In vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against Legionella isolated from environmental water systems: first results from Turkey

We evaluated the in vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against Legionella obtained from hotel and hospital water systems in three different regions of Turkey. Sixty-five Legionella strains (Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6 [n?=?32], L. pneumophila serogroup 1 [n?=?27], L. pneumophila serogroup 3 [n?=?2], and Legionella spp. [n?=?4]) were tested against levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, and rifampicin. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of each antimicrobial agent for these strains was determined by the microdilution method using buffered yeast extract medium supplemented with 0.1% ketoglutarate broth. L. pneumophila ATCC 33152, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 were used as controls. Minimum inhibitory concentration values were in the following ranges: clarithromycin 0.001–0.5 mg/L, azithromycin 0.001–0.5 mg/L, levofloxacin 0.001–0.5 mg/L, ciprofloxacin 0.001–0.125 mg/L, and rifampicin 0.001– 0.5 mg/L. The MIC₉₀ for rifampicin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin were 0.015, 0.125, 0.06, 0.125, and 0.06 mg/L, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to determine in vitro activities of antimicrobial agents against Legionella species in Turkey. Rifampicin had the lowest MIC₉₀ value. It would seem that azithromycin and clarithromycin exhibit good activity as well as levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against Legionella isolated from environmental water systems in Turkey.     

围栏禁牧对川西北亚高山高寒草甸群落结构的影响

围栏禁牧4a后,与放牧草地相比较:1)围栏草地物种数量有所下降,群落内出现物种27种,而长期放牧草地为33种.2)围栏草地物种平均高度较高,为20.23cm,群落分层现象明显;放牧草地物种平均高度仅为8.14cm,群落无分层现象.3)围栏草地内,杂草类的盖度(98%)大于禾草类的盖度(14%);放牧草地上,杂草类的盖度(53%)小于禾草类的盖度(56%)。4)围栏草地以禾草为主的优良牧草的生产能力(35.24g/m2)低于放牧草地的生产能力(75.47g/m2).5)围栏草地的地上生物量(272.64g/m2)和地下0～30cm生物量(801.61g/m3)都高于放牧草地的地上生物量(184.84g/m2)和地下0～30cm生物量(683.82g/m3).研究结果表明,围栏草地具有比放牧草地更复杂的群落结构,但其物种组成和优良牧草的生产能力,都低于放牧草地.     

Workplace violence: a study of Turkish workers

This research was conducted to address the experience of workplace violence of Turkish workers from different sectors and to investigate the impact of the exposed violence on their psychological well-being. Data were collected anonymously with printed questionnaires from the volunteer participants and depended on self-reporting. The response rate was 79.0% (1708/2161). The prevalence of workplace violence was found to be 44.8%. The most common type was verbal violence together with mobbing (bullying). Victims of physical violence were mostly males, whereas females were found to be victims of verbal, psychological and sexual violence. Most cases did not result in legal action and the victims remained silent. Psychological well-being of exposed workers in terms of depression, anxiety and stress seemed to deteriorate. Workplace violence remains a silent epidemic in Turkey. Preventive measures against workplace violence and social support for violated workers do not exist.     

湿地甲烷的产生、氧化及排放通量研究进展

甲烷研究已倍受科学界关注,不仅由于其对全球变暖的贡献仅次于二氧化碳,贡献率达25%,还因为单分子甲烷的增值潜势是二氧化碳的15~30倍.湿地是甲烷的重要来源,估计湿地生态系统对全球甲烷排放的贡献率约为20%,即为100~200Tg a?1.湿地甲烷在厌氧条件下产生,在土壤氧化层以及根际中部分氧化,然后通过土壤、水体和植物体排放到大气中去.就近10a来湿地甲烷产生、氧化、传输过程及其影响因素等的研究进展进行了综述.产甲烷菌的研究主要集中在其对环境因子的生理生态和分子生物学,尤其集中在稻田产甲烷菌的研究上,因此在深度和广度上都有待突破.产甲烷过程是一个复杂的生化过程,要对甲烷排放量估计、甲烷排放动态研究以及在甲烷排放建模等方面取得进展,必需在甲烷产生机制上进行突破.甲烷氧化菌的研究集中于菌群对环境的适应以及其自身氧化能力上,应用研究还不是很深入.甲烷氧化过程的研究已经有了一定的深度,但氧化过程具体机理的研究还有待进一步深入,这需要分子生物学以及基因组学等多学科的交叉.甲烷传输过程是研究甲烷排放动态的基础,目前相关研究较少,国内有关研究主要集中在稻田研究上,对高寒湿地的研究则几乎是空白.湿地甲烷通量的研究是目前温室气体研究的热点问题,但主要解决的问题是大气中甲烷气体浓度增加与湿地甲烷通量的关系.湿地甲烷通量是由多种因素决定的,对影响湿地甲烷通量的因素的研究相当丰富,特别是近年来对生物因素的关注.由于学科的发展,近10a在这方面的研究较之过去更为全面和系统.图1表1参68     

