48 research outputs found
Le systĂšme de formation des ressources humaines en Tunisie
Quelques donnĂ©es Le dispositif de formation des ressources humaines en Tunisie comprend, depuis lâindĂ©pendance en 1956, trois systĂšmes : Ă©ducatif (primaire Ă lâĂ©cole, prĂ©paratoire au collĂšge et secondaire au lycĂ©e), professionnel (du certificat dâaptitude professionnelle au brevet de technicien supĂ©rieur) et universitaire (baccalaurĂ©at suivi de trois annĂ©es et plus). Le contexte Le dispositif de formation des ressources humaines a Ă©tĂ© marquĂ© pendant une cinquantaine dâannĂ©es, par lâabsence de..
RESPONSE SURFACE OPTIMIZATION AND MODELING OF AMMONIUM CHLORIDE ACTIVATION PROCESS OF BENTONITE
Ce travail a consistĂ© en lâoptimisation et la modĂ©lisation de lâactivation dâune bentonite avec le chlorure dâammonium en utilisant la mĂ©thode des plans dâexpĂ©riences, et en particulier la mĂ©thodologie de surface de rĂ©ponse (RSM). Un plan central composite orthogonal (CCOD), a permis la dĂ©termination de lâinfluence des effets simultanĂ©s et de lâinteraction des paramĂštres opĂ©ratoires sur la surface spĂ©cifique (SBET). Les paramĂštres Ă©tudiĂ©s sont la tempĂ©rature de l'activation (50-90°C), le temps de contact (2-6h), le rapport massique liquide/solide (4-7g/g) et la concentration de la solution dâactivation (1-2 mol L-1).Les valeurs optimales des paramĂštres dâactivation donnant une surface spĂ©cifique maximale ont pu ĂȘtre dĂ©terminĂ©es (tempĂ©rature : 98.28°C, temps du contact : 6.828 h, rapport massique liquide/solide : 4.627 g/g, concentration de la solution dâactivation : 0.793 mol L-1). La surface spĂ©cifique de lâargile activĂ©e sous ses conditions optimales Ă©tant de 87.545 mÂČg-1 et elle est en bonne adĂ©quation avec la valeur prĂ©dite par le modĂšle (89.9 mÂČg-1). Le modĂšle de second ordre obtenu pour la surface spĂ©cifique de la bentonite activĂ©e est en bonne adĂ©quation avec les rĂ©sultats expĂ©rimentaux. Le traitement dâune bentonite tunisien avec une solution de chlorure d'ammonium provoque une augmentation de la surface spĂ©cifique de 47.3 Ă 87.545 mÂČ g-1 correspondant Ă une augmentation de 85%
MycoBank gearing up for new horizons.
MycoBank, a registration system for fungi established in 2004 to capture all taxonomic novelties, acts as a coordination hub between repositories such as Index Fungorum and Fungal Names. Since January 2013, registration of fungal names is a mandatory requirement for valid publication under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (ICN). This review explains the database innovations that have been implemented over the past few years, and discusses new features such as advanced queries, registration of typification events (MBT numbers for lecto, epi- and neotypes), the multi-lingual database interface, the nomenclature discussion forum, annotation system, and web services with links to third parties. MycoBank has also introduced novel identification services, linking DNA sequence data to numerous related databases to enable intelligent search queries. Although MycoBank fills an important void for taxon registration, challenges for the future remain to improve links between taxonomic names and DNA data, and to also introduce a formal system for naming fungi known from DNA sequence data only. To further improve the quality of MycoBank data, remote access will now allow registered mycologists to act as MycoBank curators, using Citrix software
Does acute aerobic exercise enhance selective attention, working memory, and problem-solving abilities in Alzheimer's patients? A sex-based comparative study
IntroductionThe present study aimed to evaluate the effect of acute aerobic exercise on certain cognitive functions known to be affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD), with a particular emphasis on sex differences.MethodsA total of 53 patients, with a mean age of 70.54â±â0.88 years and moderate AD, voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group (EG), which participated in a 20-min moderate-intensity cycling session (60% of the individual maximum target heart rate recorded at the end of the 6-min walk test); and the control group (CG), which participated in a 20-min reading activity. Cognitive abilities were assessed before and after the physical exercise or reading session using the Stroop test for selective attention, the forward and backward digit span test for working memory, and the