ABSTRACT SOIL AND WATER ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION Maral, Nuh M. Sc., Department of Chemistry Supervisor: Prof. Dr. G. inci G&ouml / kmen May 2010, 108 pages In Turkey, usage of increasing amounts of fertilizers and pesticides by some unconscious farmers cause soil pollution and soil infertility for the crop production. Usage of water in excessive amounts and/or in poor quality for irrigation creates problems during the plant production. So in this study, soil and water samples were analyzed by using simple and reliable techniques for the soil and water quality in laboratories of METU and Soil Fertilizer and Water Resources Central Research Institute Laboratory in Ankara. The soil and water samples were collected using the standard techniques from Ankara, Bolu, &Ccedil / orum and Kirikkale. According to the soil test results, the textures of the soil samples are found as loam and clay loam. The total salt content of the soil samples are between 0.033 &ndash / 0.063 % (w/w), meaning they are low salinity soils (total salt less than 0.15 % w/w). The pH of the soil samples are between 7.86&ndash / 8.15, they are slightly alkaline. The phosphorus concentrations of soil samples are in a range 4.95 to 35.45 P2O5 kg/da. Some of the soil samples have too high phosphorus content (greater than 12 P2O5 kg/da). The potassium content of soil samples are found between 141&ndash / 286 K2O kg/da, so the soil is efficient for crop production. Lime content of the soil samples is between 1.04&ndash / 2.67 % (w/w) CaCO3. It means all of the soil samples are calcareous but it is not too high for the agricultural production. Organic matter content of soil samples are found between 0.83&ndash / 2.04 % (w/w). This means the soils are limited in their organic matter content for the crop production. Analysis of 22 water samples yielded EC values between 0.384 &ndash / 1.875 dS/m. Water samples have moderate to high-salinity (if EC values between 0.205 and 2.250 dS/m), yet these can be used for the irrigation of the crops. pH values of water samples are found between 7.18-8.10, meaning that they are slightly alkaline. Bicarbonate concentrations of 19 of the water samples are greater than 200 mg/L. These waters may not be suitable for irrigation of ornamental plants. All of the water samples, except water samples from G&ouml / lbaSi, have sodium absorption ratio (SAR) values between 1 and 9. Water samples with low SAR values, except water samples from G&ouml / lbaSi, can be used for irrigation of almost all soils with little danger of developing harmful levels of sodium. The Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) values of water samples Ankara G&ouml / lbaSi and Sincan-1 are greater than 2.50 meq/L and these water samples are not suitable for the irrigation. RSC values of Etimesgut, Sincan-2 and Kazan water samples are positive and lower than the value 2.00 meq /L. All the other water samples have negative RSC values so they are the safe to use for irrigation. It has been observed that development of practical field analysis techniques for all soil and water quality parameters may be possible with exception of micronutrient determination. For determining soil and water quality parameters in the rural areas there is a need to establish a small laboratory with necessary equipment and apparatus and training one or two farmers. With the experience gained in this study, some of these techniques may be adapted to the rural field applications, so soil and water may be tested by the farmers for better yields.

ABSTRACT ARSENIC SPECIATION IN FISH BY HPLC-ICP-MS &Ouml / ZCAN, Sefika Eroglu M.S., Department of Chemistry Supervisor: Prof. Dr. O. Yavuz ATAMAN September 2010, 103 pages Arsenic speciation in fish samples on the market was performed using isocratic elution with cation exchange column high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection. Total As concentrations were found by ICP-MS using samples digested by nitric acid-hydrogen peroxide solution using microwave oven digestion / the results were in the range of 1.15-12.6 &micro / g/g. Separation of organic arsenicals, namely arsenobetaine (AB), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MA), have been achieved in 12 minutes. Freeze-dried samples were extracted by deionized water with a shaker system / the concentrations of AB and DMA in the extract was then determined using HPLC-ICP-MS. The accuracy of the method for determining AB concentration was confirmed using certified reference material (CRM), DOLT 4 (dog fish liver) / for this CRM only preliminary data are available for AB. The arsenic compounds in 6 fish muscle samples were investigated. The predominant arsenic compound found in extracts was AB / the concentrations were in the range of 0.86-12.0 &micro / g/g. DMA concentration was 0.40&plusmn / 0.03 &micro / g/g in one of the samples / in the others it was below the limit of quantation (0.21 &micro / g/g).

