Ergonomic assessment of airport shuttle driver tasks using an ergonomic analysis toolset

This study aimed to (a) evaluate strength requirements and lower back stresses during lifting and baggage handling tasks with the 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP) and (b) provide additional analyses using rapid entire body assessment (REBA) and the NASA task load index (TLX) to assess the risks associated with the tasks. Four healthy female shuttle drivers of good health aged between 55 and 60 years were observed and interviewed in an effort to determine the tasks required of their occupations. The results indicated that lifting bags and placing them in a shuttle were high risk for injury and possible changes should be further investigated. The study concluded there was a potential for injury associated with baggage storing and retrieval tasks of a shuttle driver.     

Debriefing with teachers after the Marmara earthquake: an evaluation study1

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the debriefing meetings conducted after the 1999 earthquakes in Marmara, Turkey. The sample consisted of 265 teachers, 223 of whom attended the debriefing meetings. The personal satisfaction ratings of the teachers who attended the meetings revealed that they found the sessions satisfactory. The results of the comparison between those who reported that they benefited from the meetings and those who felt they did not indicated that the first group had lower scores on all of the psychopathology measures. A comparison between 42 teachers who did not attend the meetings and a randomly chosen group of 45 teachers who did attend revealed that the two groups differed significantly in terms of their post‐traumatic stress symptom scores. The findings of the study suggest that, in general, the teachers' debriefing sessions were satisfactory.     

Evaluation of surface water quality characteristics by using multivariate statistical techniques: A case study of the Euphrates river basin, Turkey

The surface water quality of the Euphrates river basin in Turkey are evaluated by using the multivariate statistical techniques known as factor analysis (FA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis. When FA was applied to the water quality data obtained from the 15 different surface water quality monitoring stations, two factors were identified, which were responsible from the 86.02% of the total variance of the water quality in the Euphrates river basin. The first factor called the urban land use factor explained 44.20% of the total variance and the second factor called the agricultural use factor explained 41.81% of the total variance. MDS technique showed that electrical conductivity (EC), percent sodium (Na%) and total salt are the most important variables causing difference in the water quality analysis.     

Heavy metals in water and in tissues of himri (Carasobarbus luteus) from Orontes (Asi) River, Turkey

Concentrations of heavy metals (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb ve Zn) were measured in running water and in tissues (muscle, liver, gill, skin and gonads) of one commercially valuable fish species (Carasobarbus luteus) from the Orontes (Asi) River (Güzelburç region) in Hatay (Southeastern Turkey). Results for levels in water compared with national and international water quality guidelines were found at the highest concentrations in international criteria’s WHO, EC and EPA, but Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb were found to exceed permissible level of drinking water in national criteria TSE-266 whereas Fe, Zn and Cr concentrations were within the permissible levels for drinking. The present study showed a significant seasonal variation (p?p?>?0.05), which showed seasonal variation of only Zn (p?C. luteus were below the permissible limit for human consumption, level of Cu being very close to the permissible limit. Consequently, continuous monitoring of heavy metal concentration in edible freshwater fish will be needed in Orontes River.     

Heavy metal pollution in surface sediment and mussel samples in the Gulf of Gemlik

Different sources of pollution in Karasu Creek were investigated to obtain the water quality and ratio of contamination in this region. To achieve the main objectives of the present study, water samples were collected from Karasu Creek, starting from flow pattern at the upstream site of Akkaya Dam to the end of the dam, crossing the place where the Creek drains into. Dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, temperature and maximum/minimum pH were measured systematically for 12 months in the stations, where the water samples were collected. Chemical analyses of the water samples were carried out by using Cadas 50 S brand UV spectrometer to find out the Pb, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cd, S, F and Cn concentrations. These concentration were determined in μg/lt as 80–850; 180–4,920; 10–6,100; 440–25,530; 130–2,400; 120–280; 20–150; 214,250–1,113,580; 1,560–4,270 and 40–690, respectively. To determine metal levels of the water samples, multivariate analyses (element coefficient correlation, coefficient correlation dendrogram, hierarchical cluster analysis dendrogram, model summary and ANOVA) were used. The analyses yielded highly accurate results. There were positive correlations between some elements and their possible sources were the same. The stations which resembled each other along the creek were divided into three groups. The water quality of the creek was low and had toxic qualities. Eutrophication developed in Akkaya Dam along the creek. The source of pollution was thought to be industrial and residential wastes. Absolute (0–100 m), short distance (100–500 m) and medium distance (500–2,000 m) conservation areas should be determined in pollution areas along Karasu Creek and they should be improved.     

