Impact of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal strains isolated from soil on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of tomato plants under different fertilization regimens

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have emerged as a promising and environmentally friendly solution for sustainable agriculture, offering a reduction in dependence on chemical inputs. The objective of this greenhouse experiment was to assess the efficacy of a natural endomycorrhizal inoculum obtained from leek root fragments, which acted as a trap plant to capture indigenous fungal spores present in the soil of the Guercif region in Morocco. The investigation aimed to comprehensively evaluate the influence of this inoculum on various parameters related to tomato plant growth, yield, and sensory quality. Additionally, different levels of chemical fertilizers, equivalent to 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended dosage, were administered in combination with or without the inoculum. The findings elucidated significant advantages associated with mycorrhizal inoculation. The plants subjected to inoculation exhibited increased plant height, augmented leaf and root dry weights, and improved nutrient uptake compared to the control group. Notably, tomato plants treated with 75% of the recommended chemical fertilizer dosage yielded the highest crop production, with no statistically significant difference observed when compared to those receiving the full dosage (100%). Intriguingly, tomato plants grown in substrates receiving 50% chemical fertilizers demonstrated the highest levels of mycorrhization, exhibiting a frequency (F) of 100% and an intensity (M) of 63%. Importantly, the combination of inoculation with a reduced dose of NPK fertilizer (50% of the recommended amount) resulted in significantly elevated concentrations of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and phosphorus (P) in the plants, attributable to the heightened mycorrhizal colonization of the roots. In terms of fruit characteristics, no significant variations were detected in pH and electrical conductivity (EC) among the treatment groups. However, the inoculated plants exhibited a notable increase in the Brix index, an indicator of sweetness, compared to the control group across all fertilizer doses. Furthermore, inoculation positively influenced the levels of total carotenoids in the fruits. Remarkably, the values of these compounds in the inoculated plants subjected to 50% of the recommended fertilizer dosage surpassed those recorded in the non-inoculated plants receiving the full dosage

De novo mutations in SMCHD1 cause Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome and abrogate nasal development

Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS) is an extremely rare and striking condition characterized by complete absence of the nose with or without ocular defects. We report here that missense mutations in the epigenetic regulator SMCHD1 mapping to the extended ATPase domain of the encoded protein cause BAMS in all 14 cases studied. All mutations were de novo where parental DNA was available. Biochemical tests and in vivo assays in Xenopus laevis embryos suggest that these mutations may behave as gain-of-function alleles. This finding is in contrast to the loss-of-function mutations in SMCHD1 that have been associated with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) type 2. Our results establish SMCHD1 as a key player in nasal development and provide biochemical insight into its enzymatic function that may be exploited for development of therapeutics for FSHD

De novo mutations in SMCHD1 cause Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome and abrogate nasal development

Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS) is an extremely rare and striking condition characterized by complete absence of the nose with or without ocular defects. We report here that missense mutations in the epigenetic regulator SMCHD1 mapping to the extended ATPase domain of the encoded protein cause BAMS in all 14 cases studied. All mutations were de novo where parental DNA was available. Biochemical tests and in vivo assays in Xenopus laevis embryos suggest that these mutations may behave as gain-of-function alleles. This finding is in contrast to the loss-of-function mutations in SMCHD1 that have been associated with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) type 2. Our results establish SMCHD1 as a key player in nasal development and provide biochemical insight into its enzymatic function that may be exploited for development of therapeutics for FSHD

Corrosion inhibition of stainless steel N304 by dihydroxy benzyl phosphonic acid in 0.5 M H2SO4: Experimental and theoretical studies

69-75Dihydroxy benzyl phosphonic acid (DPA) has been studied as inhibitor against stainless steel N304 in 0.5 M sulfuric acid solution using the potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The inhibition efficiency was found to vary with the concentration of the inhibitor and elongating the immersion time. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements confirmed the polarization data. The adsorption of (DPA) on the stainless steel N304 surface follow Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The results of quantum chemical calculations and experimental efficiencies of inhibitor were subjected to correlation analysis

Contenu pollinique de l’atmosphère de deux régions de Nord -Est Algérien : El-Hadjar (W. Annaba) et Dréan (W. El-Tarf)

