19 research outputs found
Assessment of erosion rates and patterns from spatial variability of cesium-137
No full textSoil erosion predictions and mapping of erosion patterns are important for developing the corresponding management strategies to deal with soil erosion. This research was conducted; (i) to determine cesium sorption and desorption characteristics in soils, (ii) to develop a depth dependent model for predicting soil erosion from \sp{137}{\rm Cs} activity, and (iii) to define erosion patterns from measurements of the spatial distribution of \sp{137}{\rm Cs} within the field. Cesium sorption was more in soils with high clay or low sand content and neutral pH than soils with low clay or high sand content and having relatively acidic soil reaction. A significant relationship was also found between the sorption of Cs and soil organic-C content. Results indicate that Cs is strongly retained against exchange with Ca and Na in soils, but this degree of retention against exchange with K depends on the type of dominant clay mineral. A depth dependent model, polynomial method, was developed and used to predict soil erosion from the research field. The model accounts for initially higher rates of \sp{137}{\rm Cs} loss due to heterogeneity in mixing of \sp{137}{\rm Cs} in tillage layer for the first several years of cultivation. Furthermore, erosion rates estimated by the polynomial method do not depend on the depth of tillage, thus intermittent changes in cultivation practices and tillage depth do not influence erosion predictions. Annual estimated erosion rate using the polynomial method was 47.5% lower than the proportional method, but equivalent to the USLE. Mapping of soil erosion patterns from the spatial variability of \sp{137}{\rm Cs} indicated that greater than 97% of this field had eroded at a rate 2.5 times the soil loss tolerance for at least 27 years. Resulting erosion patterns can provide useful information that can contribute to our understanding of soil erosion processes. Subsequently this data can be used to help refine erosion control guidelines which influence the selection of a vast array of management practices by an agricultural producer including; tillage, fertilizer application, crop rotation, plant population, and structures
Nondiffracting wave beams in non-Hermitian Glauber–Fock lattice
No full textWOS: 000429399200010We theoretically study non-Hermitian Glauber-Fock lattice with nonuniform hopping. We show how to engineer this lattice to get nondiffracting wave beams and find an exact analytical solution to nondiffracting localized waves. The exceptional points in the energy spectrum are also analyzedAnadolu University Scientific Research Projects [1610F660]The author would like to thank Cem Yuce for his helpfull discussions. This work is supported by Anadolu University Scientific Research Projects (Grant No. 1610F660)
Effect of Some Polymers on Soil-water Losses and Sediment Size depending on Initial Aggregate Size under Sequential Simulated Rainfall
No full textAbstractEarth is quickly changing in physical meaning. Especially as a result of climate change, increasing number of swelling-shrinking cycles that managed by wetting-drying and freezing-dissolving events in the soil, closely affects the aggregate stability. Main purpose of this study is to research the effects of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) which are applied to different size of aggregates of a Typic Xerorthent on the runoff and soil losses under the sequential simulated rainfalls in the laboratory. Other purposes of this study are to research efficiency duration of polymers as part of the fragmentation dynamics and to determine particle size distribution in transported material. At the aim of the project diverse aggregate sizes of the soil were put in soil pans. PVA and PAM were applied on these aggregates. Simulated rainstorms with 360mm h-1 intensity were applied by using “Eijkelkamp rainfall simulator” for a duration of 12minutes. After 48hours first rain application, sequential simulates rainfalls were applied on same pans. Particle size distribution was partially determined in sediments. In the end of the study, while minimum and maximum runoff quantities (RQ) were measured as 11.9mm (in > 6.4mm aggregates + PVA) and 40.6mm under first rainfall, respectively, these values were measured in the same application pans as 22.6mm and 49.1mm under sequential rainfall. In the first rain event, soil quantities transported by runoff (SQTR) were ranged from 89.1 to 3923.1g m-2 above application pans. In the second rain event, SQTRs were ranged from 91.8 to 4739.4g m-2 same pans. According to particle size analysis results polymers were found successful to keep particles together under first rain event.AcknowledgementsThis study was supported financially by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). We thank the said institute. Project Code: TOVAG/113-O-555
A penalty-based algorithm proposal for engineering optimization problems
No full textThis paper presents a population-based evolutionary computation model for solving continuous constrained nonlinear optimization problems. The primary goal is achieving better solutions in a specific problem type, regardless of metaphors and similarities. The proposed algorithm assumes that candidate solutions interact with each other to have better fitness values. The interaction between candidate solutions is limited with the closest neighbors by considering the Euclidean distance. Furthermore, Tabu Search Algorithm and Elitism selection approach inspire the memory usage of the proposed algorithm. Besides, this algorithm is structured on the principle of the multiplicative penalty approach that considers satisfaction rates, the total deviations of constraints, and the objective function value to handle continuous constrained problems very well. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated with real-world engineering design optimization benchmark problems that belong to the most used cases by evolutionary optimization researchers. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces satisfactory results compared to the other algorithms published in the literature. The primary purpose of this study is to provide an algorithm that reaches the best-known solution values rather than duplicating existing algorithms through a new metaphor. We constructed the proposed algorithm with the best combination of features to achieve better solutions. Different from similar algorithms, constrained engineering problems are handled in this study. Thus, it aims to prove that the proposed algorithm gives better results than similar algorithms and other algorithms developed in the literature. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature
