Vegetative Compatibility and Virulence Diversity of Verticillium dahliae from Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Plantations in Turkey and Evaluation of Okra Landraces for Resistance to V. dahliae

Forty-four V.dahliae isolates were collected from symptomatic vascular tissues of okra plants each from a different field in eight provinces located in the eastern Mediterranean and western Anatolia regions of Turkey during 2006-2009.Nitrate-nonutilizing(nit)mutants of V.dahliae from okra were used to determine heterokaryosis and genetic relatedness among isolates.All isolates from okra plants were grouped into two vegetative compatibility groups(VCGs)(1 and 2)and three subgroups as 1A(13.6%,6/44),2A(20.5%,9/44)and 2B(65.9%,29/44)according to international criteria.Pathogenicity tests were performed on a susceptible local okra(A.esculentus)landrace in greenhouse conditions.All isolates from VCG1A and VCG2B induced defoliation(D)and partial defoliation(PD)symptoms,respectively.Other isolates from VCG2A gave rise to typical leaf chlorosis symptoms without defoliation.The obtained data showed that the virulence level of V.dahliae isolates from okra was related to their VCG belongings.Eighteen okra landraces from diverse geographical origins were screened for resistance to VCG2B and VCG1A of V.dahliae.The results indicated that all landraces were more susceptible to highly virulent VCG1A-D pathotype displaying D or PD symptoms depending on their susceptibility levels with a mean disease severity index of 3.52 than to less virulent VCG2B-PD pathotype of V.dahliae displaying PD and ND symptoms with a mean disease severity index of 2.52.Significant differences were observed among the landraces;however,none of them exhibited a level of resistance.Okra landraces;Çorum,Hatay Has and Sanlıurfa displayed the lowest level of susceptibility or little tolerance to both D and PD pathotypes.VCG2B of PD was prevailing in the surveyed areas and VCG1A of D was the most virulent of the VCGs identified.Introduction of resistant genotypes to Turkish okra germplasm from different sources and breeding new resistant okra cultivars are critical for the sustainability of okra production.

A Research on the Quality Features of Ice Cream Produced Using Some Fat Substitutes

The aim of this study was to determine some quality properties of fat-reduced ice creams produced using some fat substitutes:10%fat ice cream was considered as the control group;6%Simplesse®100 or 2%Maltrin040 was added as fat substitute to 7.5%,5%and 2.5%fat ice cream.The organoleptic(firmness,melting resistance,structure,gumminess,melting in mouth,feeling in mouth,icy structure,smoothness,flavor,cream taste,milk powder taste,foreign taste,vanilla taste and general acceptability),physical(viscosity,overrun,melting rate and first drip time)and chemical(dry matter,fat,fat in dry matter,protein,pH,titration acidity and ash)properties of ice cream samples were investigated on the 1st,7th,15th,30th,60th and 90th days of the storage.According to results of the research,the viscosity of 7.5%fat ice cream Maltrin040 or Simplesse®100 added was higher than the control group.Moreover,decrease in fat adversely affected organoleptic properties of the ice cream.As a result of the findings,7.5%fat ice creams 6%Simplesse®100 added can be recommended for ice creams to be produced by reducing fat ratio.In the near future,the production of ice-creams with fat substitutes at an industrial level will be of great importance for low-energy and vegetable fat dieters.

