Search

Many cities, especially larger metropolises, parks are very important recreational areas where people usually have closer contact with flora. Therefore, the pollution level in the parks can have a greater effect on human health. Heavy metals are ubiquitous with the environment, as a result of both natural and anthropogenic activities, and humans are exposed to them through various pathways. Essentially, these areas are assumed to be less exposed to routine contaminants, but especially in metropolises, this assumption could prove false considering these areas are stuck within the confines of a city full of pollutant activity such as intense traffic. In this study; the relationships between heavy metal pollution levels (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and the pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of soil samples were investigated from the parks on the Asian side of Istanbul. For this purpose, the most frequently visited 16 parks were selected as sampling sites. In the second part of the study, linear correlation is used for the data analysis.

A sustainable solid waste management system planning is a complex and interdisciplinary subject, which requires considering technical, environmental, economic, and social factors. Landfills play an essential role in solid waste management strategies, and landfilling is an extensively accepted preference for the clearance of solid waste worldwide. Site selection of landfill facilities can be a considerable problem as all infrastructural projects can deteriorate the ecology of the site on which they are developed because of changing land uses, loss of habitats, and displacement of fauna. These effects are mainly specific for location and need to be evaluated on every example. Landfill site selection is related to certain factors and limitations defined by natural and artificial thresholds and/or legislation. Legal provisions may vary according to the country's policy and even to the provincial policies. In addition to these features of study zones or sites, landfill site selection methods may have different criteria and sub-criteria in identifying parameters. This paper aims to identify landfill site(s) multicriteria decision analysis depending on Edirne's environmentally sensitive areas by using the Geographic Information System (GIS) technique. Data of land use, geologic features, protected areas, natural and archeological sites, transportation network, hydrological data, soil suitability for agricultural activities, and land capability classes which have been acquired from the relevant public authorities were used to proposed model. Regional factors were identified and assessed according to the risk of contamination for environmental components such as natural resources, sensitive ecosystems, and unique habitats. The chosen criteria were graded in this context, and alternative landfill sites were proposed by applying GIS-based analysis. According to the analysis, the northern subprovince of the study area, Lalapasa, has the most appropriate landfill sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaranthus retroflexus L., Convolvulus arvensis L., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. var. villosus, Datura stramonium L., Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv and Portulaca oleracea L. are weeds commonly seen in agricultural fields. Weeds pose serious threat to agricultural production. This study focuses on mineral nutrient uptake competition arisen between maize and weed species. Maize (Zea mays L.) was planted in a model field in Emirli Village-Istanbul/Turkey and the above-mentioned weeds were allowed to be grown along with maize. Then, weed and maize species along with their co-located soil samples were collected from the field and mineral element (Al, B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni and Zn) contents in the plant parts (root, branch and leaf) of weeds and maize and their co-located soils were determined using ICP-OES. To reveal the rate of mineral nutrient removal capabilities of maize and the weed species grown in the same field, comparisons were done in terms of maize-weed competition. According to our data, better accumulation capabilities were performed by maize for K, Mn, Ni and Zn; A. retroflexus and C. arvensis for B; C. arvensis, D. stramonium and P. oleracea for Ca; C. dactylon for Cu and Zn; A. retroflexus, C. arvensis and C. dactylon for Fe; E. crus-galli and P. oleracea for Mg and E. crus-galli for Na. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evergreen Turkish red pine tree shows wide distribution around Aegean and Mediterranean regions in Turkey. Herein work investigated the mineral nutrient status of Turkish red pine as a bioindicator for revealing the impact of existing pollution on both sides of Bosphorus in Istanbul. For this, Al, B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na and Zn concentrations were determined in unwashed and washed leaves and barks of the plant and soil samples. The standard procedures were applied and the determinations of element concentrations in all samples were done using ICP-OES. The sample collections were performed at five different locations in Istanbul, 4 from the Bosphorus region and one from Prince Island (as control). The highest element concentrations (in mg kg'1 DW) in plant parts were recorded between 109.1Q±1.68 and 120.58±1.75 for Al, 10.18±0.14 and 12.52±0.17 for B, 8765.42±92.41 and 9600.69±102.22 for Ca, 10.91±0.13 and 11.73±0.16 for Cu, 226.85±3.01 and 254.07±3.20 for Fe, 4050.69±48.51 and 4477.08±52.34 for K, 794.58±9.82 and 878.33± 10.07 for Mg, 1255.14± 14.67 and 1374.31± 18.55 for Na and 34.92±0.49 and 37.25±0.57 for Zn while the highest element concentrations (in mg kg'1 DW) in co-located soil samples were measured between 5470.42±66.48 and 6046.25±73.54 for Al, 14.86±0.20 and 16.43±0.29 for B, 4600.56±55.22 and 4984.86±62.71 for Ca, 22.33±0.36 and 25.07±0.48 for Cu, 5500.01±71.05 and 5953.06±80.16 for Fe, 1819.44±23.51 and 2029.17±27.04for K, 4108.75±50.77 and 4714.17±58.09 for Mg, 111.11±1.82 and 122.08±2.45 for Na and 117.10±2.33 and 126.86±2.61 for Zn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a number of studies investigating anti-inflammatory effects of simvastatin in patients with sepsis and animal models. There are a few studies which investigated effect of simvastatin on elements in sepsis. In the present study, the impact of pretreatment with simvastatin on element levels was evaluated in liver during endotoxemia. Rats were divided into control, LPS, simvastatin, and simvastatin + LPS. The histopathologic examination of the liver was performed using hematoxylin and eosin. Selenium, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium, and copper were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy. In the LPS, the hepatocyte cell structure was damaged. In the simvastatin + LPS, hepatocyte, and sinusoidal cord damage were partially smaller than LPS. Levels of selenium, and copper significantly decreased in both of LPS and simvastatin + LPS. In the LPS group, iron was found to increase. In the simvastatin + LPS, zinc was increased. Simvastatin partially smaller liver damage by increasing zinc levels during endotoxemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This physiological and ecological study was performed on Centaurea consanguinea DC. to acquire information about certain characteristics (bioclimatic, edaphic, topographic, biotic etc.) of its habitat and distribution in Turkey, determine the requirements for germination, explore the soil-plant relations and obtain data on certain aspects of its population biology. Plant and co-located soil samples were collected from Amasya and Havza District (Samsun) in Turkey using standard methods. Various analyzes were employed for determining of physical, chemical and biological properties of the plant species and its co-located soils including pH, total protein and electrical conductivity (EC), soil texture, contents of mineral nutrition and other physical and chemical parameters and the results were presented. Nutrient amounts (in %) were found to be in the ranges of 0.01-0.007 for N, 0.0008-0.001 for P, 0.01-0.09 for K, 0.0002-0.0003 for Na in the soils and 2.25 for N, 0.0068 for P, 0.07 for K and 0.02 for Na in the plant, respectively. Also, it was observed that germination ratios of the seeds were depended on various factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]