Honey-Water Content Analysis by Mixing Models Using a Self-Calibrating Microwave Method
No full textMicrowave techniques, as an indirect approach, can be applied for analyzing water content in honey by way of permittivity measurements. However, these techniques require proper calibration to accurately perform such indirect evaluation. Improper calibration standards used in this calibration process could naturally result in a reduction in the accuracy and thus the performance of dielectric characterization using microwaves. Self-calibrating microwave techniques can reduce the effects of imprecise standards and thus improve the performance of microwave measurements by bypassing the requirement of calibration standards. In this study, we develop a self-calibrating microwave measurement technique to determine the relative permittivity of honey samples and implement binary mixing models to predict adulteration levels of water-adulterated honey. From this implementation, it is observed that the parallel-capacitance mixing model could efficiently be applied to determine the concentration of water adulteration by examining the differences between absolute values of the real parts of the measured and predicted complex permittivities of adulterated honey
The effects of marble wastes on soil properties and hazelnut yield
No full textWOS: 000341348600015Wastes generated in the dimension stone industry have become an environmental concern in Turkey which is one of the leading dimension stone (mostly marble and travertine) producers in the world. Use of such wastes rich in CaCO3 for the remediation of acidic and calcium deficient soils might be an environmentally sound way to reduce the amount of wastes to be disposed. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of marble quarry and cutting wastes on the soil properties and Tombul hazelnut cultivar under the field conditions. Field tests were conducted for one year in Giresun, Turkey. The results showed that marble wastes had a significant effect on the neutralization of the soil as well as on the hazelnut yield. The soil pH was increased from 4.71 to 5.88 upon marble waste application at rates equal to agricultural lime requirement. Hazelnut yield increased from 1120.3 kg ha(-1) on the field with no marble waste treatment to 1605.5 kg ha(-1) with marble wastes. This study indicates that marble quarry and cutting wastes could be used in the hazelnut fields for the neutralization of acidic soil to increase the yield. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Ataturk University BAP projectAtaturk University [2012/187]The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by Ataturk University BAP project (2012/187) through grant number 2012/187
Benomyl, a benzimidazole fungicide, induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in neural cells
No full textFungicides are used in the agricultural sector against the harmful action of fungi, however they are potential toxic agents for the environment and the living organisms. Benomyl is a widely encountered benzimidazole fungicide that exerts its toxicity via inhibiting microtubule formation in the nervous system and the male reproductive and endocrine systems, whilst it is a known teratogen. Since toxic effects of benomyl and its molecular mechanisms are not fully understood, we aimed to detect its neurotoxic potential via evaluating cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cell line. The cells were incubated with benomyl in a concentration range between 1 and 6 μM for 24 h. Our results indicated a concentration-dependent enhancement of reactive oxygen species measured through flow cytometry and DNA damage evaluated via the comet assay. Additionally, it induced apoptosis in all tested concentrations. According to the findings of the present study, benomyl is a xenobiotic, which it appears to exert its toxic action via a redox-related mechanism that, finally, induces cell apoptosis and death. We believe that this study will offer further insight in the toxicity mechanism of benomyl, although further studies are recommended in order to elucidate these mechanisms in the molecular level. © 2020 The Author
Prediction of water-adulteration within honey by air-line de-embedding waveguide measurements
No full textAn efficient de-embedding air-line microwave method has been proposed for accurate relative complex permittivity, epsilon(r) = epsilon(r)' - i epsilon(r)'', measurement of water-adulteration level within honey. It could be effectively applied to eliminate the errors arising from usage of imperfect calibration standards because it bypasses the requirement of these standards. Its accuracy is improved by utilizing the unitary and similarity properties of a passive two-port network, and then is compared with the accuracy of a calibration-dependent method present in the literature by using normalized root-mean-square-error (N-RMSE) values of epsilon(r)' and epsilon(r)'' of distilled water, in reference to the Debye value. From this comparison, it is observed that N-RMSE values calculated for epsilon(r)' (and epsilon(r)'') by using this calibration-dependent method and the (improved) proposed method are, respectively, around 0.1955 (0.1002) and 0.1962 (1.1067), indicating a good agreement between them. After validation the proposed de-embedding method using distilled water measurements, tested pure honey was adulterated with distilled water by different percentage values delta ranging from 1% to 10% in 1% increments. It is observed that the maximum distance between extracted epsilon(r)' (or epsilon(r)'') values of adulterated honey by the applied calibration-dependent method and the proposed method is less than 2%. Afterward, an empirical formula was devised to fit epsilon(r)' and epsilon(r)'' values from measured epsilon(r) of water-adulterated honey with various delta levels. It is noted that extracted epsilon(r)' is much more better fitted than extracted epsilon(r)'', especially for delta <= 4. Next, an optimization process is followed to evaluate the frequency for optimum prediction of adulteration levels using the empirical formula based on epsilon(r)' or epsilon(r)'' It is noticed that optimized delta values using the empirical formula based on epsilon(r)' (with an average prediction error of around 0.071 at 4.5 GHz) are superior to optimized delta values using the empirical formula based on epsilon(r)'' (with an average prediction error of around 0.085 at 4.2 GHz) for prediction of previously known delta values. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were performed to assess and improve the accuracy of the proposed method
