Marine Parks for protection and tourism in Turkey

Protected Turkish areas in the Mediterranean region are compared with those of other Mediterranean countries. Policies followed in Turkey for conservation protection of the natural and cultural environment and the use of coastal resources for tourism are discussed. The purpose and application of Turkish law is examined with respect to the interaction between the protection of coastal areas and tourism. Modifications on the administrative and management regulations in Turkey enabling a better use of coastal areas is suggested by combining coastal tourism and protection. The necessity and importance of estabilishing and managing Marine Parks in short-and long-term plans are acknowledged.     

Evaluation of trace element contents of some herbal plants and spices retailed in Kayseri,Turkey

The trace element contents of seven kinds of herbal plants and spice samples retailed in local markets in Kayseri-Turkey were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after digestion with HNO₃/H₂O₂ mixture. The concentration ranges for the studied elements were found as 6.0–15.2, 0–32.2, 80.0–324.8, 8.1–386.3, and 13.1–36.2 μg/g for copper, nickel, iron, manganese, and zinc, respectively. The levels of cobalt, lead, and chromium ions in all the investigated samples were found to be below the detection limit of flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The results found in the present work were compared with values in the literature.     

Investigation of heavy metal content in the suspended particulate matter and sediments of inner Gokova Bay and creeks

The Bay of Gokova in Southeastern Aegean Sea (Turkey) is important by the potential of agricultural, municipal, and tourism activities. In addition, there is no industrial plant within the area in the Aegean Sea. Kad?n Creek (Azmak) and Ak?ap?nar Creek (Azmak) flowing into the inner Gokova Bay are one of the important factors in determining the character of the inner Gokova Bay. In this study, nine stations were selected in the inner Gokova Bay, Kad?n Creek, and Akcap?nar Creek. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn were measured in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediments. The samples of sediments and SPM were collected in between February 2008 and September 2008. The aim of the study is searching the change of concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn in suspended particulate matter and sediments in the inner Gokova bay, Kad?n Creek, and Ak?ap?nar Creek. It has been identified that the metal concentrations in the creeks are higher than the metal concentrations in the marine environment. It has also been observed that the concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Cu in summer season have been higher than in the winter season, but the concentrations of Fe and Zn have not shown a significant difference between in summer and winter seasons. The obtained results show that the some heavy metals are caused by the agricultural, municipal, and tourism activities operating in the coastal areas and terrestrial environment, and they are transported from the creeks to the Gokova Bay by suspended particulate matter.     

A puzzle over ecological footprint,energy consumption and economic growth: the case of Turkey

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - The paper investigates the non-linear causality from energy consumption and economic growth to ecological footprint for the case of Turkey by employing...     

Development of a Natural Chewing Gum from Plant Based Polymer

In this study, Kenger gum obtained from Kenger plant (Gundelia tournefortii) was used in the production of biodegradable and edible chewing gum. Kenger gum was able to be softened by thermal process to improve its textural properties. 80% methanolic extract of gum showed 195.6 gallic acid equivalents (GAE) mg/100 g gum antioxidant activity and 17.9 mm inhibition zone for Escherichia coli O157:H7 as an antimicrobial activity. Softened Kenger gum was also characterized by texture properties, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and chemical compositions. Hardness value of gum decreased from 864 to 238 g which was comparable to commercial chewing gums. Softened Kenger gum was observed to be a perfect substitute for a synthetic gum base in the production of a conventional chewing gum. Moreover, resilience value was remarkably found to be the best standard parameter to select chewing gums with desired textural properties.     

Seasonal Variability of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediment of Lake Sapanca, Turkey

Lake Sapanca is exposed to heavy urbanization and industrialization because of its natural beauty and its proximity to the metropolitan İstanbul, Turkey. In this study, it was aimed to investigate seasonal changes of some heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn and Cd) concentration of surface sediment. Nine different stations were chosen as sampling points. Samples were taken every three months and the seasonal and annual average concentration of the elements were determined. Seasonal highest values of heavy metals were observed as follows; Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn in Summer, Cd in Autumn. There was no seasonal difference for Pb, Cr and Cd. It seems that Lake Sapanca has not been polluted yet. However, it was found that Cu and Ni concentrations in surface sediment exceed lowest effect level.     

An investigation of heavy metal and migration through groundwater from the landfill area of Eskisehir in Turkey

This paper was conducted in order to determine the groundwater and soil pollution within and around the landfill of Eskisehir, Turkey. In this paper, mud, leachate and groundwater samples were collected seasonally a year from near Eskisehir landfill-site to investigate the possible impact of leachate which affects soil and groundwater quality. Concentrations of various heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Pb, Cr, Ni and Mo) were determined in mud, leachate and groundwater samples. In addition, the heavy metal transportation infiltrated from landfill through a porous medium into the groundwater was modelled in order to determine the potential groundwater pollution caused by the leachate of the landfill. The modelling of the contaminant transportation was carried out by using a multiflow computer programme which simulates the distribution of heavy metal concentrations. As a result of this study, the distribution of the contaminant concentration was modelled and determined with respect to time and distance. Hence, the contaminant concentrations were determined at any time interval according to distance. The heavy metal contamination in groundwater does not affect the wells found at far points from the source in a short time, e.g. 10, 20 and 30 days according to the obtained experimental results. When the time intervals extended more than 1 year, heavy metal concentrations decrease with distance but the concentration of the contamination increases when it gets closer to the pollution source. In this study, the potential contamination of groundwater was effectively estimated.     

Morin protects against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats: an investigation into different signal pathways

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The presented study investigates the effects of morin against toxicity induced by acrylamide (ACR) in the brains of Sprague Dawley rats. In this...     

Prenatal diagnosis of Joubert syndrome: a case report

Joubert syndrome is a rare, autosomal recessive condition, first described by Joubert in 1969. We present a case of Joubert syndrome from a consanguineous family in which, apart from the cerebellar vermis agenesis, ventriculomegaly, bilateral postaxial polydactyly of hands and right foot and micropenis, episodes of fetal breathing pattern with an increased respiratory rate were also demonstrated by prenatal ultrasound scan. At birth the infant showed an odd face and bilateral fleshy nodules of the tongue. He had an abnormal breathing pattern of alternating tachypnea and apnea. Cranial MRI showed molar tooth sign, hydrocephalus and Dandy–Walker malformation. He had nystagmus, and electroretinography showed retinal dystrophy. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.