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Bacterial canker of tomato, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm), is a devasting disease that leads to significant yield losses. Although QTLs originating from three wild species (Solanum arcanum, S. habrochaites, and S. pimpinellifolium) were identified, none of the QTLs was annotated for candidate gene identification. In the present study, a QTL-based physical map was constructed to reveal the meta-QTLs for Cmm resistance. As a result, seven major QTLs were mapped. Functional annotation of QTLs revealed 48 candidate genes. Additionally, experimentally validated Cmm resistance-related genes based on transcriptomic and proteomic studies were mapped in the genome and 25 genes were found to be located in the QTL regions. The present study is the first report to construct a physical map for Cmm resistance QTLs and identify QTL-specific candidate genes. The candidate genes identified in the present study are valuable targets for fine mapping and developing markers for marker-assisted selection in tomatoes for Cmm resistance breeding. more...

Earliness in crop plants has a vital role in prevention of heat-induced drought stress and in combating global warming, which is predicted to exacerbate in the near future. Furthermore, earliness may expand production into northern areas or higher altitudes, having relatively shorter growing season and may also expand arable lands to meet global food demands. The primary objective of the present study was to investigate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for super-earliness and important agro-morphological traits in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from an interspecific cross. A population of 114 RILs developed through single-seed descent from an interspecific cross involving Pisum sativum L. and P. fulvum Sibth. et Sm. was evaluated to identify QTLs for super-earliness and important agro-morphological traits. A genetic map was constructed with 44 SSRs markers representing seven chromosomes with a total length of 262.6 cM. Of the 14 QTLs identified, two were for super-earliness on LG2, one for plant height on LG3, six for number of pods per plant on LG2, LG4, LG5 and LG6, one for number of seeds per pod on LG6, one for pod length on LG4 and three for harvest index on LG3, LG5, and LG6. AA205 and AA372-1 flanking markers for super-earliness QTLs were suggested for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in pea breeding programs due to high heritability of the trait. This is the first study to map QTLs originating from P. sativum and P. fulvum recently identified species with super-earliness character and the markers (AA205 and AA372-1) linked to QTLs were valuable molecular tools for pea breeding. more...

Growing stages of plants are the most sensitive phase to abiotic stress which leads to decrease in yield. The object of this study was to evaluate the biochemical and molecular properties of seven tomato cultivars and to observe their responses to salinity during growth stages. Greenhouse experiment was performed to study differences in genotypes response to salinity with four doses (50 mM, 100 mM, 150 mM and 200 mM). Differences in growth parameters, proline accumulation, lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide were tested in order to put forward the relative tolerance or sensitivity of tomato cultivars. These results were also supported by expression using semi quantitative RT-PCR of two stress related genes, SIVOZ1, and SIWRKY8. Overall results demonstrated that, all evaluated parameters increased with 200 mM NaCI treatment for all cultivars. Although the effects of salinity stress differentiated in different genotypes, our results provided some evidence that Seyran, Ciko and Indigo Rose Black tomato cultivars had higher salt tolerance potential than rest of the cultivars. This is the first report of evaluation of Turkish tomato hybrids based on biochemical and molecular data and results could be useful for determination of future breeding strategies for salt tolerance in tomato. more...

Abstract Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the Rosacea family and closely related to the major pome fruits, apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) and pear (Pyrus communis L.). In the present work, whole genome shotgun paired-end sequencing was employed in order to assemble the first draft genome of quince. A genome assembly that spans 488.4 Mb of sequence corresponding to 71.2% of the estimated genome size (686 Mb) was produced in the study. Gene predictions via ab initio and homology-based sequence annotation strategies resulted in the identification of 25,428 and 30,684 unique putative protein coding genes, respectively. 97.4 and 95.6% of putative homologs of Arabidopsis and rice transcription factors were identified in the ab initio predicted genic sequences. Different machine learning algorithms were tested for classifying pre-miRNA (precursor microRNA) coding sequences, identifying Support Vector Machine (SVM) as the best performing classifier. SVM classification predicted 600 putative pre-miRNA coding loci. Repetitive DNA content of the assembly was also characterized. The first draft assembly of the quince genome produced in this work would constitute a foundation for functional genomic research in quince toward dissecting the genetic basis of important traits and performing genomics-assisted breeding. more...

