Volume 19 Issue 4

Drought is an environmental stress that can negatively influence growth and productivity of fruit trees because it decreases the photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance and raises the rate of water loss from the plant surfaces. Therefore, this study investigated the soil application of biochar individually or in combination with the spraying of boron, silicon, and molybdenum relative to the growth attributes, fruit drop percentages, yield, and fruit quality of Le Conte pear trees grown under drought stress. The trees were fertilized by biochar at 0, 1, and 2 kg per tree individually or in combination with the foliar spraying with 0 mg B₂O₃ + 0 mg SiO₂ + 0 mg MoO₂, 10 mg B₂O₃ + 25 mg SiO₂ + 25 mg MoO₂, 20 mg B₂O₃ + 50 mg SiO₂ + 50 mg MoO₂ and 30 mg B₂O₃ + 75 mg SiO₂ + 75 mg MoO₂ at start of February, start of March and start of April, compared to untreated trees (control). The results showed that the soil addition of biochar or spraying of nano fertilizers individually or in combinations improved the vegetative growth, productivity and fruit quality, and leaf mineral content, meanwhile they reduced the fruit drop. The best results were obtained by the application of 2 kg biochar combined with 30 mg B₂O₃ + 75 mg SiO₂ + 75 mg MoO₂, which was superior to other applied treatments in the two seasons.

It is acknowledged that boron, ammonium, and nitrogenous compounds, which are used today as fire retardants, cause an increase in the hygroscopicity of wood materials. In this study, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Anatolian chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.), and Eastern spruce (Picea orientalis Link) woods were impregnated with 1.5% nano-sized hexagonal boron nitride (NB) according to ASTM D1413-76 (1976) standards. Flame-induced combustion (FIC), self-combustion (SC), and glowing combustion (GC) temperatures were determined. The highest retention amount was measured in spruce and the lowest was in chestnut among the wood samples taken for testing and measurement. When compared with the control samples, NB application caused an increase in SC and FIC temperatures (at higher rates). According to the glowing combustion temperature control samples, an increase was observed in chestnut and spruce and a decrease was observed in Scots pine among the samples applied with NB.

Partial delignification of alder wood specimens was performed with alkaline sulfite and peracetic acid (PAA) methods, and subsequently the delignified samples were saturated with furfuryl alcohol, as an eco-friendly chemical. The aim of delignification before furfurylation was to facilitate the penetration of furfuryl alcohol into the cell wall, in order to overcome the weak mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of alder wood as a fast growing species. The results showed that alkaline delignification removed a lower percentage of lignin despite more significant mass loss as compared to peracetic acid delignification method, which indicates more carbohydrates degradation in alkaline delignification. Infrared spectroscopy also confirmed more retention of carbohydrates in the sample delignified with peracetic acid. The polymerization of furfuryl alcohol in the cell cavities decreased the access of water molecules to the hydroxyl groups of the cell wall, increased the contact angle, and decreasing surface wettability. This effect was more noticeable in the PAA-delignified samples. Mechanical tests revealed that the delignified samples with peracetic acid had higher mechanical strength and modulus, compared to the alkaline sulfite delignified samples. This was attributable to the maintenance of carbohydrates during the delignification process.

Sugarcane peel waste (SPW) modified by combustion was used as a sorbent for methylene blue (MB) in aqueous medium under the influence of parameters such as pH of the medium, initial MB concentrations, contact time, SPW dosage, and temperature using batch experiments. The microstructure of the adsorbent was analyzed using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The quantity (mg/g) of adsorbed MB increased with increased contact time, rise in dye concentration, as well as the solution pH. Similarly, the temperature of the system improved the sorption effectiveness with maximum sorption capacity of 65.4 and 81.2% at 45 °C and 55 °C for USPW and MSPW, respectively. At an initial MB concentration of 100 mg/L, temperature of 45 °C and 55 °C, pH of 4, and reaction times of 80 and 60 min for unmodified sugarcane peel waste (USPW) and modified sugarcane peel waste (MSPW), respectively, optimal MB adsorption of 22.6 and 33.2 mg g^-1, respectively, was achieved.

