Due to the beginning of vaccination against COVID-19, serological discrimination between vaccine-associated humoral response and serology-based surveillance of natural SARS-CoV-2 infections as well as breakthrough infections becomes an issue of relevance. Here, we assessed the differentiated effects of the application of an RNA vaccine using SARS-CoV-2 spike protein epitopes on the results of both anti-spike protein–based serology (EUROIMMUN) and anti-nucleocapsid-based serology (VIROTECH). A total of 80 serum samples from vaccinees acquired at different time points after vaccination was assessed. While positive or borderline serological response in the anti-spike protein assay was observed for all samples (90% both IgG and IgA, 6.3% IgA only, 3.8% borderline IgG only), only a single case of a falsely positive IgM was observed for the anti-nucleocapsid assay as expected due to this assay’s specificity. Positive anti-spike protein antibodies were already detectable in the second week after the first dose of vaccination, with higher titers after the second dose of the vaccine. In conclusion, the combined application of anti-spike protein–based serology and anti-nucleocapsid-based serology will provide a useful option for the discrimination of vaccination response and natural infection.
The Sakarya River basin is one of the largest basins in Turkey, and encompasses the Kocaeli, Düzce, Sakarya, Bursa, Bilecik, Bolu, Kütahya, Eskişehir, Ankara, Afyon, and Konya provinces. In this study, the water quality status of the basin was investigated using 18 diatom indices, calculated in Omnidia software. For this purpose, a total of 46 stations were surveyed in the rivers and streams of the basin in May 2018. As a result, 41 of 195 diatom taxa were found to be the most frequent (>10% share in assemblage). According to Detrented Correspondence Analysis (DCA), three subgroups were described as the spring section, Ankara and Polatlı section, and lowland section. The river basin quality was evaluated as moderate or lower quality status, while only a few sites had good status. The diatom index scores showed that the Descy’s Index (DES), Pampean Diatom Index (IDP), Artois-Picardie Diatom Index (IDAP), and Specific Pollution Sensitivity Index (IPS) appear best suited to water quality assessment in this area, showing the largest number of significantly important correlation with environmental variables.
The Ergene River is the most significant fluvial ecosystem located in the Thrace Region of Turkey. But it is being exposed to an intensive organic -inorganic pollution by means of agricultural -industrial applications conducted around its basin. In this research, the epipelic (EPP) diatoms of the Ergene River were investigated and the water quality was evaluated using the determined physical, chemical and biological data. EPP diatom samples were collected from upstream, middlestream and downstream of the Ergene River and certain physicochemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, turbidity, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate, sulphate, fluoride, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand and oxidation-reduction potential) were measured during the field -laboratory studies. Also, the Biological Diatom Index (BDI) was used to determine the trophic status of the Ergene River in terms of EPP diatoms. According to the results of the physicochemical analysis, upstream of the Ergene River has Class I -II water quality and middle -downstream of the Ergene River have Class III -IV water quality in general. According to the results of the biological analysis, 24 diatom species were recorded in the upstream samples, 4 diatom species were recorded in the middlestream samples. and 7 diatom species were recorded in the downstream samples. Cymbopleura amphicephala (Nägeli) Krammer, Nitzschia umbonata (Ehrenberg) Lange-Bertalot and Nitzschia capitellata Hustedt were determined as the most dominant species in the up -middle -downstream of Ergene River respectively. According to the result of the BDI, the upstream of Ergene River was found to be in an oligotrophic state -has high water quality and the middle -downstream of Ergene River were found to be in a eutrophic state -have poor water quality.
The Meriç River is one of the longest rivers of the Balkans and the Tunca River is the most significant tributary of the Meriç River. In the present study, the epipelic diatoms of the Meriç and Tunca Rivers were investigated and the water quality was evaluated from a physicochemical and biological perspective. Epipelic (EPP) diatoms were collected from the middlestream of the Meriç River (Edirne Province of Turkey) and from the downstream of the Tunca River (before emptying into the Meriç River) and certain physicochemical parameters including dissolved oxygen (DO), oxygen saturation (OS), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, turbidity, nitrate (NO 3 ), nitrite (NO 2 ), ammonium (NH 4 ), phosphate (PO 4 ), sulphate (SO 4 ), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were measured during the field studies. The Biological Diatom Index (IBD) was used to determine the trophic status of the Meriç and Tunca Rivers in terms of EPP diatoms, and Cluster Analysis (CA) was applied to the detected biological data in order to classify the identified diatom taxa in terms of their dominance in the system. According to the results of the physicochemical analysis, the Meriç and Tunca Rivers have I. -II. Class water quality in terms of dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, pH, EC, TDS, NO 3 , NH 4 , SO 4 and COD parameters; and have III. -IV. Class water quality in terms of NO 2 and PO 4 parameters. 24 diatom species were recorded in the Meriç River by counting a total of 403 valves and a total of 19 diatom species were identified by counting a total of 409 diatom valves in the Tunca River. Cyclotella atomus Hustedt, Navicula gregaria Donkin, Nitzschia palea (Kützing) W.Smith and Nitzschia subacicularis Hustedt, were determined as the most dominant species in the Meriç River and Navicula erifuga Lange-Bertalot, Navicula gregaria Donkin and Navicula rostellata Kützing were recorded as the most dominant taxa in the Tunca River. According to the result of the IBD, the investigated rivers were found to be in a meso-eutrophic state and according to the results of CA, three statistical clusters were formed for both rivers, and were named as "dominant taxa", "frequent taxa" and "rare taxa".
The circulation and water masses of the Eastern Mediterranean have been comprehensively investigated in the past decades, particularly during the multinational POEM and LIWEX programs (Malanotte-Rizzoli et al., 1999, 2003; Robinson et al., 1992). However, the region of the northeastern Levantine Basin between the coasts of Turkey and Cyprus, the Cilician Basin, has been studied only in a very limited manner in the past. In the present study, the seasonal variability of the water masses in the Cilician Basin is studied for the first time systematically over the course of 2.5 years with nine seasonal cruises. The Mediterranean Sea is an evaporative basin, with a net annual loss of about 70 cm/yr (Mariotti et al., 2002; Tanhua et al., 2013). This deficit is compensated by the inflow from the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The general circulation in the northeastern Levantine Basin comprises of the Mid-Mediterranean
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