Tomato is major horticultural plant consumed worldwide. Biotic stress (nematodes, fungus and bacteria) has negative effect on tomato production due to causing reduced yield or plant death. Rootstocks confer resistance to soil-borne pathogen are considered the most effective and environment friendly approach for such a stress management. Thus, development of genetic resources having multiple resistance genes is essential for sustainable tomato breeding. Solanum habrochaites is one of the most studied wild tomato species due to its high genetic potential for biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, rootstock potential of an interspecific F1 hybrid derived from S. habrochaites was evaluated as using resistance genes (Frl, I-2, I-3, Mi-3, Pto Ty-1, Ty-3 and Sw-5) specific molecular markers for 6 major tomato diseases and 31 fruit quality traits. The study reported that F1 hybrid had resistance alleles for 5 genes (Frl, I-2, I-3, Pto and Sw-5) confer resistance to fusarium crown rot disease, crown – root rot disease, race 2 and 3 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis lycopersici, bacterial speck and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), respectively. Despite high performance of F1 hybrid for biotic stress, the study pointed S. habrochaites specific graft incompatibility due to poor rate of grafting efficiency, small fruit formation and low yield. This is the first comprehensive study evaluated the horticultural performance of an interspecific hybrid in tomato. more...

The wind turbine micro-siting is one of the most important agenda topics in Wind Power Plant (WPP) installations. An appropriate siting of wind turbines increases the amount of energy produced by the WPP. In this study, an optimization model is developed for WPP installation consisting of 10 wind turbines. In the first stage of the study, the wind speed distribution in WPP installation region is modeled. In this model; wind measurements taken from the WPP installation region, topographic map of the WPP installation region and WASP (Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program) software are used. In the second stage, a general method has been formed for calculating the total energy produced by the wind turbines to be placed randomly in the region. A real power curve belong to the wind turbine is used for the energy calculation to be close to real production. This power curve belongs to the Bonus brand wind turbine, which has an output power of 2 MW. In the third stage of the study, the optimization model is solved by using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) method and 10 number optimal turbine coordinates is determined. In order to evaluate the results, wind turbines are placed in these coordinates using WASP software. According to the results from the software, the annual energy production of the wind turbines is found as 56553.5 kWh. Furthermore, it has been observed that wind turbine placements are made to the regions, which have high energy production potential in the mean wind speed map. This result showed that the proposed model is placed turbines effectively in WPP installation. more...

This study introduces a hierarchical key assignment scheme (HKAS) based on the closest vector problem in an inner product space (CVP-IPS). The proposed scheme offers a comprehensive solution with scalability, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and high performance. The key features of the scheme include CVP-IPS based construction, the utilization of two public keys by the scheme, a distinct basis set designated for each class, a direct access scheme to enhance user convenience, and a rigorous mathematical and algorithmic presentation of all processes. This scheme eliminates the need for top-down structures and offers a significant benefit in that the lengths of the basis sets defined for classes are the same and the costs associated with key derivation are the same for all classes, unlike top-down approaches, where the higher class in the hierarchy generally incurs much higher costs. The scheme excels in both vertical and horizontal scalability due to its utilization of the access graph and is formally proven to achieve strong key indistinguishability security (S-KI-security). This research represents a significant advancement in HKAS systems, providing tangible benefits and improved security for a wide range of use cases. more...