In biomedical applications, magnetic nanoparticles have been used as they offer attractive possibilities. First, they have controllable sizes ranging from a few nanometers up to tens of nanometers and second, the nanoparticles are magnetic and magnetic fields can penetrate into human tissue which means that they can be manipulated by an external magnetic field gradient. In this study, Fe

ABSTRACT SENSITIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF CYSTEINE BY SURFACE ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROMETRY BASED ON THEIR INDUCED AGGREGATES OF GOLD AND SILVER NANOSTRUCTURES Y&uuml / ksel, Recep M.Sc., Department of Chemistry Supervisor: Prof. Dr. M&uuml / rvet Volkan September 2011, 76 pages The synthesis of noble metal nanostructures are an active research area and controlling the shape and the size is a challenging task. In this study, nanostructures with different morphologies were prepared using wet chemical synthesis techniques in the aqueous solutions. Gold and silver nanospheres were produced by reducing and capping agent trisodium citrate. Gold nanorods were synthesized by chemical reduction of HAuCl4 by ascorbic acid in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), AgNO3, and gold nanoseeds (in 1.5 nm diameter) and gold silver core shell nanorods were prepared by addition of silver atoms on the surface of gold nanorods in the presence of CTAB. Parameters that were critical to obtain homogeneous nanostructures were optimized. The characterization of the nanoparticles was performed by UV-VIS spectrometry, High Resolution - Transition Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), Field Emission - Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). Besides, their electromagnetic enhancement properties were demonstrated through SERS measurement of cysteine. Self-assembly or assisted assembly of nanorods or nanospheres into organized arrays allows the realization of their collective properties that arise from the coupling of the optical and electronic properties of the neighbouring individual nanoparticles. In this study cysteine molecule was used as a linker molecule. The controlled addition of cysteine into the gold nanorod solution resulted in their preferential binding to the two ends of the gold nanorods and the formation of gold nanochains. In the usage of gold nanospheres on the other hand, cooperative hydrogen bonding of the cysteine molecules, resulted in the formation of gold nanoclusters. The assembly formation was demonstrated by UV&ndash / vis spectrometry and FE-SEM. Cysteine is a thiol group containing amino acid and deficiency of cysteine results in serious health problems. Therefore, determination of cysteine is an important issue. Herein we report two strategies for the quantitative determination of micromolar concentrations of cysteine by exploiting the interplasmon coupling in Au nanoparticles. One of them is a recently published colorimetric method and the other is a novel SERS method.

Determination of thallium is important due to its toxic effects on the environment and human health. Extremely low abundance of thallium in earth crust requires very sensitive and accurate methods for determination of this element. Although volatile compound generation is a sensitive, fast and economical method, thallium determination by this method has not been sufficiently investigated in literature, because of the fact that the formation of volatile forms of this element is a difficult task. A continuous flow volatile compound generation system was developed and parameters that affect the analytical signal were optimized. Sample solutions were acidified with 0.5 mol/L HNO3 and prepared in 0.0005% (v/v) rhodamine B and 1.0 mg/L Pd while 0.5% (m/v) NaBH4 stabilized in 0.5% (m/v) NaOH was used as reductant. Fast decomposition and unstability of thallium volatile species affected system performance negatively. Flow injection volatile compound generation studies were carried out with a special system. After optimizations, LOD and LOQ values were calculated as 12 ng/mL and 40 ng/mL according to peak height values in HNO3 medium. Similarly, in HCl medium LOD and LOQ values were calculated as 14 ng/mL and 45 ng/mL. Addition of Te and Pd to the sample solution containing co-enhancement reagent rhodamine B improved volatile compound generation efficiency in peak height by 3.6 and 9.3, respectively. Type of the acid used was affected peak heights and peak shapes of Tl+ and Tl3+ volatile species and HNO3 medium gave better results. By changing the location of introduction for Ar gas, the sources of memory effects and reasons of peak broadening were investigated. Most of the memory effects were coming from the gas-liquid separator (GLS) or before the GLS, as well as T-tube atomizer. Nature and behavior of Tl volatile species were also investigated and it was found that Tl and also Pd were generated in the form of nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) measurements prove the presence of Tl nanoparticles in the analyte species transported to the atomizer by the effect of carrier Ar gas.