Tower of Hanoi task for problem-solving abilities.ResultsAt baseline, both groups had comparable cognitive performance (pâ>â0.05 in all tests). Regardless of sex, aerobic acute exercise improved attention in the Stroop test (pâ<â0.001), enhanced memory performance in both forward (pâ<â0.001) and backward (pâ<â0.001) conditions, and reduced the time required to solve the problem in the Tower of Hanoi task (pâ<â0.001). No significant differences were observed in the number of movements. In contrast, the CG did not significantly improve after the reading session for any of the cognitive tasks (pâ>â0.05). Consequently, the EG recorded greater performance improvements than the CG in most cognitive tasks tested (pâ<â0.0001) after the intervention session.DiscussionThese findings demonstrate that, irrespective to sex, a single aerobic exercise session on an ergocycle can improve cognitive function in patients with moderate AD. The results suggest that acute aerobic exercise enhances cognitive function similarly in both female and male patients, indicating promising directions for inclusive therapeutic strategies
Phenotyping mediterranean durum wheat landraces for resistance to Zymoseptoria tritici in Tunisia
Durum wheat landraces have huge potential for the identification of genetic factors valuable for improving resistance to biotic stresses. Tunisia is known as a hot spot for Septoria tritici blotch disease (STB), caused by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici (Z. tritici). In this context, a collection of 3166 Mediterranean durum wheat landraces were evaluated at the seedling and adult stages for STB resistance in the 2016â2017 cropping season under field conditions in Kodia (Tunisia). Unadapted/susceptible accessions were eliminated to reach the final set of 1059 accessions; this was termed the Med-collection, which comprised accessions from 13 countries and was also screened in the 2018â2019 cropping season. The Med-collection showed high frequency of resistance reactions, among which over 50% showed an immune reaction (HR) at both seedling and adult growth stages. Interestingly, 92% of HR and R accessions maintained their resistance levels across the two years, confirming the highly significant correlation found between seedling-and adult-stage reactions. Plant Height was found to have a negative significant effect on adult-stage resistance, suggesting that either this trait can influence disease severity, or that it can be due to environmental/epidemiological factors. Accessions from Italy showed the highest variability, while those from Portugal, Spain and Tunisia showed the highest levels of resistance at both growth stages, suggesting that the latter accessions may harbor novel QTLs effective for STB resistance
Exploring the potential of a Ephedra alata leaf extract: Phytochemical analysis, antioxidant activity, antibacterial properties, and green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue
Ephedra alata leaf extracts have therapeutic properties and contain various natural compounds known as phytochemicals. This study assessed the phytochemical content and antioxidant effects of a Ephedra alata leaf extract, as well as zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle production. The extract contained phenolic acids, including vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillin and rutin. Its total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were 48.7 ± 0.9 mg.g-1 and 1.7 ± 0.4 mg.g-1, respectively. The extract displayed a DPPH inhibition rate of 70.5%, total antioxidant activity of 49.5 ± 3.4 mg.g-1, and significant antimicrobial activity toward Gram-positive and negative bacteria. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles had spherical shape, crystallite size of 25 nm, particle size between 5 and 30 nm, and bandgap energy of 3.3 eV. In specific conditions (90 min contact time, pH 7, and 25°C), these nanoparticles efficiently photodegraded 87% of methylene blue, suggesting potential applications for sustainable water treatment and pollution control
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Improved control of Septoria tritici blotch in durum wheat using cultivar mixtures