Modeling seasonal variations of long-term soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions in an orchard plantation in a semiarid area,SE Turkey

Emissions of soil CO₂ under different management systems have a significant effect on the carbon balance in the atmosphere. Soil CO₂ emissions were measured from an apricot orchard at two different locations: under the crown of trees (CO₂-UC) and between tree rows (CO₂-BR). For comparison, one other measurement was performed on bare soil (CO₂-BS) located next to the orchard field. Analytical data were obtained weekly during 8 years from April 2008 to December 2016. Various environmental parameters such as air temperature, soil temperature at different depths, soil moisture, rainfall, and relative humidity were used for modeling and estimating the long-term seasonal variations in soil CO₂ emissions using two different methods: generalized linear model (GLM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Before modeling, data were randomly split into two parts, one for calibration and the second for validation, with a varying number of samples in each part. Performances of the models were compared and evaluated using means absolute of estimations (MAE), square root of mean of prediction (RMSEP), and coefficient of determination (R²) values. CO₂-UC, CO₂-BR, and CO₂-BS values ranged from 11 to 3985, from 9 to 2365, and from 8 to 1722 kg ha^?1 week^?1, respectively. Soil CO₂ emissions were significantly correlated (p?<?0.05) with some environmental variables. The results showed that GLM and ANN models provided similar accuracies in modeling and estimating soil CO₂ emissions, as the number of samples in the validation data set increased. The ANN was more advantageous than GLM models by providing a better fit between actual observations and predictions and lower RMSEP and MAE values. The results suggested that the success of environmental variables for estimations of CO₂ emissions using the two methods was moderate.     

Genotoxic effects of water pollution on two fish species living in Karasu River,Erzurum, Turkey

Karasu River, which is the only river in the Erzurum plain, is the source of the Euphrates River (Eastern Anatolia of Turkey). The river is in a serious environmental situation as a result of pollution by agricultural and industrial sewage and domestic discharges. The present study aims to evaluate genotoxic effects of toxic metals in chub, Leuciscus cephalus, and transcaucasian barb, Capoeta capoeta, collected from contaminated site of the Karasu River, in comparison with fish from an unpolluted reference site. Heavy metal concentrations in surface water of the river were determined. The condition factor (CF) was taken as a general biomarker of the health of the fish, and genotoxicity assays such as micronucleus (MN) and other nuclear abnormalities (NA) were carried out on the fish species studied. MN and NA such as kidney-shaped nucleus, notched nucleus, binucleated, lobed nucleus, and blebbed nucleus were assessed in peripheral blood erythrocytes, gill epithelial cells, and liver cells of the fish. A significant decrease in CF values associated with a significant elevation in MN and NA frequencies was observed in fish collected from the polluted sites compared with those from the reference site. Results of the current study show the significance of integrating a set of biomarkers to identify the effects of anthropogenic pollution. High concentrations of heavy metals have a potential genotoxic effects, and the toxicity is possibly related to industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities.     

Influence of different processing techniques on the mechanical properties of used tires in embankment construction

Use of the processed used tires in embankment construction is becoming an accepted way of beneficially recycling scrap tires due to shortages of natural mineral resources and increasing waste disposal costs. Using these used tires in construction requires an awareness of the properties and the limitations associated with their use. The main objective of this paper is to assess the different processing techniques on the mechanical properties of used tires–sand mixtures to improve the engineering properties of the available soil. In the first part, a literature study on the mechanical properties of the processed used tires such as tire shreds, tire chips, tire buffings and their mixtures with sand are summarized. In the second part, large-scale direct shear tests are performed to evaluate shear strength of tire crumb–sand mixtures where information is not readily available in the literature. The test results with tire crumb were compared with the other processed used tire–sand mixtures. Sand–used tire mixtures have higher shear strength than that of the sand alone and the shear strength parameters depend on the processing conditions of used tires. Three factors are found to significantly affect the mechanical properties: normal stress, processing techniques, and the used tire content.     

Monitoring of organic pollutants in marine environment by semipermeable membrane devices and mussels: accumulation and biochemical responses

This study involves the monitoring of organic pollutants using transplanted mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as bioindicator organisms and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) as passive samplers. Mussels and SPMDs were deployed to marinas, shipyards and shipbreaking yards on the coastal area of Turkey and retrieved after 60 days. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticide (OCP) compounds were analysed with high-resolution GC-MS. Total PAH concentrations in SPMDs and mussels ranged from 200 to 4740 ng g sampler^?1 and from 7.0 to 1130 ng g^?1 in wet weight (ww). PCB and OCP concentrations in SPMDs changed between 0.04–200 and 4.0–26 ng g sampler^?1, respectively. The highest PCB (190 ng g^?1 ww) and OCP (200 ng g^?1 ww) concentrations in mussels were measured at shipyard stations. A strong correlation was observed between the PAH and PCB concentrations in SPMDs and mussels. Enzyme assays (acetylcholinesterase, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathion reductase and carboxylesterase activities) were performed as biomarkers to reveal the effects of pollution on the mussels. There was no clear relationship found between the enzyme levels and the pollutant concentrations in mussels. Integrated biomarker responses were calculated to interpret the overall effect of pollutants.