In this work, I scrutinize Leopold&rsquo / s land ethic and Callicott&rsquo / s interpretation of it both from normative and meta-ethical perspectives by making textual and conceptual analyses. Leopold suggests that an ethic which makes us responsible for the protection of whole nature is evolutionarily possible and ecologically necessary. Callicott tried to buttress Leopold&rsquo / s land ethic by developing a nonanthropocentric axiology and some meta-principles. Moreover, in his view, Leopold&rsquo / s views are not only compatible with nonanthropocentric axiology but also imply it. I show that Leopold did not build the land ethic on nonanthropocentrism and he did not enforce attribution of intrinsic value to nature and its constituents. I argue that weak anthropocentrism is quite compatible with Leopold&rsquo / s views, and it provides a way to maintain normative power of land ethic without being ecofascistic. Furthermore, I discuss that Leopold might not have objected attribution of intrinsic value to nonhuman beings although he primarily referred to instrumental values of nature. Moreover, I argue that Leopold preferred a middle position between the concepts of preservation and conservation. As a man of practical wisdom Leopold has always tried to find middle and practicable ways between opposing extremes to harmonize human realm with nonhuman one and to grow the embryo of the conservationist movement. Finally, I argue that Leopold&rsquo / s land ethic is a human ethic which requires human moral agents to accept responsibility for protecting whole nature in order to attain good life.

This thesis investigates the effects of ICT on economic growth in Turkey and other OECD member countries. After discussing the theoretical relationships between ICT usage and economic growth, we test the positive impact of ICT revolution on economic growth econometrically. In the empirical part of the study, we perform panel data analyses by employing data sets that belong to 30 OECD member countries for 1999-2008 period as well as carrying out time series analyses for only Turkey by using data between 1980 and 2009. We find out that ICT usage and production have a positive significant effect on economic growth in OECD case. However, due to some methodological difficulties and insufficiency of critical mass regarding ICT area and complementary physical and social infrastructures in Turkey, we cannot find any significant relationship between ICT and economic growth for Turkish case.

<p>This essay analyses how Swedish authorities implement the EU regulations on the application of social security schemes and, more specifically, when it comes to health care and sickness benefits. The research is based on a survey and several interviews and aims to answer how the lower echelons of the hierarchy work towards the implementation, what are their working conditions and how the authorities evaluate and optimize the implementation process.</p><p>The general conclusion of the study is that there are several flaws in the implementation process. The results have shown that there is a lack of resources as well as of tutoring and education amongst the actors. The complexity of the regulations does also seem to have influenced the process. Finally the results have shown that the public instances do not proceed to a systematic evaluation of the implementation process which has led to a bad communication between the different actors as well as to difficulties in improving the flaws in the implementation process.</p>