Mixtures of cultivars with contrasting levels of disease resistance are capable of suppressing infectious diseases in wheat, as demonstrated in numerous field experiments. Most studies focused on airborne pathogens in bread wheat, while splash-dispersed pathogens have received less attention, and no studies have been conducted in durum wheat. We conducted a two-year field experiment in Tunisia, a major durum wheat producer in the Mediterranean region, to evaluate the performance of cultivar mixtures in controlling the polycyclic, splash-dispersed disease Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in durum wheat. To measure STB severity, we used a novel, high-throughput method based on digital analysis of images captured from 3074 infected leaves collected from 42 and 40 experimental plots on the first and the second year, respectively. This method allowed us to quantify pathogen reproduction on wheat leaves and to acquire a large dataset that exceeds previous studies with respect to accuracy and statistical power. Our analyses show that introducing only 25% of a disease-resistant cultivar into a pure stand of a susceptible cultivar provides a substantial reduction of almost 50% in disease severity. However, adding a second resistant cultivar to the mixture did not further improve disease control, contrary to predictions of epidemiological theory. Susceptible cultivars can be agronomically superior to resistant cultivars or be better accepted by growers for other reasons. Hence, if mixtures with only a moderate proportion of the resistant cultivar provide similar degree of disease control as resistant pure stands, as our analysis indicates, such mixtures are more likely to be accepted by growers
Perspectives on Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Threats in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Application of Artificial Intelligence Techniques
Over the past 3 decades, the diversity of ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds worldwide, particularly in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has led to an increase in the number of intercountry conflicts and terrorist attacks, sometimes involving chemical and biological agents. This warrants moving toward a collaborative approach to strengthening preparedness in the region. In disaster medicine, artificial intelligence techniques have been increasingly utilized to allow a thorough analysis by revealing unseen patterns. In this study, the authors used text mining and machine learning techniques to analyze open-ended feedback from multidisciplinary experts in disaster medicine regarding the MENA region's preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) risks. Open-ended feedback from 29 international experts in disaster medicine, selected based on their organizational roles and contributions to the academic field, was collected using a modified interview method between October and December 2022. Machine learning clustering algorithms, natural language processing, and sentiment analysis were used to analyze the data gathered using R language accessed through the RStudio environment. Findings revealed negative and fearful sentiments about a lack of accessibility to preparedness information, as well as positive sentiments toward CBRN preparedness concepts raised by the modified interview method. The artificial intelligence analysis techniques revealed a common consensus among experts about the importance of having accessible and effective plans and improved health sector preparedness in MENA, especially for potential chemical and biological incidents. Findings from this study can inform policymakers in the region to converge their efforts to build collaborative initiatives to strengthen CBRN preparedness capabilities in the healthcare sector
Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species
To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized
a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus,
Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020â2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes
textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia)
Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species
To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020â2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).Stelios Katsanevakis, Michail Ragkousis, Maria Sini, Markos Digenis and Vasilis Gerovasileiou were supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) under the âFirst Call for HFRI Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grantâ (Project ALAS â âALiens in the Aegean â a Sea under siegeâ (Katsanevakis et al. 2020b); Project Number: HFRI-FM17-1597). Konstantinos Tsirintanis was co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) through the Operational Programme âHuman Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learningâ, 2014-2020, in the context of the Act âEnhancing Human Resources Research Potential
