum.

Non-porous materials like cellulose and starch can be extracted from agro- industrial wastes and incorporated with nanoparticles for effective biotechnological purposes. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNps), silver-cellulose nanoparticles (AgNps-C) and silver-starch nanoparticles (AgNps-S) were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify viable biomolecules involved in capping and active stabilization of AgNps. Average sizes and morphologies of AgNps, AgNps-C and AgNps-S were further analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the percentage composition of each element was investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Antimicrobial activity of the synthesized AgNPs-C and AgNPs-S was tested against multiple antibiotic resistance microorganisms isolated from fish and meat. Zones of inhibition displayed by AgNPs-C and AgNPs-S ranged from 8.00 to 13.30 mm and 5.00 to 10.30 mm, respectively. The Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for AgNPs-C and AgNPS-S ranged from 125 µg/mL to 500 µg/mL and 500 µg/mL to 1000 µg/mL, respectively. AgNPS-S and AgNPs-C inhibited the growth of microorganisms associated with spoilage of fish and meat. The bio-applications of AgNP –C and AgNP-S can be exploited in food industries as preservative agent or incorporated to packaging materials to elongate the shelf life of food products and reduce the side effects attributed to chemical preservative agents.

The aim of this study was to obtain an extract rich in bioactive components from yellow onion peels, which are generally considered waste material. Accordingly, a three-factor three-level Taguchi (L9) experimental design with three factors, namely ethanol concentration (A; 50%, 75%, 100%), extraction temperature (B; 30, 40, 50 °C), and sonication time (C; 10, 20, 30 min) was used to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction process of onion peel powders. Through Taguchi optimization, the optimum extraction conditions were determined as A2B3C2 to obtain the extract with the highest total phenolic matter (TPM) content and antioxidant activity (DPPH (%)). In addition, the extract produced under A2B1C2 conditions was found to be the richest in total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA) content with the highest level of color pigments. In order to determine the overall optimization conditions and to reduce the three-response optimization process to a single response, the simple sum weighting (SAW) method was used as a multi-criteria decision-making method. As a result of the optimization, it was concluded that an extract rich in bioactive components with optimal TPM and TMA contents and DPPH (%) value could be obtained as a result of sonication at 30 °C for 20 min to onion peel powders mixed with a solvent containing 75% ethanol (A2B1C2). The extraction conditions of bioactive components from yellow onion peels were successfully optimized by the Taguchi-SAW hybrid optimization method.

The “Basic Design” is one of the common introductory courses in design disciplines. It has great importance in interior architecture education as it forms the basis of design practice. Education that proceeds through abstract concepts creates difficulties for students to internalize this course. To avoid these difficulties, learning by doing is of great importance. The learning-by-doing approach was carried out in the form of a workshop within the scope of the “Basic Design 1” course of the Department of Interior Architecture at Konya Technical University in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. Students were asked to produce three-dimensional designs using basic design principles and elements. The class was divided into groups of eight people and studies were carried out with a workshop coordinator in each group. The duration of the workshop was planned as four weeks. During the workshop, students learned to use materials and colors, to design an original composition. At the end of the workshop, students learned to embody the abstract concepts they learned during the year by creating a composition that considers functionality and aesthetics. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the workshop, a survey study was carried out after the course period ended. As a result, it has been seen that the intelligibility of Basic Design 1, which is a course taught through abstract concepts, has increased thanks to the workshop.

This study investigated the effects of various guar gum edible coating formulations, incorporating different proportions of waste leek powder and sunflower oil, on weight loss, color parameters (L*, a*, b* values, and ΔE), texture, and shrinkage of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms during a 7-day storage period. The goal was to assess the potential impact of these coatings on preserving the mushrooms’ quality over time. The results showed that the coatings had a significant effect on reducing weight loss compared to uncoated samples. The lowest weight loss was observed in the 0.5% leek powder and without sunflower oil, while the highest was in 2.5% leek powder and 0.1% sunflower oil. Shrinkage was also positively affected by the coatings, with 1.5% leek powder and without sunflower oil showing the most promising results. The L* values of the coated samples declined slightly, indicating better color preservation, while the a* values exhibited stable redness/greenness. On the other hand, b* values increased, indicating an increase in yellowness during storage. The ΔE values were lower for the coated samples, suggesting less color deviation compared to uncoated ones. Overall, the study indicates that these edible coatings have the potential to maintain the quality of mushrooms during storage, leading to better preservation and extended shelf life.