Abstract In this work, nitrogen (N)‐doped graphene film is synthesized, as a photo‐catalyst, on one side of the copper foam by chemical vapor deposition and the copper foam is directly used as an electrode after porous Pd@rGO cathode loading to the other side of the foam for the photo‐assisted charging of the Li‐ion oxygen battery. The amount of urea (CO(NH2)2), which is used as N atom source, is optimized to get maximum photo‐anodic currents from the n‐type graphene films. The optical band gap and the valance band edge potential of the optimized N‐doped graphene film are determined as 2.00 eV and 3.71 VLi+/Li, respectively. X‐ray photoelectron spectra provided that the atomic percent of N atoms in the graphene film is 1.34% and the graphitic, pyrrolic and pyridinic N atom percentages are 54.01%, 42.20% and 3.79%, respectively. The photo‐assisted charging tests indicated that the N‐doped graphene film photo‐catalyst reduced the charging potential significantly even at 1000 mA g−1 (0.1 mA cm−2) current density and improved the cyclic discharge‐charge performance of the Li‐ion oxygen battery considerably. more...

The performance of active suspension systems is directly related to the mechanical design and control of the system. The stable operation of the controller improves driving comfort and handling. The quarter car model is frequently used in the analysis of sus-pension systems due to its simple structure. In this study, Matlab Simulink software was used in the modeling, control and simulation of the quarter car active suspension model. System performance was investigated for four different road profiles with PID and fuzzy logic control methods. Two of the road profiles used are in the form of impact signals consisting of pits and bumps. The other two road profiles are random road disturbances with high frequency. The effects of active and passive suspension systems on driving comfort are compared by taking into account the control methods used. As a result of the study, it has been determined that the fuzzy logic controller gives better results in pulse signals consisting of bumps and pits, and the PID controller gives better results in high-frequency random road disturbances. In addition, with the use of fuzzy logic control method in the active suspension system, a significant decrease in the actuator force has occurred. This result is very interesting in terms of minimizing energy, reducing actuator sizes and reducing costs. more...

In this work, we construct a key access management scheme that seamlessly transitions any hierarchical-like access policy to the digital medium. The proposed scheme allows any public cloud system to be used as a private cloud. We consider the data owner an entity consisting of several organization units. We provide a secure method for each user of this entity to access the public cloud from both inside and outside the company’s network. The idea of our key access control scheme, which is based on Shamir’s secret sharing algorithm and polynomial interpolation method, is suitable especially for hierarchical organizational structures. It offers a secure, flexible, and hierarchical key access mechanism for organizations utilizing mission-critical data. It also minimizes concerns about moving mission-critical data to the public cloud and ensures that only users with sufficient approvals from the same or higher privileged users can access the key by making use of the topological ordering of a directed graph, including self-loop. Main overheads such as public and private storage needs are reduced to a tolerable level, and the key derivation is computationally efficient. From a security perspective, our scheme is both resistant to collaboration attacks and provides key indistinguishability security. Since the key does not need to be held anywhere, the problem of a data breach based on key disclosure risk is also eliminated. more...

In this study, bonding of Fe3Al and Ti6Al4V alloys proved with diffusion bonding method in vacuum atmosphere. Diffusion bonding of Fe3Al and Ti6Al4V alloys with copper interlayer was carried out at 900ºC for different times under 3 MPa. Shear test was applied to bonded samples to measure the shear strength of the welds. SEM-EDS studies indicated diffusion of copper atoms to Fe3Al and Ti6Al4V matrix. Investigations of the fracture surfaces of all samples showed the sign of good bonding with some plastic deformation. The highest shear strength of 209 MPa was obtained from samples bonded for 120 minutes. more...

The host resistance level of pure line materials was assessed in the genepool for the purpose of breeding. The highest resistance to the pathogen was observed in bell-type pepper. Moreover, genetic diversity of pure lines was investigated using selected inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. Generally, genetic markers showed genetic diversity, so that long-type pure lines were separated from the other accessions. This is the first report on host reactions of Turkish pure lines as breeding material. These results provide significant information for future pepper breeding programs. more...