by undertaking a Doctoral Researchâ Sub-action 2: IKY Scholarship Programme for PhD candidates in the Greek Universities. Maria Zotou was supported by the project âCoastal Environment Observatory and Risk Management in Island Regions AEGIS+â (MIS 5047038), implemented within the Operational Programme âCompetitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovationâ (NSRF 2014-2020), co financed by the Hellenic Government (Ministry of Development and Investments) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund). Razy Hoffman was supported by Yad-Hanadiv Foundation, through the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Israel Nature and Parks Authority, an integrated program for establishing biological baselines and monitoring protocols for marine reserves in
the Israeli Mediterranean Sea (Grant #10669). Tatiana Begun, Adrian Teaca and Mihaela
Muresan were supported by the European Unionâs Horizon 2020 BRIDGE-BS project under
grant agreement no. 101000240. Fiona Tomas was supported by the project âInvasion of the
tropical alga Halimeda incrassata in the Balearic Islands: ecology and invasion dynamics
(AAEE119/2017)â, funded by the Vicepresidencia y ConsejerĂa de InnovaciĂłn, InvestigaciĂłn y
Turismo del Govern de les Illes Balears, with support from the European Union and FEDER
funds, and the project âUna nueva alga invasora en el MediterrĂĄneo: invasibilidad, detecciĂłn y
erradicaciĂłn del alga tropical Halimeda incrassata (INVHALI)â, funded by the FundaciĂłn
Biodiversidad, del Ministerio para la TransiciĂłn EcolĂłgica y el Reto DemogrĂĄfico. Simonetta
Fraschetti, Laura Tamburello, Antonia Chiarore were supported by the project PO FEAMP
2014-2020 - DRD n. 35/2019, âInnovazione, sviluppo e sostenibilitĂ nel settore della pesca e
dell'acquacoltura per la Regione Campaniaâ (ISSPA 2.51) and the EU EASME - EMFF
(Sustainable Blue Econ-omy) Project AFRIMED (http://afrimed-project.eu/, grant agreement N.
789059). Carlos Jimenez, Louis Hadjioannou, Vasilis Resaikos, Valentina Fossati, Magdalene
Papatheodoulou, and Antonis Petrou were supported by MedPan Small Projects, Mava, and
LIFE-IP. Louis Hadjioannou, Manos L. Moraitis and Neophytos Agrotis received funding from
the European Unionâs Horizon 2020 research and innovation program within the framework of
the CMMI/MaRITeC-X project under grant agreement No. 857586. Ernesto Azzurro was
supported by the project USEIt - Utilizzo di Sinergie operative per la gestione integrata specie
aliene Invasive in Italia, funded by the research programme @CNR. Antonietta Rosso and
Francesco Sciuto were supported by the University of Catania through âPiaCeRi-Piano
Incentivi per la Ricerca di Ateneo 2020â22 linea di intervento 2.â This is the Catania
Paleoecological Research Group contribution n. 484. Diego K. Kersting was supported by the
Beatriu de PinĂłs programme funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research
(Government of Catalonia) and the Horizon 2020 programme of research and innovation of the
European Union under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801370. Francesco
Tiralongo was supported by the AlienFish project of Ente Fauna Marina Mediterranea
(Scientific Organization for Research and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity, 96012 Avola,
Italy), a citizen science project for monitoring and studying rare and non-indigenous fish in
Italian waters. Adriana Vella, was supported by funds through the BioCon_Innovate Research
Excellence Grant from the University of Malta awarded to her. Noel Vella was supported by
REACH HIGH Scholars Programme-Post Doctoral Grant for the FINS project. Some of the
records provided by Victor Surugiu were obtained during surveys carried out within the
framework of the project âAdequate management of invasive species in Romania, in accordance
with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread
of invasive alien speciesâ, SMIS 2014+ 120008, coordinated by the Romanian Ministry of
Environment, Water and Forests in partnership with the University of Bucharest (2018â2022).