Erzincan Tulum Cheese (ETC) holds a significant place among the most popular cheeses in Türkiye. It has been awarded Protected Geographical Indication status, which restricts the allowable milk species, its production area, and specific sheep breed used in its production. Mineral content and antioxidant activity of ETC were aimed to be predicted using conventional FT-NIR and a portable FT-MIR spectrometer combined with partial least square regression (PLSR) and machine learning algorithms based on conditional entropy. Seventy ETC samples were analyzed for their mineral (Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, and P) content using ICP-MS. The samples' antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH•+ scavenging activity method. PLSR combined with FT-NIR spectral data correlated with antioxidant activity (r=0.89) and minerals (as low as r=0.83) except for Cr and Fe. FT-MIR data provided a good correlation for minerals (as low as r=0.82) except for Cr and Mn and a moderate correlation with antioxidant activity (r=0.64). Information theory was applied to select wavenumbers used in machine learning algorithms, and better results were obtained compared to PLSR. Overall, FT-NIR and FT-MIR spectroscopy provided rapid (~ 1 min), non-destructive, sensitive, and reliable output for mineral and antioxidant activity predictions in commercial cheese samples.

The belief that ancient wheat is more beneficial than common wheat has been growing trend in recent years among the consumers. The present study aims to compare bioactive peptide, allergen peptide and toxic peptide generation after gastrointestinal digestion of modern wheat (Triticum aestivum) and ancient wheat, einkorn (Triticum monococcum var. monococcum), using in silico tools. The primary sequences of both kinds of wheat were obtained from BIOPEP-UWM and UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot database. In silico digestion was applied using BIOPEP-UWM online tool. For the simulation of gastrointestinal digestion pepsin (pH 1.3) (EC 3.4.23.1), trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4), and chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) were selected and analyzed. Homology analysis was performed for each protein sequences using EMBOSS Needle program. Toxic and allergen peptides were predicted using ToxinPred online tool and Allergen FP v.1.0. The results showed that einkorn and common wheat proteins exhibited similar properties including high similarity rate (58.72-87.40%) indicating the percentage of matches between the two sequences and the identical bioactivities for peptides generated after digestion. Most of the bioactive peptides were dipeptides and the majority of them displayed more than one bioactivities including ACE inhibitory, DPP IV inhibitory or antioxidant activity, etc. Allergen peptides generated after in silico digestion were found to be similar for both kinds of wheat. In silico gastric digestion of einkorn and wheat caused toxic peptides production, but they were disappeared after in silico intestinal digestion. In conclusion, although there is a perception related to the Einkorn that is healthier than common wheat, in silico digestion of common wheat and einkorn did not support this perception.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in herbal remedies for therapeutic purposes. Aromatic plants have become a significant source of raw materials for the fragrance, food, and cosmetics industries. Additionally, the emergence of new applications and the trend towards natural nutrition and alternative healing methods, often referred to as "going natural," have increased the interest in medicinal and aromatic plants in our country, as well as in other countries around the world. In this study were investigated to determine yield and quality characteristics of seven different lavender (Lavandula intermedia Emeric ex Loisel. = L. hybrida L.) (Grasso, Süper-A, Seguret, Dutch, Abrial, Akmeşe, English) cultivars under dry and irrigated cultivation in Kahramanmaraş conditions between 2019 and 2020. The research was carried out in a randomized block design with 4 replications. Fresh stem flower yield was the highest variety Grasso(672.81kg/da). The lowest fresh stem flower yield was found in Seguret variety with 611.33kg/da The highest dry stemless flower yield was determined in Grasso variety with 59,66 kg/da. There were significant differences determined between cultivars the end of 2 years. The highest average fresh stem flower yield (693.067 kg/da) and the highest average dry branched flower yield (252.588 kg/ha) were measured in GRASSO variety.