Pepper is widely grown vegetable crops after tomato and watermelon in the world. One of the most important diseases on pepper production is caused by Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). The best way for the control of this disease is to use resistant varieties. This study aimed to improve TSWV resistant lines to use as a parent in long type pepper breeding studies. Three genotypes resistant to TSWV were crossed with the susceptible Serademre 8 used to be commercial. Pedigree method was applied as the breeding method. Three populations were self-pollinated for five generations. The progenies for each of populations were tested against TSWV. Mechanical inoculations were performed in each generation and the selected resistant plants were grown for self-pollination to achieve next generation. Molecular tests were applied to the plants in stages F1 and F5. Virulent strain isolated from infected pepper plants was used as a disease material in the mechanical inoculations. CAPS marker (SCAC568) linked to the TSWV resistance gene (Tsw) was used in the molecular test for verification of mechanical test. In this study, 10 lines resistant to TSWV with good features were developed. Some of the obtained TSWV resistant lines have been transferred to private sector seed companies for use in pepper breeding programs. more...

In this study the effects of rootstocks on watermelon fruit quality and yield were investigated by comparing grafted plants with non-grafted and self-grafted ones in open field conditions in over two consecutive years (2013-2014). The watermelon cultivar Crimson Tide was grafted onto Ferro RZ, Maximus, Nun 9075, RS 841, No:3, Strong Tosa and TZ 148 rootstocks. Non-grafted and self-grafted plants were used as control. Grafting increased the average fruit yield between 17.45% and 52.56% compared to non-grafted treatment. It was concluded that among the tested rootstocks No:3 along with Nun 9075 and TZ 148 rootstocks can be advised due to the increase in fruit yield, total soluble solids and taste panel test values and that the use of grafted plants can be advantageous alternative in watermelon production for producers. more...

Ni3Al partikülleri ile pekiştirilmiş bronz esaslı kompozit klasik toz metalurjisi (TM) tekniği ile üretilmiştir. Pekiştirici olarak kullanılan partiküller döküm Ni3Al alaşımının bilyeli değirmende öğütülmesiyle üretilmiştir. Bronz alaşımı bileşenlerinin tozları ve Ni3Al (ağ. %1, 75-100mm partikül boyutunda) karıştırılmış, eksenel olarak sıkıştırılmış ve sinterlenerek kompozit malzeme elde edilmiştir. Kompozit ışık mikroskobu ve taramalı elektron mikroskobu kullanılarak karakterize edilmiştir. Basma mukavemetleri ve sertlikler belirlenmiştir. Kompozitin ve pekiştirilmemiş bronzun tribolojik özellikleri disk üzerinde pim geometrisinde belirlenmiş ve sonuçlar geleneksel fenolik reçine ile bağlanan fren balatası ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Sonuçlar TM bronzun kompozitten daha mukavemetli olduğunu göstermiştir. Kompozitin sertliği TM bronzdan daha yüksektir. Sürtünme ve aşınma testleri kompozitin aşınma direncinin ve sürtünme katsayısının geleneksel balatadan daha yüksek olduğunu açığa çıkarmıştır. more...

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), is one of the most important vegetable species produced both in the world and in Turkey. Turkey is in third place in pepper production in the world. There are many viruses affecting and limiting pepper production. Potato Y virus (PVY), a member of the genus potyvirus, is one of the most common viruses infecting pepper crops. Improving resistant pepper varieties against the disease is more advantageous and easy way to control disease in production area. There are 4 races such as PVY0, PVY1 and PVY1-2 in the world. The dominant Pvr4 resistance gene in wild type SCM 334 pepper confers a complete resistance to the three pathotypes of potato virus. In this study, resistant genotype SCM 334 and susceptible long pepper inbred line were crossed to improve resistance in breeding lines. To eliminate the undesirable characteristics of the resistant genotypes, resistant line was backcrossed three times with susceptible genotypes. Mechanical inoculation and molecular methods were used to determine the reaction of backcross progenies to the disease. The dominant CAPS markers were used to determine resistant and susceptible plants and results from the mechanical inoculation method were verified with the CAPS marker. This study is a part of “Improvement of F1 Hybrid Vegetable Varieties and Qualified Lines in Turkey” basic project and financed by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-KAMAG 109G029). more...

