Effect of different substrates on growth, yield and quality of tomato by the use of geothermal water in the South of Tunisia

Purpose: With growing concern about climate change and the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels, there is increasing interest in the use of renewable energy. In this regard, geothermal energy has a great importance in agriculture activity in southern of Tunisia. By using geothermal heating for greenhouses in this part of Tunisia, production of vegetables attains 30000 tons of which 35% are exported. However, this activity faces some problems of soil diseases and salt accumulation. The main objective for the present research is to solve these problems by soilless cultivation using palm trees wastes as substrates after composting. These substrates give the opportunity to valorise these wastes produced with large amounts every crop season.Methods: The experiment was carried out under a green house involving five replicates and five treatments (1) Control: soil, (2) Palm trees compost, (3) Compost of oasis wastes and animal manure, (4) River sand and (5) Coconut fiber witch is an imported substrate. Plots were planted on with tomato. The measurements determinate were growth, yield and quality.Results. Comparison of means showed that yield of fruits had not any significant difference between treatments. Substrates had no influence on the average fruit weight, ranged from 91.17 g to 95.59 g. The marketable yield and the fruit weight of the tomatoes grown in oasis wastes and animal manure compost were slightly higher compared with those grown in other substrates. The results of data length and stem diameter on seven occasions, showed that plant height and diameter had a significant difference between treatments. The tallest plants were produced by tomato cultivated in soil (382.64 cm). The most vigorous plants were grown in coconut fiber (19.02 mm). TSS (°Brix) content of the fruit was found to differ significantly between substrates. Plants grown on soil and sand produced highest TSS values (5 °Brix). The pH and the EC of the tomato fruit juice were not significantly different in tomato cultivation with different substrates

Bioelectrochemical Characterization of Heavy Metals Resistant yeast: Hansenula fabianii Isolated from Tannery Wastewater

To date, heavy metals present a main drawback for bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) performances. Therefore, our results confirm, for the first time, that Hansenulafabianii is an electrochemical active yeast that has a potential tolerance against various heavy metals. The bioreactor inoculated by Hansenula fabianii in mediatoless conditions provided a maximum current density of 32 mA/m²; up to 300 mA/m² in the presence of methylene blue. In mediatorless conditions, cyclic voltammetry (CV) on a yeast pellet showed a single oxidative peak at 450mV and a pair peak, the CV of the supernatant confirmed that Hansenula fabianii secretedits own mediator. The obtained results proved that Hansenula fabianii based biofuel cell could be used for simultaneous current generation and heavy metal bioremediation

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES OF THREE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPONENTS AGAINST PENICILLIUM EXPANSUM SPORES

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antifungal potential of β-Ionone; carvone and 1,8-cineole which are three essential oil components.Methods: For that purpose, the minimum inhibitory (MIC) and fungicidal (MFC) concentrations of these compounds were determined by the microdilution method using the 96 well microtiter plates. The efficiency of these compounds was tested against the spores of Penicillium expansum; a strain responsible for huge post-harvest losses during storage of fruits and capable of producing patulin, a very dangerous mycotoxin for the human health.Results: The obtained results showed a very strong inhibition of the growth of P. expansum spores with very low MIC values determined for β-Ionone (0.625 %); Carvone (0.3125 %) and 1,8-cineol (0.078125 %). In addition, the evaluation of MFCs for the tested essential oil components showed that β-Ionone and carvone molecules exhibited the same MFCs at 5 % against P. expansum spores. However, the best fungicidal activity was found with the 1,8-cineole molecule at a concentration of 1.25 % vis-à-vis of the spores of this strain.Conclusion: This study, which shows for the first time the antifungal potential of these three molecules against this strain, also allows to highlight the possibility of using these essential oil compounds in the formulation of commercial antifungal products

Low-Cost Electrode Modification to Upgrade the Bioelectrocatalytic Oxidation of Tannery Wastewater Using Acclimated Activated Sludge

