Ethical Evaluation Capacity of Turkish Food and Agricultural Engineers and Veterinary Physicians with Regard to Agriculture and Food System.

In Turkey, the numbers of studies that deal with agriculture and food as a system and process, and that address the issue with an integrated approach are very limited. Besides, there is no empirical study available in the national literature in which agricultural and food system has been analyzed within the framework of applied ethics. The present study aims to investigate the characteristics of food and agricultural engineers and veterinary physicians in terms of their tendency to carry out ethical evaluations when faced with issues falling under the field of agriculture and food ethics, and detect their capacity to identify ethical problems.A cross-sectional survey was employed in this study. Descriptive statistics like percentages and frequencies based on the scores from the scale were used. Data were collected via survey method from three occupational groups, namely, food and agricultural engineers and veterinary physicians working in 12 regions of Turkey, and analyzed using chi-square and score test. A total of 865 professionals from 55 different cities participated in the study. Data concerning participants' level of ethics awareness regarding the identification and evaluation of ethical problems in the fields of food and agriculture were obtained. While the participating professionals could easily detect the problems in food and agriculture system that carried no ethical dilemma, they had difficulty in identifying issues that involved ethical dilemmas. It was also revealed that there was a significant difference between professionals in terms of their perception of ethical problems, demonstrating the need for a comprehensive ethics education to be imparted during and after under-graduate.

The view of synthetic biology in the field of ethics: a thematic systematic review.

Synthetic biology is designing and creating biological tools and systems for useful purposes. It uses knowledge from biology, such as biotechnology, molecular biology, biophysics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and other disciplines, such as engineering, mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering. It is recognized as both a branch of science and technology. The scope of synthetic biology ranges from modifying existing organisms to gain new properties to creating a living organism from non-living components. Synthetic biology has many applications in important fields such as energy, chemistry, medicine, environment, agriculture, national security, and nanotechnology. The development of synthetic biology also raises ethical and social debates. This article aims to identify the place of ethics in synthetic biology. In this context, the theoretical ethical debates on synthetic biology from the 2000s to 2020, when the development of synthetic biology was relatively faster, were analyzed using the systematic review method. Based on the results of the analysis, the main ethical problems related to the field, problems that are likely to arise, and suggestions for solutions to these problems are included. The data collection phase of the study included a literature review conducted according to protocols, including planning, screening, selection and evaluation. The analysis and synthesis process was carried out in the next stage, and the main themes related to synthetic biology and ethics were identified. Searches were conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, PhilPapers and MEDLINE databases. Theoretical research articles and reviews published in peer-reviewed journals until the end of 2020 were included in the study. The language of publications was English. According to preliminary data, 1,453 publications were retrieved from the four databases. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 58 publications were analyzed in the study. Ethical debates on synthetic biology have been conducted on various issues. In this context, the ethical debates in this article were examined under five themes: the moral status of synthetic biology products, synthetic biology and the meaning of life, synthetic biology and metaphors, synthetic biology and knowledge, and expectations, concerns, and problem solving: risk versus caution.

Urinary System Problems in al-Rãzî's Book, Man lã yahduruhu al-tabîb: Practical Advice for Those Who Cannot Access Physicians and Medical Recourses.

OBJECTIVES: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyyã al-Rãzî is a historical physician who made theoretical and practical contributions to medicine. The aim of al-Rãzî's book, Man lã yahduruhu al-tabîb, is to provide a valuable benefit to the general public. The book was written for people who do not have access to physicians, critical medical manuscripts, and medications. Our study aimed to add to the literature and discuss the issues concerning urinary tract problems in al-Rãzî's Man lã yahduruhu al-tabîb. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sections of al-Rãzî's Man lã yahduruhu al-tabîb dealing with the urinary system were discussed and translated from Arabic to English. RESULTS: Urinary system problems are discussed in al-Rãzî's book under the headings of "Pains in the kidneys and bladder (nephritis and cystitis) and stones in the kidneys," "Hematuria," "Pyuria and painful micturition/dysuria," "Prescription for medicine on this subject," and "Drug for the difficulty of passing urine/strangury." The relevant sections mention drugs and approach to be used, particularly in the face of problems, rather than theoretical explanations. Changes in practice and treatment have been suggested in various symptomatic situations. CONCLUSIONS: Rather than theoretical and etiological explanations for urinary problems, al-Rãzî provides accessible and applicable practical drugs and approaches for the general public, which can be considered suitable for the purpose mentioned in al-Rãzî's introduction to the book.

Physician perspectives on the DNR order in Turkey: A survey of physicians in Internal Medicine.