Alan Deidun and Alessio Marrone were supported by the âSpot The Alienâ citizen science
campaign for the monitoring of the Alien species in the Maltese archipelago and by the Interreg
Italia-Malta Harmony project. The authors from the National Institute of Biology (Slovenia)
acknowledge the financial support of the Slovenian Research Agency (Research Core Funding
No. P1-0237) and of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (project âSurvey of the
species richness and abundance of alien species in the Slovenian Seaâ). Emanuele Mancini and
Fabio Collepardo Coccia were supported by the project PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 âBIOBLITZ:
research, knowledge and participation for the sustainable management of marine resources
(BioBlitz Blu 2020)â coordinated by CURSA for MIPAAF, the Italian Ministry of Agricultural,
Food and Forestry Policies, Measure 1.40 - Protection and restoration of biodiversity and marine
ecosystems and compensation schemes in the context of sustainable fishing activities. Daniele
Grech was supported by the PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 project ECOGESTOCK âApproccio
ECOsistemico per la tutela e la GEStione delle risorse biologiche e STOCK ittici nelle acque
interneâ, the citizen science project Progetto Fucales: chi le ha viste? and the Paralenz Every
dive counts sponsor. Jamila Rizgalla was supported by the project Snowball for the monitoring
of alien species in Libyan waters ÙÙ Ű§ÙŰȘÙŰŽ ÙÙ Ű§ÙŰȘۯ۷۔ۧ Ű) have you seen it have you fished it?).
Gerasimos Kondylatos and Dimitrios Mavrouleas were supported by the project âEXPLIASâ
(MIS (ÎÎ ÎŁ): 5049912), design and piloting methods of commercial exploitation of invasive
alien species with a view to contributing to their population control, coordinated by the National
Technical University of Athens with the collaboration of the Hellenic Centre for Marine
Research and the University of the Aegean and co-founded by Greece and the European Union.
G. Kondylatos and Savvas Nikolidakis were supported by the project âSAMOSâ (ID CODE:
32.2072004/001), a study for a submarine productive park in Marathokampos of Samos.
Paraskevi K. Karachle, Aikaterini Dogrammatzi, Giorgos A. Apostolopoulos, Kassiani Konida
and Melina Nalmpanti were supported by the project â4ALIEN: Biology and the potential
economic exploitation of four alien species in the Hellenic Seasâ, funded by NRSF 2017-2020
(MIS (ÎÎ ÎŁ): 5049511). Fabio Crocetta and Riccardo Virgili were partially funded by the
project PO FEAMP Campania 2014â2020, DRD n. 35 of 15th March 2018, Innovazione,
sviluppo e sostenibilitĂ nel settore della pesca e dellâacquacoltura per la regione Campania, Misura 2.51, WP5, Task 5.5 Presenza e distribuzione di specie non indigene del macrozoobenthos e del
necton in Campania. Michel Bariche was partially funded by the University Research Board of
the American University of Beirut (DDF 103951/2592). Constantinos G. Georgiadis, Dimitra
Lida Rammou, Paschalis Papadamakis and Sotiris Orfanidis were supported by the MSFD
monitoring program. Sonia Smeraldo was supported by the MPA-Engage project, led by the
Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council and funded by the
Interreg MED program. Evgeniia Karpova acknowledge that the publication of this article was
in part carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the FRC IBSS âPatterns of
Formation and Anthropogenic Transformation of Biodiversity and Bioresources of the Azovâ
Black Sea Basin and Other Regions of the World Oceanâ (No. 121030100028-0). Elena Slynkoâs
work was carried out within the framework of a State Assignment no. 121051100109-1 of
IBIW RAS. Manuela Falautano and Luca Castriota were supported by ISPRA citizen science
campaigns for the monitoring of alien species through the dedicated institutional project
([email protected]). MarĂa Altamirano was supported by the project RUGULOPTERYX
funded by FundaciĂłn Biodiversidad-Ministerio para la TransiciĂłn EcolĂłgica y el reto DemogrĂĄfico
(Spain) and the project UMA20-FEDERJA-006 with support from the European Union and
FEDER funds and Junta de AndalucĂa. Records provided by L. Mangialajo were collected in
the framework of projects funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, by the European Commission
(AFRIMED, http://afrimed-project.eu/, grant agreement N. 789059) and by the Académie 3 de
lâUniversitĂ© CĂŽte dâAzur (projet CONVOST).Peer reviewe