Bacteriocinogenic potential and genotypic characterization of three Enterococcus faecium isolates from Algerian raw milk and traditional butter

The detection of bacteriocinogenic potential of Enterococcus sp. isolates from Algerian raw milk coded LO4 and LO12 and from traditional butter coded BRO2 was carried on M17 buffered medium. PCR amplification of Enterococcus sp. DNA using specific enterococcal primers gave 733 bp fragments. The phylogenetic analysis using the neighbour joining method further supported the identification of the three strains as Enterococcus faecium. These bacteria were bacteriocinogenic against Pseudomonas sp, Proteus mirabilis and E. faecium. Lyophilisate extracts were tested for sensitivity to enzymes, heating and effect of pH. Complete inactivation in bacteriocinogenic activity was observed after treatment with proteolytic enzymes. The antibacterial activity from E faecium LO12 was stable (1280 AU/ml) for range pH 2 to 12. Maximal activity from BRO2 strain was at pH 7 (20480 AU/ml) and from LO4 strain was at pH 7 and 6 (2560 AU/ml). Antibacterial activities of E. faecium BRO2 (5120 AU/ml) and E. faecium LO12 (640 AU/ml) remained stable at 60°C for 30 min. The antibacterial activity of .E faecium LO4 was stable at 100°C for 30 min (5120 AU/ml)

Perception of Nuclear Energy and Coal in France and the Netherlands

This study focuses on the perception of large scale application of nuclear energy and coal in the Netherlands and France. The application of these energy-sources and the risks and benefits are judged differently by various group in society. In Europe, France has the highest density of nuclear power plants and the Netherlands has one of the lowest. In both countries scientists and social scientists completed a questionnaire assessing the perception of the large scale application of both energy sources. Furthermore, a number of variables relating to the socio cultural and political circumstances were measured. The results indicate that the French had a higher risk perception and a more negative attitude toward nuclear power than the Dutch. But they also assess the benefits of the use of nuclear power to be higher. Explanations for these differences are discussed

Marketing Practices For Dairy Products From Small-Scale Farms, Case: Region Of Tiziouzou – Algeria

The objective of our work is to identify the different marketing practices and to characterize the organizational constraints that hinder the productivity and profitability of small-scale livestock farms in the mountainous region of Fréha and Sidi-Naman, located in the region of Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. Due to its high milk production potential, the targeted region was selected as a study area. The importance of our work lies in the determination of the key factors, which prevent small-scale milk producers from carrying out their livestock activities successfully. A quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted with 30 farmers

Gender and Tahrir Square: contesting the state and imagining a new nation

This article argues that the concepts of ‘State’ and ‘Nation’ should be treated as separate from one another, hence, more than one image of the nation is possible at one given time. During the early days of the January 2011 Egyptian revolution, a contestation emerged between Mubarak’s state and the protesters in Tahrir Square over the image and notion of the Egyptian nation. Both the state and the protesters attempted to exclude one another from their respective discourse of the Egyptian nation. While reflecting back on a number of women’s voices who joined the early days of the Tahrir Square protests and using qualitative fieldwork interviews with Cairo-based feminist and political activists, this article points to the complexity of a newly forged image of Egyptian nationhood. In Tahrir Square, this image appeared to be largely framed within gendered criteria where notions of manhood and hyper visible gender equality were intrinsically linked to the broader objective of removing Mubarak and his regime. This raises the question of whether new gender paradigms of equality can continue to exist beyond Tahrir Square’s imagination of a ‘new’ nation

Use of ring-expanded diamino- and diamidocarbene ligands in copper catalyzed azide-alkyne "click" reactions

The two-coordinate ring-expanded N-heterocyclic carbene copper­(I) complexes [Cu­(RE-NHC)₂]⁺ (RE-NHC = 6-Mes, 7-<i>o</i>-Tol, 7-Mes) have been prepared and shown to be effective catalysts under neat conditions for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of alkynes and azides. In contrast, the cationic diamidocarbene analogue [Cu­(6-MesDAC)₂]⁺ and the neutral species [(6-MesDAC)­CuCl]₂ and [(6-MesDAC)₂(CuCl)₃] show good activity when the catalysis is performed on water

Efficacy and safety of azithromycin 1.5% eye drops in paediatric population with purulent bacterial conjunctivitis.

To determine the efficacy and safety of azithromycin 1.5\% eye drops in a paediatric population with purulent bacterial conjunctivitis.This was a multicentre, international, randomised, investigator-masked study in 286 children with purulent discharge and bulbar conjunctival injection. Patients received either azithromycin 1.5\% eye drops (twice daily for 3 days) or tobramycin 0.3\% eye drops (every 2 h for 2 days, then four times daily for 5 days). Clinical signs were evaluated on day (D) 0, 3 and 7, and cultures on D0 and D7. The primary variable was the clinical cure (absence of bulbar conjunctival injection and discharge) on D3 in the worse eye for patients with positive cultures on D0.286 patients (mean age 3.2 years; range 1 day-17 years) were included; 203 had positive cultures on D0. Azithromycin was superior to tobramycin in clinical cure rate on D3 (47.1\% vs 28.7\%, p=0.013) and was non-inferior to tobramycin on D7 (89.2\% vs 78.2\%, respectively). Azithromycin treatment eradicated causative pathogens, including resistant species, with a similar resolution rate to tobramycin (89.8\% vs 87.2\%, respectively). These results were confirmed in a subgroup of patients younger than 24 months old.Azithromycin 1.5\% eye drops provided a more rapid clinical cure than tobramycin 0.3\% eye drops in the treatment of purulent bacterial conjunctivitis in children, with a more convenient twice-a-day dosing regimen

TFOS DEWS II Diagnostic Methodology report

The role of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) II Diagnostic Methodology Subcommittee was 1) to identify tests used to diagnose and monitor dry eye disease (DED), 2) to identify those most appropriate to fulfil the definition of DED and its sub-classifications, 3) to propose the most appropriate order and technique to conduct these tests in a clinical setting, and 4) to provide a differential diagnosis for DED and distinguish conditions where DED is a comorbidity. Prior to diagnosis, it is important to exclude conditions that can mimic DED with the aid of triaging questions. Symptom screening with the DEQ-5 or OSDI confirms that a patient might have DED and triggers the conduct of diagnostic tests of (ideally non-invasive) breakup time, osmolarity and ocular surface staining with fluorescein and lissamine green (observing the cornea, conjunctiva and eyelid margin). Meibomian gland dysfunction, lipid thickness/dynamics and tear volume assessment and their severity allow sub-classification of DED (as predominantly evaporative or aqueous deficient) which informs the management of DED. Videos of these diagnostic and sub-classification techniques are available on the TFOS website. It is envisaged that the identification of the key tests to diagnose and monitor DED and its sub-classifications will inform future epidemiological studies and management clinical trials, improving comparability, and enabling identification of the sub-classification of DED in which different management strategies are most efficacious