Background: Do not resuscitate (DNR) is a controversial ethico-legal issue and there is no legal regulation in Turkey. Evaluating the physicians' views on DNR is critical to the current problems and contributes to legal regulation. Objectives: To examine the views of intensive care unit residents on DNR and the sociocultural and occupational factors affecting them. Methods: The research is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample of the study consists of 203 residents of internal medicine working in the intensive care unit in a university hospital. A questionnaire form was used as a data collection tool. Results: 62.6% of the physicians know that there is no legal regulation regarding DNR in Turkey, and 14.3% think that DNR is performed. Female physicians approve of DNR at a higher rate than men (p<0.01). Physicians with more experience in the profession stated that not all patients should be performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (p<0.01), and DNR should be a right (p<0.05). The vast majority of physicians stated that DNR should be legal (88.1%) and should be included in residency training (85.6%). Conclusions: It is necessary to establish legal regulations on DNR and implement residency training programs that will ensure the continuous professional development of physicians.

Radioactive cesium ion removal from wastewater using polymer metal oxide composites.

Radioactive cesium ion (Cs-137) removal from wastewater was investigated by novel composite adsorbents, chitosan-bone powder (CS-KT) and chitosan-bone powder-iron oxide (CS-KT-M) at 25 and 50 °C. The characterization of adsorbents was performed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and Barrett-Joyner-Hallenda (BET-BJH), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analyses. While BET surface areas of CS-KT and CS-KT-M adsorbents were found to be 131.5 and 144.9 m2/g, respectively, average pore size and pore volume values were 4.69 nm/0.154 cm3/g and 7.49 nm/0.271 cm3/g, respectively. Amongst Freundlich, Langmuir, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models, Langmuir model fits well for Cs+ ion sorption by these adsorbents. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir adsorption isotherm was 0.98 × 10-4 mol/g at 25 °C, and 1.16 × 10-4 mol/g at 50 °C for CS-KT; it was found to be 1.79 × 10-4 mol/g at 25 °C and 2.24 × 10-4 mol/g at 50 °C for CS-KT-M. FT-IR analyses showed that Cs+ sorption occurs by its interaction with CO32-, PO43- and -NH2 groups. The average adsorption energy "E" was calculated as ca.11 kJ/mol from D-R adsorption isotherm. The adsorption kinetics was interpreted well by pseudo-second order model.

A comparison of sorptive removal of anthraquinone and azo dyes using fly ash from single and binary solutions.

Sorptive removal of an anthraquinone-dye (Acid Blue 127, AB-127) and an azo-dye (Acid Yellow 17, AY-17) from single and binary solutions using fly ash (FA) was compared. The diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectra and scanning electron microscopy images were used for analyses of the bare and dye-loaded sorbents. Kinetic results well fit to the McKay equation. Typical two-step isotherms were observed both in single and binary component systems. Solution activity was used instead of concentration in the construction of isotherm plots and various isotherm models were modified for the calculation of two-step isotherm curves. The Liu isotherm shows the best fit to the experimental data of both L-shaped curves of AB-127 and S-shaped curves of AY-17. The Liu sorption capacities of the FA for AB-127 increased from 7.70 × 10-5 to 3.78 × 10-4 mol/g with the increasing temperature from 25 to 60 °C whereas it decreased from 2.35 × 10-4 to 2.10 × 10-5 mol/g for AY-17 in the same temperature range. Binary sorption was studied at three different molar ratios of AY-17/AB-127 of 1/10, 1/1 and 5/1. The removal capacities of the FA for the dyes were as high as activated carbon and it could be evaluated as an efficient sorbent for in-situ treatments in plants.

A comparison of basic dye adsorption onto zeolitic materials synthesized from fly ash.

This investigation reveals the adsorption characteristics of two basic dyes, thionine (TH) and safranine T (ST), onto fly ash (FA) and its three zeolitized products prepared at different hydrothermal conditions. Typical two-step isotherms were observed for TH adsorption onto four adsorbents, whereas the isotherms of the larger ST molecules were S-shaped. The adsorption capacities of the zeolitized fly ash (ZFA) estimated from the first plateau region of the TH isotherms was nearly twice the FA capacity. The capacities increased by up to five times in the second plateau region. The adsorption capacity of FA for ST is equivalent that of TH, whereas the capacities of ZFA are lower than those found for TH. The equilibrium results were well-described by the Freundlich isotherm model. The kinetic data obtained in the temperature range of 298-318 K was analyzed using Paterson's and Nernst Plank's approximations based on the homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSDM). The thermodynamic functions for the transition state were evaluated from the temperature-dependence of the surface diffusion coefficients by applying the Eyring model.