Effective and eco-friendly technologies are required for the treatment of tannery wastewater as its biological toxicity and large volume leads toground water pollution. Hydrophobic (unmodified carbon felt) and hydrophilic modified carbon felt with Linde Type A zeolite (LTA zeolite) and bentonite were examined for their effects on bacterial attachment, current generation, and tannery wastewater treatment efficiency. Chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry confirmed the higher electron transfer obtained with modified anodes. Maximum current densities of 24.5 and 27.9 A/m² were provided with LTA zeolite and bentonite-modified anodes, respectively, while the unmodified carbon felt gave a maximum current density of 16.9 A/m². Compared with hydrophobic unmodified carbon felt, hydrophilic modified electrodes increased the exploitation of the internal surface area of the 3D structure of the carbon felt by the electroactive biofilm. The study revealed 93.8 ± 1.7% and 96.3 ± 2.1% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction for LTA zeolite and bentonite, respectively. Simultaneous chromium removal was achieved with values of 94.6 ± 3.6 and 97.5 ± 2.2 for LTA zeolite and bentonite, respectively. This study shows the potential approach of carbon felt clay modification for the efficient tannery wastewater treatment using bioelectrochemicals systems (BESs) accompanied with high current recovery

Modeling and synthesis of carbon-coated LiMnPO4 cathode material: Experimental investigation and optimization using response surface methodology

Nanostructured LiMnPO4 cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been successfully prepared by a modified solvothermal method under controlled conditions. Polyethylene glycol (PEG-10000) was used as a solvent to optimize the particle size/mor­phology and as a carbon conductive matrix. In order to investigate the effect of synthesis parameters such as concentration of PEG-10000, reaction time and reaction temperature on the LiMnPO4 phase purity, Response surface methodology was carried out to find variations in purity results across the composition. The purity of all materials was checked using HighScore software by comparing the matched lines score to ones of reference data. As a result, it has been found that the pure phospho-olivine material LiMnPO4 can be syn­thesized using the following optimum conditions: PEG concentration = 0.1 mol l-1, reaction time = 180 min, and reaction temperature = 250 °C. The as-prepared LiMnPO4 under opti­mum conditions delivered an initial discharge capacity of 128.8 mAh g-1 at 0.05 C‑rate. The present work provides insights and suggestions for optimizing synthesis conditions of this material, which has been considered the next promising cathode candidate for high-energy lithium-ion batteries

Correlation between cell surface physicochemical properties of bacterial strains and their chromium removal potential

Physicochemical characterization of microbes has gained recently a great interest by scientific community. It is proved of extreme importance in several fields of science and technology applications such as bioremediation. In this work, we investigated the establishment of a possible correlation between chromium removal capacity of seven bacterial strains isolated from contaminated sites with industrial wastes including tanning processing and their cell surface physicochemical properties. Thus, hydrophobicity and donor/acceptor electrons character were obtained using contact angle measurements. Statistical analysis showed a high significant positive correlation between hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) removal by the strains and their acceptor electron character γ+(r = 0.90). While significant negative correlation between the Cr(VI) removal potential and the ΔGiwi value (r = −0.844) and also with their donor electron character γ− (r = −0.746) were observed. These results may contribute to determine a selectrion criteria of bacteria that can be operated in bioremediation applications

Opening A New Independent Pharmacy 101

Opening an independent pharmacy is a process that involves multiple components. The rationale of this project is to discuss different issues that must be investigated prior to opening a new independency pharmacy. This includes the location, structure of the corporation, start-up cost, picking a wholesaler, fulfilling state board requirements and Philadelphia requirements, having a valid license, making professional relationships, and knowing basic marketing research. Methods used include using the knowledge and expertise from an independent pharmacy owner, visiting pharmacies, and interviewing neighbors for basic marketing research. Many aspects of opening an independent pharmacy differ significantly from a retail pharmacy, as there are various issues within the pharmacy and outside the pharmacy that must be extensively researched prior to opening in order to be successful.   Type: Student Projec