Esta investigación tiene como objeto central de estudio la formación del mundo urbano en la zona de frontera del Brasil y Uruguay, abordando como caso de estudio la ciudad de Jaguarão.Se trata de una área geográfica de colonización y urbanización vinculada a la fijación de la frontera, articulada con la economía brasileña. La política expansionista y colonizadora portuguesa de la segunda mitad del siglo 18 es el punto de arranque de la tesis y tiene, como interés especial, las diversas etapas que se suceden a partir de la Independencia. El estudio se desarrolla en dos planes diferentes: uno de carácter regional, que sirve de encuadramiento y otro que enfoca la formación y consolidación de Jaguarão, ciudad que ejemplifica bien las vicisitudes de esta área de frontera.El origen militar, el puerto, el control aduanero, la creación de ganado, las difusiones de las nuevas formas de urbanismo, se encuentran en la base de la formación y consolidación de una ciudad que permite establecer cuestiones de interés de orden general y también de carácter mas específico. / The central focus of this investigation is the Brazil-Uruguay border urbanization process taking as case of study the city of Jaguarão. This is an area consideredonly when one examines the powerful transformation of Brazilian urban world occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century and first decades of the twentieth century.In this geographic area, the urbanization process is pushed by Portuguese expansionism and colonialism of eighteenth century second half, where this study starts, and not by economical forces. Its late urbanization results from a colonization process pushed towards the definition of the borderline and, by the end of the nineteenth century, when it was possible for Brazil to progressively become part of the international economic system, the extensive exploration of the region will make it play a clearly peripheral role in the Brazilian economy. Therefore, this region will gather many borderland characteristics. The cattle and the constant presence of smuggling will dominate an economy that will depend on political criteria that are decided very far away. On the other hand, the region will be shaken by borderland crises as well as political and revolutionary convulsions. The research has been developed in two different levels: one of regional character and other that focuses on the formation and consolidation of Jaguarão, a city that well exemplifies the vicissitudes of this borderland, starting by its late foundation and its progressive consolidation in the turbulent period between 1800 and 1870. Jaguarão is XI born as a nucleus to serve a frontier fortress and takes the advantage of a colonization process stimulated by the consolidation of this area. Its military and fiscal function, with the corresponding personnel, together with Jaguarão River's navigability conditions and its commercial possibilities, are in the basis of an economy that will eventually depend on cattle exploitation surplus and the exportation of its derivatives, mainly "charque" (salty and dry meat) and leather.Jaguarão's late urbanization and its borderland condition