Semiotics and political discourse in the post-truth era

The concept of post-truth has been on the world’s agenda since 2016.Perhaps this concept,which is frequently encountered in political life,provides the speaker with a freer speaking platform.Politicians,instead of presenting the reality to their constituents as it is,want to reshape this reality according to their own ideology and present it to the recipient.Politicians have certain objectives in creating such a virtual reality.These aims can be listed as keeping the voters,increasing the voting potential,and attracting undecided voters to their favor.The common result of all these aims is to gain political power or to remain in the existing power.Post-truth reality is constructed relatively more easily in social media environments.The construction of reality can be through beliefs or emotions.In such ways,the recipient is tried to be persuaded,and thus behavioral change is achieved.One of the most necessary subjects for this artificial reality atmosphere is the anti-subject.The idea that the anti-subject does not know the truth that we(you and I)know and believe and is trying to destroy it is the main theme of post-truth discourse.Politicians try to persuade the voters to believe in their own truth by expressing this idea to them.There are many examples of this around the world.In this study,firstly,the concept of post-truth is examined and its various definitions are discussed.The distinctions between the concepts of real and truth are analyzed and then it is explained how and for what purposes the concept of post-truth is used in politics.Following the comparison of post-truth and fake news,the concept is discussed within the framework of sender-receiver interaction in terms of communication.The concept is tried to be elucidated with the modalities such as/convincing/,/believing/,/being/,/appearing/.Besides,using the semiotic square,the study also tries to reveal the different purposes and forms of use of the concept of post-truth.As a result,it has been observed that the concept of post-truth is effective in many areas of contemporary societies,and rather than real information,expected and desired information has become more important.

Emergency department overcrowding:causes and solutions

Background:Emergency department(ED)overcrowding is among the biggest and most important problems experienced by ED staff.The number of ED visits is on the increase and remains an unresolved problem.Emergency department overcrowding has become an important problem for emergency care services worldwide.There is a relationship between overcrowding and patients’negative experi-ences of using ED and therefore reporting reduced patients’satisfaction.This study aimed to identify the causes of ED overcrowding,de-termine the reasons for people’s use of EDs,and develop solutions for reducing ED overcrowding.Methods:This study used quantitative methods using a descriptive approach.The participants were patients who visited the ED.A questionnaire was administered to 296 participants between December 2021 and February 2022.The study included 5 different hospitals in Turkey.The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results:This study identified the most common presenting medical problems in the ED and why patients used the ED.Reasons for using the ED included patients perceiving their condition as really urgent(62.8%),the ED being open for 24 hours(36.1%),and receiving faster care in the ED(31.4%).This study also developed recommendations for alleviating ED overcrowding.Conclusion:This study identified causes of ED overcrowding and some solutions for alleviating the issue.Emergency department over-crowding should be perceived as an international problem,and initiatives for solutions should be implemented quickly.

Exploring attendance at emergency departments for children with non-urgent conditions in Turkey: a qualitative study of parents and healthcare staff perspectives

Background:Overcrowding in Emergency Departments(EDs)is a significant global concern with negative consequences for patients,healthcare staff,and healthcare systems.The use of EDs by parents of children with non-urgent conditions is associated with overcrowding,higher healthcare costs,lower quality of care,and longer waiting times.Research in this area has largely been conducted in high-income countries,with a dearth of work originating in middle and low-income regions.The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for parents attending EDs with their child for non-urgent conditions in Turkey.Method:Semi-structuredinterviews wereconductedwith 13parents,15 EDstaff,and10GeneralPractitioners(GPs)in2 regions of Turkey between March and May 2017.Data were analyzed using the principles of grounded theory.Results:The findings were classified into 5 core categories:(1)parents’feelings,knowledge,and perceived inability to provide self-care;(2)perceived limitationsofhealthcare services,system,and staff;(3)parents’preferencesforhospital andED services;(4)adverse impact on ED services;and(5)perceived needs for care.Conclusion:This is the first study conducted in a middle-income country regarding parental reasons for using the ED for non-urgent conditions.Greater efforts must be made to reduce unnecessary visits to the ED to better meet service user needs and to increase the satisfaction of both parents and healthcare staff.The findings of this study may inform healthcare providers,policymakers,healthcare staff,and researchers to design interventions in order to mitigate overcrowding in the ED.

A Characterization of Boundedness of Fractional Maximal Operator with Variable Kernel on Herz-Morrey Spaces

A significant number of studies have been carried out on the generalized Lebesgue spaces L^p(x), Sobolev spaces W^1,p(x) and Herz spaces. In this paper, we demonstrated a characterization of boundedness of the fractional maximal operator with variable kernel on Herz-Morrey spaces.