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Abstract Introduction: In this study, patients before and after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and control subjects were evaluated for erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase enzyme activities, in addition to glutathione, malondialdehyde, serum total sialic acid, lipid-bound sialic acid, total antioxidant status, trace elements and mineral levels. The correlation of these variables with coronary artery disease (CAD) was also assessed. Methods: A total of 30 CAD patients and 30 control subjects were included in the study. CAD patients were divided into three groups: before surgery (BS), first day after surgery (1st day AS) and seventh day after surgery (7th day AS). Results: Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total sialic acid (TSA) levels were significantly higher in CAD (BS) than in the control group (P

The effectiveness of fire towers in combating forest fires relies on their appropriate observation angles, enabling a swift and efficient response to fire incidents. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of 49 fire towers located within the Antalya Forestry Regional Directorate, situated in the Mediterranean basin—a region prone to frequent forest fires. The assessment encompasses the visibility of the entire study area, including forested regions, as well as the visibility of 2504 forest fires recorded by the towers between 2008 and 2021. Furthermore, the evaluation considers the objectives based on Forest Management Directorates and conducts a location suitability analysis for the six towers with the lowest visibility. We utilized the Viewshed Tool in the ArcGIS application and employed the Best–Worst approach. Two scenarios were devised, considering smoke height at 0 m or 100 m, to determine the visibility of fire lookout towers. In Scenario I, assuming a smoke height of 100 m, only three towers exhibited visibility above 70%. However, in Scenario II, assuming a smoke height of 0 m, no towers achieved visibility above 70%. Scenario I indicated that only two towers possessed a view of more than 70% of the forested region, while Scenario II suggested that no towers met this criterion. For the visibility of forest fires, Scenario I identified seven towers capable of observing more than 70%, whereas Scenario II indicated that no towers possessed such capability. In the tower suitability analysis, the visibility rates varied from 41.18% to 1016.67%. Based on the evaluation results, the current visibility capacities of the 49 fire towers proved insufficient for effective preventive measures.

Since the services that protected areas offer become more understandable, the importance of these areas is increasing day by day throughout the world. Therefore, efforts to increase both the quality and the quantity of these areas have accelerated. On the other hand, economic gains desired from existing or potential protected areas can disrupt the protection of these resources. This study was carried out to investigate the protected area status of nature parks, which are managed for utilization rather than protection, in the regime of protected areas. Accordingly, nine nature parks in three provinces in the Western Black Sea Region were examined, current master plans were evaluated in terms of nature protection and surveys were conducted with users in the three nature parks that are open to use. According to the findings of the study these areas are mostly used for picnics. The fact that the nature parks are established in the forest is the most attractive side for the users. However, the majority of interviewed nature park users do not even know that the place they come is a protected area and thinks that the promotions of these parks are insufficient. Users do not even know which organization manages the nature parks. It is clearly seen that nature parks play an important role in the protection of nature in areas where absolute nature protection is not possible due to human-nature interaction. However, instantaneous political decisions regarding nature parks, regardless of knowledge, legislation and participation, cause the protection-use balance to shift towards the use in nature parks, and cause the right place of nature parks in the protected area regime to change negatively. In order to prevent this change, it is necessary for the nature parks to regain a management approach in which nature protection gains importance.