The Costa Brava is not just a place within the territory, nor can it be summed up in an image, or approached through a single aspect. The complexity of its multifaceted landscape, makes it unattainable. A landscape that had hardly changed at all until the arrival of the mass tourism of sun and sand in the early 1960s. Its geographical characteristics, the climate and the people who lived there. helped make the Girona coast one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe, a place where photography played an essential role in the creation of imagery associated with the name: "Costa Brava''. This thesis studies the Costa Brava, from its christening by Ferran Agulló, in 1920, to the transformation produced during the 1960s; through documentation obtained from original sources consisting of paintings, photographs, tourist guides, newspaper articles, theses and architectural projects that are framed within this geographic and temporal context. when a new and unknown form of hotel architecture emerged along the coast, an architectural style that in an exemplary way, was introduced into the landscape, creating a new one. New hotels popped up almost simultaneously, from the South to the North, where regulations created in 1954 for the protection of the landscape, played a crucial role in the volumetric configuration of the buildings according to the characteristics of the landscape where they were to be introduced. Through an interlinking approach, architecture appears throughout five chapters, described with text, drawings and photographs that illustrate the new facilities for tourism and their role in the transformation of the landscape. An architecture that, with a language that is both modern and at the same time, rooted in the constructive tradition of fishing towns, found its place through the natural composition of its component parts. The analysis of the various editions of the Costa Brava Guide by Josep Pla, together with a selection of tourist guides published between 1929 and 1970, confirm the changes in the landscape, where the first colonisers, the hotel buildings, charted the course for the future development of the Costa Brava. The work of tour architects of Girona, Joan Maria de Ribot i de Balle, Josep Esteve Corredor, Josep Claret i Pelai Martinez, provide a vision of an architecture designed with sensitivity towards the territory, contributing to the creation of the landscape with the construction of certain buildings that still stand out today for their minimal imprint. Until a few years ago we could still see how the architecture of the Club Med of the Cap de Creus managed to blend into the Plana de Tudela. The hotels, despite their simplicity, became a model to be imitated, where the containment of its dimensions, the framing of the landscape from the inside and the provision of a tourist-suitable living space established this architecture as the seal of quality of the recently presented Costa Brava. Finally, the discovery of the unpublished archive of the photographer and publicist Tomàs Mallol was the catalyst for the research. The images he used show us the evolution of the landscape and the hotel architecture at a time when the newly opened hotels respectfully met the urgent accommodation needs of the new tourists without forgetting the landscape, their main value. The interconnections between the people involved, the buildings and the places appear in very diverse source material that depicts a unique Costa Brava. Travelling back in time through the images, we can re-discover the Costa Brava, just as the first tourists themselves discovered it. The Costa Brava that was, and that, although different, maintains its essence. / La Costa Brava no és només un lloc en el territori, ni es pot resumir en una imatge, ni pot abordar-se des d'un únic aspecte. La complexitat del seu paisatge polièdric, la fa inabastable. Un paisatge que no havia sofert practicament canvis fins l'arribada massiva del turisme de sol i platja a principis dels anys seixanta. Les seves caracterfstiques geogràfiques, el clima i la gent que hi vivia van contribuir a fer del litoral gironí un dels destins de vacances més sol·licitats d'Europa, on la fotografia va tenir un paper essencial en la creació de l'imaginari associat a un nom: "Costa Brava". La tesi estudia la Costa Brava, des del seu bateig per Ferran Agulló, el 1920, fins a les transformacions produídes durant els anys seixanta; a través d'una documentació obtinguda de les fonts originals formada per, pintures, fotografies, guíes turistiques, articles de diaris, tesis i projectes arquitectònics que s'emmarquen dins aquest context geogràfic i temporal, quan una nova i desconeguda arquitectura hotelera va sorgir al llarg de tota la costa, una arquitectura que, de manera exemplar, es va inserir en el paisatge creant-ne un de nou. Els nous hotels van sorgir, pràcticament de forma simultània, de sud a nord, on una normativa creada per la protecció del paisatge, l'any 1954 va tenir un paper cabdal en la configuració volumètrica dels edificis segons les característiques del paisatge on s'havien d'inserir. D'una manera entrellaçada l'arquitectura apareix al llarg de cinc capítols, descrita amb textos, dibuixos i fotografies, que mostren les noves instal·lacions turístiques i el seu paper en la transformació del paisatge. Una arquitectura que, amb un llenguatge modern i alhora arrelat a la tradició constructiva dels pobles de pescadors, va trobar el seu lloc acoblant-s'hi d'una manera natural. L'anàlisi de les diverses edicions de la guia Costa Brava de Josep Pla, juntament amb una selecció de guies turfstiques editades entre el 1929 i 1970 constaten els canvis soferts en el paisatge, on uns primers colonitzadors, els edificis hotelers van marcar una pauta per a la futura urbanització de la Costa Brava. L'obra de quatre arquitectes gironins, Joan Maria de Ribot i de Balle, Josep Esteve Corredor, Josep Claret i Pelai Martínez, permet veure una arquitectura projectada, amb sensibilitat cap al territori, contribuint a la creació del paisatge amb la construcción d'uns edificis que encara avui es distingeixen per deixar-hi una mfnima empremta. Fins fa pocs anys encara podíem constatar com l'arquitectura del Club Med del Cap de Creus va aconseguir fondre's a la Plana de Tudela. Els hotels, tot i la seva senzillesa, van esdevenir un model a ser imitat, on la contenció en les seves dimensions, l'emmarcament del paisatge des de l'interior i l'oferiment d'un espai habitable a l'escala del turista van fer d'aquesta arquitectura el segell de qualitat d'una recent estrenada Costa Brava. Finalment el descobriment de l'arxiu inèdit del fotògraf i publicista Tomàs Mallol, va ser el catalitzador de la investigació. A través de les imatges, ens mostra l'evolució del paisatge juntament amb la de l'arquitectura hotelera en un moment en què els recent inaugurats hotels, de forma respectuosa, van donar resposta a les necessitats urgents d'aixoplugar els nouvinguts turistes sense oblidar el paisatge, el seu principal valor. Les relacions transversals entre els personatges, els edificis i els llocs apareixen en un material d'origen molt divers que ens dibuixa una única Costa Brava. Viatjant en el temps de la mà de les imatges podrem, com ho van fer els primers turistes, tornarla a descobrir. Una Costa Brava que va ser i que, encara que diferent, manté la seva essència.