Le présent travail consiste à étudier l’atmosphère pollinique de deux sites du Nord-Est algérien ; El-Hadjar (W. Annaba) et Dréan (W. El-Tarf). Les objectifs portent sur la connaissance de la composition du couvert végétal en espèces anémophiles d’une manière générale et en espèces allergisantes en particulier et, établir un calendrier pollinique pour une période de six mois (janvier-juin). L’étude du couvert végétal nous a révélé sa richesse et sa diversité et a permis de recenser plusieurs familles allergisantes comme : les Poacées, les Astéracées, les Plantaginacées, les Oléacées, les Polygonacées, les Cupressacées, les Chénopodiacées et d’autres familles peu allergisantes comme : les Myrtacées, les Ericacées, les Brassicacées, les Salicacées et les Pinacées. Dans le cadre de l’étude aéropalynologique, nous avons utilisé la méthode gravimétrique, qui nous a permis de recenser 1501 grains de pollen/cm2 à El-Hadjar appartenant à 19 familles et 1993 grains de pollen/cm2 appartenant à 15 familles et celui d’une espèce Alnus glutinosa (L.) à Dréan. Les familles recensées en grande quantité sont : les Poacées, les Cupressacées, les Brassicacées, les Oléacées, les Myrtacées et les Plantaginacées. La plus grande concentration du pollen a été enregistrée au mois de mai avec 408 grains de pollen/cm2 à El-Hadjar et 734 grains de pollen/cm2 à Dréan.Mots clés: atmosphère; contenu pollinique; calendrier pollinique; aéropalynologie; El-Hadjar; Dréan. Our work consists in studying the pollinic atmosphere of two regions of El-Hadjar (W. Annaba) and Dréan (W. El-Tarf) in the Algerian North-East through the knowledge of the plant table setting and the cash anemophilous in a general manner and those chatty of the pollinic allergies more precisely, and to establish a pollinic calendar for one period of six months (January - June). The survey of plant table setting revealed us its wealth and its diversity and permitted to count several allergenic families as: Poaceae, Asteraceae, Plantaginaceae, Oleaceae, Polygonaceae, Cupressaceae, Chenopodiaceae and of other families little allergenic as: Myrtaceae, Ericaceae, Brassicaceae, Salicaceae and Pinaceae. In the setting of the aeropalynologic survey one used the gravimetric method, that allowed us to count a total number of pollen of 1501grains of pollens/cm2 in El-Hadjar belonging to 19 families and 1993 grains of pollens/cm2 belonging to 15 families and a species (Alnus glutinosa L.) in Dréan. The families counted in big quantity are: the Poaceae, the Cupressaceae, the Brassicaceae, the Oleaceae, the Myrtaceae and the Plantaginaceae. The highest pollen concentration has been recorded in May with 408 grains of pollen/cm2 to El-Hadjar and 734 grains of pollen/cm2 in Dréan.Key words: atmosphere; pollinic content; pollinic calendar; aeropalynology; El-Hadjar; Dréan

A Model of Attention and Interest Using Gaze Behavior

One of the major problems of user’s interaction with Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) is to have the conversation last more than few second:after being amused and intrigued by the ECAs, users may find rapidly the restrictions and limitations of the dialog systems, they may perceive the repetition of the ECAs animation, they may find the behaviors of ECAs to be inconsistent and implausible, etc. We believe that some special links, or bonds, have to be established between users and ECAs during interaction. It is our view that showing and/or perceiving interest is the necessary premise to establish a relationship. In this paper we present a model of an ECA able to establish, maintain and end the conversation based on its perception of the level of interest of its interlocutor

Experimental and detailed DFT/MD simulation of α-aminophosphonates as promising corrosion inhibitor for XC48 carbon steel in HCl environment

Background: Corrosion is a pervasive issue in several industries, causing safety hazards and substantial economic losses. α-aminophosphonate substances have recently garnered attention for their ability to inhibit corrosion. In this study, two specific α-aminophosphonate molecules, namely diethyl(furan-2-yl(phenylamino)methyl) phosphonate (AMP1) and diethyl((2methoxyphenyl) amino) (thiophene-2-methyl) phosphonate (AMP2) were evaluated for their potential as anticorrosion agents for XC48 carbon steel under acidic conditions. Methods: Their corrosion inhibition was examined towards XC48 carbon steel under 1.0 M HCl solution utilizing the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), contact angle, Density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD), and atoms in molecule (AIM). Significant findings: Results showed that AMP1 and AMP2 had inhibition efficiencies of 83.34% and 63.82% for EIS and 82.70% and 74.57% for PDP, respectively. The inhibition mechanism involved adsorption of the additives onto the metal surface via Langmuir isotherm. The study also demonstrated the influence of temperature on inhibition efficiency, with nearly 70% inhibition observed at 298 to 323 K. AFM and SEM analyses revealed chemisorption coating formation inhibiting acid attack, and contact angle analyses showed the surface to be hydrophobic. Theoretical analyses using DFT, MD, and AIM were used to clarify the inhibitors' adsorption effect on XC48 steel, showing a high agreement with experimental findings