Wound repair is the practice of repairing the skin and other soft tissues after an injury. An inflammatory response is activated after an injury, and cells below the dermis (deepest skin layer) begin to produce more collagen (connective tissue). A scientific assessment was made for the wound-healing potential of Ipomoea staphylina leaves extract, using ethanol. The crude extract was made into a 2.5% and 5% (w/w) ointment and tested for wound healing activity in Wistar rats using excision and incision wound models. In the excision wound model, the period of epithelialization was reduced and an increase in wound contraction rate was observed in the extract treated groups (III and IV). On the tenth day, tissue from the excision wound area was taken and processed for the assessment of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α), and it was found that there was a notable decrease in the TNF-α concentration in the extract-treated animals. In an incision wound model, the breaking strength was significantly increased in animals treated with 2.5% and 5% (w/w) ointment of I. staphylina leaves extract. The extract significantly promoted fibroblast migration in an in vitro experiment (scratch assay), which may have been caused by the presence of flavonoids.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of average chip thickness and blade wear on the cutting power consumption and surface quality obtained in up-milling wood of different densities. The surface roughness was investigated using the contact method, recording the roughness parameters R_a and R_z, and the cutting power was determined using a wattmeter. The research was conducted for two variants of blade wear, i.e., sharp and blunt, and three variants of chip thickness (0.10, 0.06, and 0.02 mm). Four wood species with very different densities were tested, i.e., balsa (Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb.), obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon K. Schum.), alder (Alnus glutinosa L. Gaertn.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) For the lowest density woods, a better surface quality was found when cutting with a blunt knife compared to a sharp knife, while for the higher density woods (alder and beech) an inverse relationship was observed, i.e., a blunt knife resulted in increased surface roughness. For obeche wood, the surface roughness was dependent on the chip thickness. In addition, for low-density woods (balsa and obeche), no differences in cutting power were shown as a function of blade condition. It was shown that both an increase in wood density and chip thickness resulted in an increase in cutting power.

The goal of this study was to find a way to shorten wood drying time by using microwave and combined infrared + microwave drying methods and to analyze color and gloss changes. Wood samples prepared in three groups with dimensions of 20×20×30 mm were used in moisture tests and 75×5×150 mm were used in color change and gloss measurements, obtained from Red pine (Pinus brutia) and Eastern spruce (Picea orientalis) woods. The samples were oven dried, dried by microwave, or dried by infrared + microwave drying method. The wood samples all reached the target moisture. Their weight and volume were calculated in accordance with the principles of TS ISO 13061-1. Color change values were determined before and after drying with a portable color reader (Konica Minolta CR-10) device, and gloss measurements were taken with the Gardner brand gloss meter. By microwave drying for 15 min, 4% moisture content was reached in the wood samples, so both time and energy were saved. The moisture content values decreased compared to the whole drying methods. Most color change was observed in the drying methods using infrared for both red pine and eastern spruce.

This study assessed the occupational health and safety conditions in a furniture manufacturing facility, focusing on key environmental factors such as noise, lighting, thermal comfort, and dust exposure. Noise measurements recorded levels as high as 95.3 dB(A) during CNC machine operations, exceeding legal exposure limits of 87 dB(A), posing significant risks to workers’ hearing health. Lighting assessments showed levels ranging from 134 to 247 lux in production lines, which falls below the recommended threshold of 300 lux for adequate visibility. Thermal comfort was evaluated with temperature readings at 14.2 °C and relative humidity at 43%, revealing marginal comfort conditions that could reduce worker efficiency and satisfaction. Dust exposure measurements indicated respirable dust concentrations reaching 3.69 mg/m³ in the cutting department, which is close to the permissible exposure limit of 5 mg/m³, raising concerns about long-term respiratory health. These findings suggest several measures to improve workplace safety, including enhanced engineering controls, mandatory personal protective equipment (PPE), improved lighting systems, optimised thermal conditions, and advanced ventilation to reduce dust exposure. This comprehensive evaluation provides critical insights for improving furniture factories’ occupational health and safety practices.

The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) poses a significant threat to agriculture, as its larvae feed on leaves and form silken webs, which can severely impact plant growth. However, the lack of specific image datasets for the larvae’s webs hinders the use of image recognition technologies in pest prevention and control. To address this issue, an enhancement method is proposed here based on an improved Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN). This method generates a diverse set of high-quality web images, significantly expanding the existing dataset. Experimental results demonstrated that this enhanced dataset improved the robustness of recognition networks, enabling better automatic identification and precision spraying to control Hyphantria cunea. This approach not only advances automated pest monitoring in agriculture but also offers new possibilities for applying similar technologies to the identification of other plant pests.

Identifying, protecting, and developing biodiversity in urban environments contributes to ecosystem integrity. Although there are studies addressing biodiversity in natural areas in Türkiye, there has been no study specifically measuring the biodiversity of city centers. Adapting existing methods for measuring city biodiversity to Turkish cities is challenging due to their unique local dynamics. Therefore, there is a need to identify indicators that can be used to monitor and evaluate biodiversity performance for the protection and sustainability of urban areas in Türkiye and to develop a feasible, reliable, and measurable biodiversity performance assessment approach. The developed UrBioPDeM has 4 main factors and 32 sub-factors. Indicators for the assessment and management of urban biodiversity performance in Isparta, Türkiye, were identified and analyzed, and it was found that Isparta’s urban biodiversity has low potential. Therefore, suggestions were made to increase the urban biodiversity of Isparta. The developed approach is an appropriate and effective biodiversity performance model that can be applied in Turkish cities. The factors and sub-factors used in this method can be adjusted and revised according to the potential biodiversity characteristics of a city.