Background & objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is widespread in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world including, Tukey. Environmental determinants for the CL endemic areas in Turkey are relatively poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to develop a model based on ecological niche modeling (ENM) to predict the distribution of CL in endemic areas of Adana Province in Turkey. Methods: The environmental data from different sources were extracted and information on 1831 native CL cases, obtained from the Provincial Health Directorate of Adana were recorded. The location information obtained from the Ministry of Health database were used for modeling the current probability of CL occurrence and predicting its future distribution using ENM analyses. ArcGIS and MaxEnt models were used to explore the ecological conditions of the disease. Results: According to the MaxEnt model, the area under the curve (AUC) values for the current and projected future of CL were 0.868 and 0.867, respectively. The environmental variables, Bio1 (Annual mean temperature), Bio4 (Temperature seasonality) and DEM (Digital elevation model) were found to be associated with the presence of human cases of Leishmania infantum for both the time periods in the study area. Interpretation & conclusion: The AUC curves and risk map generated by the ENM model indicate that the future status of CL is likely to be stable in the northern part of Adana, but the southern part will be affected by climate changes (change of temperature) with a large number of patient-reporting. The results of the study could be used as a reference for CL and vector control studies. The ENM could be useful for researchers in vector control studies and better understanding of the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases in a specific area.

Background & objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis displays two epidemiological routes of transmission, zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) which includes animal reservoir hosts in the transmission cycle and anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), where human is the sole source of infection for the vector sandflies. About 10–13% of CL cases are reported each year from Adana province in Turkey. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive model for determining the spatial risk level of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Adana province, southern part of Turkey, in relation to environmental factors. Methods: Entomological survey was carried out between June 2015 and September 2016. Sandflies were collected from Karaisali district of the Adana province using light-traps and sticky papers. Sandfly fauna results were compared with environmental data obtained from field-survey, and examined with univariate and binary logistic regression in PASW statistical software. The ArcMap application of ArcGIS10.0. software was used for geographical adjustments to create maps and establish a risk model. Results: In total five sandfly species were identified in the study area, and three of them (Phlebotomus tobbi, P. neglectus/syriacus and P. perfiliewi) were detected as potential vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The results showed that enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and emissivity band 31 (EMIS31) values are related to the distribution of these three species. Interpretation & conclusion: The created risk maps may provide useful information to guide the control programme interventions and prevent the economic loses in the future insecticide applications. They could be used to better understand the distribution of vectors, and determine the epidemiology and risk level of the CL.

Greenhouses have become quite a sought-after agricultural sector due to government support and private company preferences in recent years in Turkey. Greenhouse activities are only limited to Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey and it is not much preferred in the inner regions. Due to these regions being preferred by people, mainly as tourism and settlement areas, it has become essential to find new areas for greenhouse operations. The climatic and topographical conditions in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, are appropriate regarding greenhouses. In this context, the Lower Euphrates Basin is selected as the study area. It covers four provinces (Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis and Sanliurfa) and is one of the preferred regions for greenhouse operations in recent years. In this study, the climatic conditions and the production capacity of the Antalya province, which has the most greenhouse production areas of the Mediterranean Region and Turkey, are taken into consideration and the four provinces of the Lower Euphrates Basin were investigated for their compatibility with the desired conditions concerning green housing. Climate, soil, wind, altitude, slope, aspect, distance to rivers and lakes data are essential in choosing the greenhouse location. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based multi-criteria evaluation for greenhouse site selection was applied in the study area by using these data. The validity of the results has been checked over with the field studies and also compared with the climatic conditions and production capacity of Antalya Province. The suitable, non-suitable or partially suitable areas for greenhouse siting in the basin were determined in terms of GIS, for guidance to producers and researchers in the future. Key words: Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), greenhouse siting, Lower Euphrates Basin, geographic ınformation system (GIS).

In our study, we aimed to develop an ecological niche model showing current distribution of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) by using location information on 630 cases of CL reported in the Mersin province between 2005 and 2015 and bioclimatic and environmental variables. The ecological niche model was based on interpretation of patient locations and climatic data entered in geographical information systems and maximum entropy databases. In the model produced for the Mersin province, the area under the curve was calculated as 0.918. Also, the mean temperature of the driest quarter (BIO9), mean temperature of the warmest quarter (BIO10), and maximum temperature of the warmest month (BIO5) were determined as climatic factors that are most effective for CL distribution. There is a relationship between distribution of CL and climatic factors in the Mersin province. The developed model will contribute to better understanding of epidemiology and control of vector-borne diseases by authorities in the ministry of health.

The use of fossil fuel-based energy systems that provide heat and electricity to a building has adverse environmental impacts. These impacts can be mitigated, to a certain extent, through the incorporation of renewable energy sources (RES). The primary objective of this study was to conduct an environmental assessment of the performance of energy systems in existing public facilities located in Poland. Based on the findings, we proposed and implemented changes to these systems and validated the environmental impact of the RES systems used. SimaPro 8.1 software and the Ecoinvent 3.0 database were employed for the analysis, which entailed an environmental assessment of six public facilities located in Poland. The installation of RES resulted in an average 27% reduction in electricity consumption from the national electricity grid. This reduction was observed to be the least in the hospital and the most in the religious building. This was reflected in the environmental assessment of heating systems. The implementation of RES reduced the environmental impact of the religious building by an average of 20%. Concurrently, the CO₂ emissions decreased by 35%, SO₂ by 44%, and PM₁₀ by 42%. Significant investments and the installation of advanced RES will not prevent the occurrence of unintentional environmental consequences unless the demand for electricity and thermal energy is reduced. The use of RES in the analyzed buildings and the associated avoided emissions do not entirely offset the negative emissions resulting from the utilization of other (conventional) energy sources in the analyzed energy systems of public buildings. Consequently, the analyzed facilities collectively exert a detrimental impact on the environment.

Purpose: This paper presents the results of an entomological survey in an endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Karaisali province of Adana in Turkey. Materials and Methods: There were two field works in two consecutive years (2013 and 2014), which 1088 sand fly specimens were captured using 136 light traps which were conducted in 11 villages of Karaisali located in southwest part of Adana. Results: Totally, six Phlebotomus species were described: Phlebotomus tobbi (41.54%), Phlebotomus neglectus/syriacus (9.74%), Phlebotomus papatasi (25.18%), Phlebotomus perfiliewi (3.49%), Sergentomyia dentata (18.38%) and Sergentomyia theodori (1.65%). The female/male rate was found to be 1.98. Phlebotomus tobbi, Phlebotomus papatasi, Phlebotomus neglectus/syriacus, Sergentomyia dentata and Sergentomyia theodori were dominant at 201-400m, 0-200m, 801-1000m, 401-600m and 601-800m respectively. Conclusion: Environmental and climatic factors were compared for the presence of sand flies species especially vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis by univariate binary regression analysis in PASW. Sand fly density maps were generated based on the elevation they were caught by using ARCMAP 10.2. The data also revealed a relationship between presence of the probable vector sand flies and several environmental factors such as altitude, temperature, trap location and humidity in Karaisali.