Determining land use changes by radar-optic fused images and monitoring its environmental impacts in Edremit region of western Turkey

Rapid and unplanned urbanization and industrialization are the main reasons of environmental problems. If urban growth is not based on resource sustainability criteria and urban plans are not applied, natural and human resources are damaged dramatically. In this study, land use change and urban expansion in Edremit region of Turkey is determined by means of remote sensing techniques between 1971 and 2002. To improve the accuracy of land use/cover maps, the contribution of SAR images to optic images in defining land cover types was investigated. To determine the situation of land use/cover types in 2002 accurately, Landsat-5 images and Radarsat-1 images were fused, and the land use/cover types were defined from the fused images. Comparisons with the ground truth reveal that land use maps generated using the fuse technique are improved about 6% with an accuracy of 81.20%. To define land use types and urban expansion, screen digitizing and classification methods were used. The results of the study indicate that the urban areas have been increased 1,826 ha across the agricultural fields which are in land use capability classes of I and II, and significant environmental changes such as land degradation and degeneration of ground water quality occurred.     

模拟增温对川西北高寒草甸两种典型植物生长和光合特征的影响

在野外自然条件下采用开顶式生长室(OTC)模拟增温的方法,研究了增温对川西北高寒草甸两种典型植物--单子叶草本植物发草(Deschampsia caespitosa)和双子叶草本植物遏蓝荣(Thlaspi arvense)生长和光合特征的影响.结果表明,增温有利于发草地上生物量的增加,其光响应曲线明显高于对照处理,净光合速率(P_n)、蒸腾速率(T_r)、气孔导度(C_s)、最大净光合速率(P_(max))、暗呼吸速率(R_d)、表观量子效率(AQY)和光饱和点(LSP)显著高于对照处理,而光补偿点(LCP)却显著低于对照处理,并且最大光能转化效率(F_v/F_m)、光合量子产量(Yield)、光化学猝灭系数(q_p)和非光化学猝灭系数(q_N)与对照处理相比,都显著增加;增温后遏蓝菜的单株生物量积累显著下降,其光响应曲线也明显低于对照处理,P_n、T_r、C_s、P_(max)、R_d、AQY和LSP显著低于对照处理,F_v/F_m、Yield和q_p在增温后显著减少,而q_N却显著增加.图5表3参25     

冻融交替对高寒草甸土壤微生物量氮和有机氮组分的影响

采用Bremner氮素分级方法,研究冻融交替对高寒草甸土壤微生物量氮和有机氮组分的影响.结果表明:随着冻融时间的变化,微生物量氮含量先减少后增加,在冻融1 d后达到最小值,4℃、-4℃、-4～4℃和-20～4℃处理下分别下降了50.37%、57.47%、37.79%和37.51%;氨基酸氮和氨基糖氮变化趋势相同,先增加后减少,均在冻融1 d后达到最大值,各处理氨基酸氮含量分别为处理前的1.6倍、1.47倍、1.44倍和1.5倍,氨基糖分别为处理前的1.66倍、1.58倍、1.65倍和1.91倍;氨态氮含量先增加后减少,-20～4℃处理在冻融1 d后为处理前的1.25倍,其余3个处理在冻融3 d后达到最大值;各处理酸解未知氮的变化趋势大体相同,在冻融25 d后达到最小值.研究表明冻融时间对微生物量氮和有机氮组分影响显著,微生物量氮含量是有机氮组分变化的主要原因.     

Effects of land conversion from native shrub to pistachio orchard on soil erodibility in an arid region

Land-use change through degrading natural vegetation for agricultural production adversely affects many of soil properties particularly organic carbon content of soils. The native shrub land and grassland of Gaziantep-Adiyaman plateau that is an important pistachio growing eco-region have been cleared to convert into pistachio orchard for the last 50 to 60 years. In this study, the effects of conversion of natural vegetation into agricultural uses on soil erodibility have been investigated. Soil samples were collected from surface of agricultural fields and adjacent natural vegetation areas, and samples were analyzed for some soil erodibility indices such as dispersion ratio (DR), erosion ratio (ER), structural stability index (SSI), Henin’s instability index (I _s ), and aggregate size distribution after wet sieving (AggSD). According to the statistical evaluation, these two areas were found as different from each other in terms of erosion indices except for I _s index (P < 0.001 for DR and ER or P < 0.01 for SSI). In addition, native shrub land and converted land to agriculture were found different in terms of AggSD in all aggregate size groups. As a contrary to expectations, correlation tests showed that there were no any interaction between soil organic carbon and measured erodibility indices in two areas. In addition, significant relationships were determined between measured variables and soil textural fractions as statistical. These obtaining findings were attributed to changing of textural component distribution and initial aggregate size distribution results from land-use change in the study area. Study results were explained about hierarchical aggregate formation mechanism.