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Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) fruits including phenolic and flavonoid contents are consumed as fresh, dried or prepared in marmalade and its leaves containing cyanogenic glycosides have healing activity of a well-known Anatolian folkloric remedy. Herein, Cherry laurel fruits were boiled in water for 2 h, then extracted with hexane, EtOAc, and BuOH successively. Antiproliferative activities of extracts were evaluated on HeLa (Human Cervix Carcinoma), HT29 (Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma), C6 (Rat Brain Tumor Cells), and Vero (African Green Monkey Kidney) cell lines. All extracts exhibited slightly antiproliferative effects on various cancer cell lines at high concentration. We assessed the ability of extracts of cherry laurel fruit to devastate the membrane of cells. Results indicated that cherry laurel fruit extracts slightly destroys the cellular membrane in tumor cell lines at merely high concentrations. The results of this study does not support the efficacy of cherry laurel fruit extracts as an anticancer agent for cancer cells, but it suggests that cherry laurel fruit extracts may be used through reducing cytotoxicity, a potential adjuvant therapy to current chemotherapeutic agents. Fatty acids of hexane extract were also determined by GC-MS analysis and found out that linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid were the major products.

Worldwide, especially in societies with higher education levels, traditional settlements are important components of cultural heritage in terms of sustainability. However, the recent wave of urbanisation that has been experienced in Turkey has placed significant pressure on traditional structures. The District of Kemaliye, which has largely preserved its traditional texture for various reasons, is a small town in the Erzincan Province of Turkey. The aim of this study is to determine the quality of life of the traditional settlement pattern of Kemaliye to contribute to its ecological, spatial and socio-cultural sustainability. A public opinion survey was carried out with the aim of identifying the public's needs and demands and its socio-cultural characteristics. The survey also aimed to determine the quality of urban life in Kemaliye. Multidimensional statistical techniques were used to identify the most important environmental, socio-cultural, infrastructural and regional factors that affected the public's views of quality of urban life in Kemaliye. Based on these findings, suggestions were formulated for the efficient use of resources in urban redevelopment efforts and to provide a basis for the new settlement plans that are projected to be carried out for the city centre of Kemaliye and its vicinity.

Reports results of a sociological and demographic study of public library users in Ankara, Turkey, in order to determine the level of public use and to isolate the factors affecting this usage. A thorough survey of the history and statistics of Turkish public libraries is followed by the results of the user survey, employing the society survey method, involving 1800 users (aged six years and over) in three socioeconomic stratas. The study took usage of the library as the dependent variable and demographic and socioeconomic properties (age, sex, marital status, educational level, occupation, income level and geographic past) as the independent variables. Other socioeconomic factors (social status and social role) were also considered.

Article Info Received : 11.01.2014 Accepted : 12.06.2014 In the present study, effects of vermicompost treatment tried to be determined on some morphological and physiological seedling quality characteristics of one -year Scots pines. Experiments were set according to random plots experimental design including 14 trials with 3 repetitions. With this aim, seeds obtained from seven different sites (origins) of mixed Scots pine stands which naturally grow in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey were used in the experiments. At the end of the vegetation period, important physiologic and morphologic parameters of seedlings in the plots, SH, RCD, TDW, RDW and total N rate were detected. After that, RI, V and QI rates, each of which is also important rational indicator in seedlings for height, root collar diameter and weight balance, were calculated with the help of morphological data. Effects of VC treatment were found to be statistically significant on all the development parameters measured in seedlings in seven origin groups. It was determined in all morphologic parameters that the best development rate was observed in Goktepe originating seedlings in both VC treatment and control groups while Geyikgolu originating seedlings showed the least development performance. It was observed from the correlation analysis that there is a positive relation between morphologic and physiologic quality criteria. It was also determined according to the results of multivariable regression analysis that elevation of the sites where seedlings were picked up was more effective on the development of seedling development than the aspect of the sites. Results of the study were found to be convenient with the related literature and showed that VC treatment contributed positively to the development of Scots pine seedlings taken from seven different origins.