The difficult cultivation of the saffron plant (Crocus Sativus L.) make the spice of the same name made from its dried stigmas very valuable. It is estimated that some 75,000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas are required to make a single pound of saffron, which explains why it is the world’s most expensive spice. The aim of this study was to identify ways of increasing the fertility and production of saffron. For this purpose, the treatment of saffron bulbs with a synthetic growth hormone – a mixture of Polystimulins A6 and K – and two different microorganism based materials – biohumus or vermicompost and Effective Microorganisms™ (EM) – in four different ways (hormone alone, biohumus alone, EM alone and EM+biohumus) was investigated to determine whether these treatments have any statistically meaningful effects on corms and stigmas. It has been shown that EM + biohumus was the most effective choice for improved saffron cultivation.

In this study, screw and nail withdrawal resistance of fir (Abies nordmanniana), oak (Quercus robur L.) black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) and Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) wood were determined and compared. The data represent the testing of withdrawal resistance of three types of screws as smart, serrated and conventional and common nails. The specimens were prepared according to TS 6094 standards. The dimensions of the specimens were 5x5x15cm and for all of the directions. Moreover, the specimens were conditioned at ambient room temperature and 65±2% relative humidity. The screws and nails were installed according to ASTM-D 1761 standards. Nail dimensions were 2.5mm diameter and 50 mm length, conventional screws were 4x50mm, serrated screws were 4x45mm and smart screws were 4x50mm. Results show that the maximum screw withdrawal resistance value was found in Stone pine for the serrated screw. There were no significant differences between Stone pine and oak regarding screw withdrawal resistance values. Conventional screw yielded the maximum screw withdrawal resistance value in oak, followed by Stone pine, black pine and fir. Oak wood showed the maximum screw withdrawal resistance value for the smart screw, followed by Stone pine, black pine, and fir. Oak wood showed higher nail withdrawal resistances than softwood species. It was also determined that oak shows the maximum nail withdrawal resistance in all types. The nail withdrawal resistances at the longitudinal direction are lower with respect to radial and tangential directions.

COVID-19 and similar pandemics can create potential risks and opportunities in the service delivery and business practices of local governments. This study explores the risks and opportunities faced by local governments in Bartın Province in Türkiye during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on service delivery and digital transformation. The research specifically addresses four key areas: security approaches, combatting cyber risks, adapting to digital life, and reducing spatial dependency. To gather insights, three surveys were conducted with 123 participants to assess awareness of digital transformation, personal information protection, and technology acceptance concerning cyber risks, alongside interviews with 9 IT managers. The findings revealed that 89% of institutions managed to continue services seamlessly through remote work. However, challenges emerged in integrating various communication tools. Despite these hurdles, 57.8% of employees expressed satisfaction with remote work. While most participants had positive views of remote work and digital meetings, the shift also increased the threat of cyber-attacks, prompting institutions to implement cybersecurity training for employees. This increased focus on cyber-attack education is seen as a significant opportunity for future resilience.

The selection of location is vital for a timber factory to keep on functioning. It is a significant decision during the setup of a business and the preparation of projects. Therefore, dual scaling method often used for selecting the...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on decorative properties including glossiness, color coordinates including lightness (L), blue-yellow (b*) and red-green (a*), hardness (shore-D) morphological characterization and thermal properties of some exotic wood species. Heat treatment of anigre (Aningeria altissima), cedrorana (Cedrelinga catenaeformis), cemara (Casuarina sumatrana) and coronilla (Scutia buxifolia) wood materials were performed in an oven with a programmable controller at 210°C for 3 h. The obtained samples were conditioned in a climate cabin and the decorative properties, morphological characterization with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal properties with thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) of the obtained samples were determined. The test results showed that color got darker with heat treatment, specifically L and b* decreased, and a* increased for anigre and cedrorana but a* decreased for cemara and coronilla. The glossiness for all samples generally increased from 20° to 85° but heat treatment decreased the glossiness. The density generally decreased with heat treatment and decrease ratio in the density was found to be in range from 5.6% to 10.6%. According to the SEM analysis, some cracks, pit aspiration and layer decomposition in the micro level of the wood structure were detected. TGA showed that heat treatment makes thermally more stable wood. As a result, it can be said that heat treatment improved the decorative properties of the exotic wood.