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Stand-Alone Trabecular Metal Cages as a Surgical Treatment for Cervical Radiculopathy: Mid-Term Outcomes

Study DesignRetrospective case cohort study done between 2002 and 2012.PurposeTo assess the mid-term clinical and radiological outcomes of 1-level and 2-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with stand-alone trabecular metal cages.Overview of LiteratureACDF is the gold standard surgical treatment for cervical degenerative disease. The usual surgical practice is to use an anteriorly placed fusion plate with or without interdiscal cages.MethodsPatients between 36 and 64 years of age diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy who underwent ACDF using stand-alone trabecular metal cages with at least 3 years follow-up were included in this study. Recorded clinical outcomes included residual axial neck pain, radicular arm pain, upper extremity weakness, and upper extremity altered sensation. Visual Analogue scores were also recorded. Fusion was assessed by lateral radiographs looking for bone breaching and radiolucent lines around the device at the latest follow-up.ResultsNinety patients were included in the study. Fifty-one patients underwent 2-level surgery and 39 patients underwent 1-level surgery. Mean age was 44±10.4 years and mean follow-up time was 4.5±2.6 years. Patients reported excellent or good outcomes (90%), as well as improvements in axial neck pain (80%), radicular arm pain (95%), upper extremity weakness (85%), and upper extremity altered sensation (90%). Most patients (90%) progressed to fusion at the 1-year follow-up. The reoperation rate was 3.6%. There was no reported persistent dysphagia, voice complaints, dural tear, or tracheal or oesophageal perforation in any of the patients. One patient developed a deep methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infectious infarction of the spinal cord, which was treated with antibiotics. Recovery was complete at the 1-year follow up.ConclusionsMid-term results show that surgical treatment with ACDF with trabecular metal cages is a safe and effective treatment of single and 2-level cervical disc radiculopathy and neck pain

Biochemical characterization of a thermoactive and thermostable lipase from a newly isolated Trichosporon coremiiforme strain

Nonstop demand for greatly thermostable and thermoactive active lipase encourages the research for the new enzyme sources. In this study, a strain of Trichosporon coremiiforme was isolated from the traditional tannery in the city of Fez in Morocco, lipase production and their lipolytic activity was studied. Pure T. coremiiforme lipase (TCL) was obtained after ammonium sulfate fractionation, G-75 gel filtration and cation exchanger chromatography (Mono-S), having a molecular weight of 67 kDa. TCL presents a maximal activity at pH 8 and 50°C. After a 5 min treatment at 80°C, the enzyme maintained 50% of its activity, which is so far as is known. TCL previously characterized is found to be stable between pH 5 and 10 after 60 min incubation. TCL hydrolyses the long chains triacylglycerols more efficiently than the short ones. A specific activity of 1800 U/mg was measured on tributyrin or olive oil emulsion as substrate. This newly isolated lipase can be considered as a good candidature for industrial and biotechnological applications.Keywords: Trichosporon coremiiforme, lipase, purification, thermoactiveAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(28), pp. 4503-451

Effects of natural long storage duration on seeds germinative response of Argyrolobium uniflorum (Decne.) Jaub. & Spach

Little is known about the effect of seed natural long storage on the germination capacity of vascular plant species particularly those used in restoration programs.  In the current paper, we aimed to study the effect of different seed storage durations (from 3 months to 22 years) on the germination of Argyrolobium uniflorum (Decne.) Jaub. & Spach, herbaceous legume of high pastoral value indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. In this paper, we found that the seeds scarification, hasten germination capacity of scarified seeds (SS) to almost 80%. The seed germination is maintained for 14 years at the level of 78 to 60% and then decreases. Also, other measured parameters of water content, electric conductivity, seedling lengths and MGT were also modified along seeds age. The duration of storage affects the germination performance of Argyrolobium uniflorum seeds which decreases after approximately one decade and half which give us an idea about the longevity of soil seeds bank of this species