Abstract Background Malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty are age-related conditions that are associated with multiple health-related negative outcomes. However, the complex associations between them remain to be elucidated. The aims of the study were to explore: (1) whether the risk of sarcopenia has a mediator effect on the association between risks of malnutrition and frailty; and (2) whether physical activity (PA) level modulates this mediator effect in community-dwelling older adults. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 593 older adults (62.73% female; mean age = 71.35 ± 5.86 years). The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), the SARC-F Questionnaire, and the FRAIL Questionnaire were used to assess the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty, respectively. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was employed to assess PA level. Using the Hayes PROCESS macro (Models 4 and 7), mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed. Results The mediation analysis demonstrated that the MNA-SF had a significant effect on the SARC-F (B=-0.325; p more...

Günümüzde ürün çeşitliliğinin artması, yeni ürünlerin ortaya çıkması ve aynı işlevi gören, aynı içeriği ihtiva eden, fiyat olarak birbirine yakın ürünlerin varlığı nedeni ile tüketicilerin benzer ürünler arasından seçim yapması zorlaşmakta, bu seçim aşamasında yönlendirici temel faktörlerden biri kitle iletişim araçları vasıtayla da sürekli karşımıza çıkarılan reklamlar olmaktadır. Reklamlar günümüz ekonomilerinin vazgeçilmez bir parçası ve artan rekabet ortamında ayakta kalabilme mücadelesi veren işletmelere, firmalara (müşterilerine) daha çok para kazandırmak adına bireyleri devamlı yönlendirmek suretiyle “güdümlenmiş ekonomilerin güdümlü tüketicileri” ne doğru evrimleştirmektedir. Reklamlar daha çok satış yaptırmak için insanları daha fazla tüketmeye yönlendirmekle birlikte bu işlevlerini etik kurallar çerçevesinde yapıp yapmadıkları, kamuoyunu doğru yönlendirip yönlendirmedikleri de cevabı aranan bir soru olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma ile felsefenin bir dalı olan etik perspektifinden hareket ederek, farklı parametreler de göz önüne alınarak reklam etiği ve reklamlarda karşılaşılan etik sorunlara ilişkin bir “durum analizi” yapılması amaçlanmıştır. more...

Abstract Background Researchers have attempted to automate the spontaneous movement assessment and have sought quantitative and objective methods over the past decade. The purpose of the study was to present a quantitative assessment method of spontaneous movement using center-of-pressure (COP) movement analysis. Methods A total of 101 infants were included in the study. The infants were placed in the supine position on the force plate with the cranial-caudal orientation. In this position, the recording of video and COP movement data were made simultaneously for 3 min. Video recordings were used to observe global and detailed general movement assessment (GMA), and COP time series data were used to obtain quantitative movement parameters. Results According to the global GMA, 13 infants displayed absent fidgety movements (FMs) and 88 infants displayed normal FMs. The binary logistic regression model indicated significant association between global GMA and COP movement parameters (chi-square = 20.817, p more...

Abstract Background The association of cognition with hand grip and pinch strength has been well-recognized in older adults. The authors sought to explore: (1) associations among forward head posture (FHP), cognition, and hand grip and pinch strength in older adults; and (2) the mediator role of FHP in these pathways using structural equation modeling (SEM). Methods This cross-sectional study included 88 older adults (70.5% male; mean age = 68.75±3.87 years). Cognition was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), head posture by the Craniovertebral Angle (CVA) obtained from photographic analysis, hand grip strength by a handheld dynamometer, and pinch strength by a pinch meter. Using the two SEMs, a potential mediator role of the CVA was investigated. While the MMSE was addressed as an independent variable in both models, hand grip and pinch strength were addressed as dependent variables in model 1 and model 2, respectively. Results The correlations between the CVA and MMSE (r = 0.310), hand grip strength (r = 0.370), and pinch strength (r = 0.274 to 0.292) were statistically significant (p more...

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants., Method: We included 30 preterm and 30 term infants with corrected and chronological ages between 10 and 12 mo. We used the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants to evaluate sensory processing and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale to evaluate motor development., Results: The Spearman correlation test indicated a strong positive relationship between sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants (r = .63, p < .001)., Conclusion: Given the relationship between sensory processing and motor development in the preterm group, the evaluation of sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants was considered necessary for the effective implementation of physiotherapy assessment and interventions., (Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.) more...