Mehmet Can

Fish consumption preferences and factors influencing it

Fish consumption preferences are affected by individuals’ socioeconomic characteristics. The aims of the present paper were (i) to obtain information on fish consumption level and frequency; (ii) to investigate the associations between the socioeconomic characteristics of consumers and their preferences; and (iii) to examine the influence of determinants on fish consumption. Data were gathered through a questionnaire completed by a total of 127 randomly selected individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds from the Antakya, Turkey. The average consumption was found to be 2.98 kg/person/year for fish. Anchovies, gilt-head sea bream, and sea bass were reported as the most consumed three species, respectively. Significant differences in fish consumption were found among age groups, gender groups, and education groups, as well as between marital statuses. A majority of the consumers eat fish once a month throughout the year or only during the winter months. Fish consumption level and frequency were significantly positively correlated with education (p<0.01), income (p<0.05) and total meat consumption (p<0.01). The stepwise multiple regression model explained 41.7% (p<0.01) of the total variance for fish consumption. The amount and frequency of the consumption in the region, which is very far below the world and Turkey average especially for lower socioeconomic groups and for less-consumed fish species, can be increased by certain policies, such as training, advertising and different marketing strategies. Moreover, consumption should be distributed equally throughout the year instead of consuming only in certain seasons.

Socioeconomic implications of biosecurity practices in small-scale dairy farms

Abstract Background: Biosecurity plays a crucial role in preventing contagious diseases and in increasing farm productivity. Objective: To determine technical and economic biosecurity scores of farms, and to examine the associations between biosecurity practices (BP) and producers’ socioeconomic characteristics. Methods: The study was conducted on a total of 50 small-scale dairy farms that were randomly selected in Hatay, Turkey. A checklist consisting of 19 biosecurity practices was addressed to the farms. The technical and economic scoring systems were developed by the authors according to presence and cost of the each of the biosecurity practices. Results: The mean of the technical and economic scores were found to be 9.30 and 17.04, respectively. ‘Treatment of sick animals’ (98%), ‘vaccination against the most common contagious diseases’ (90%), and ‘barn lime’ (86%) were found to be the most commonly used applications. ‘Testing for the most common contagious diseases before buying’ (10%) was used at the lowest rate. Significant differences were found among the groups regarding education level (<.05), income class (<.05), and herd size (<.01). Biosecurity scores were significantly positively correlated with herd size (<.05) and producers’ education level (<.01). There were statistically significant associations between the producers’ socioeconomic characteristics and some of the biosecurity practices. Conclusion: Training programs should be arranged to change the attitudes and perception of small-scale producers concerning poor biosecurity practices. In order to encourage producers to increase biosecurity scores, regulations regarding financial support and penalties could be quite useful at both the regional and national levels.

Japon Bıldırcını (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Plexus Lumbosacralis’i Üzerinde Makro-anatomik Araştırmalar

Calisma, Japon bildircininda plexus lumbosacralis’in olusumu ve dallanmasinin arastirilmasi amaciyla yapildi. Arastirmada materyal olarak 40 adet Japon bildircini kullanildi. Hayvanlarin anestezisi saglandiktan sonra vucut boslugu aciga cikarildi. Materyallerin kanlari bosaltildi ve formaldehit ile tespit edildi. Plexus lumbosacralis’i olusturan sinirler diseke edildi ve fotograflari cekildi. Plexus lumbosacralis’in yedi adet synsacral spinal sinirin ramus ventralis’i tarafindan olusturuldugu belirlendi. Incelenen turde plexus lumbalis’ten, n. ilioinguinalis, n. cutaneus femoris, n. femoralis, n. coxalis cranialis, n. saphenus ve n. obturatorius’un ciktigi saptandi. Truncus cranialis’ten, n. coxalis caudalis, n. peroneus; truncus medianus’tan, n. tibialis ve truncus caudalis’ten ise n. cutaneus femoris caudalis ile rami musculares’in orijin aldigi tespit edildi. Plexus sacralis’in ilk kolu olan n. furcalis’in plexus lumbalis’in son kolu ile baglantili oldugu goruldu. Plexus lumbalis’in uc adet, plexus sacralis’in ise dort adet synsacral spinal sinirin ventral dali tarafindan meydana geldigi saptandi. Sonuc olarak, plexus lumbosacralis’i sekillendiren spinal sinirlerin ramus ventralis’lerinin sayisi, kalinligi, seyirleri; plexus’un olusumu ve dallara ayrilmasinda turler arasinda farkliliklarin oldugu belirlendi.