Quality and Trace Element Profile of Tunisian Olive Oils Obtained from Plants Irrigated with Treated Wastewater

In the present work the use of treated wastewater (TWW) to irrigate olive plants was monitored. This type of water is characterized by high salinity and retains a substantial amount of trace elements, organic and metallic compounds that can be transferred into the soil and into the plants and fruits. In order to evaluate the impact of TWW on the overall quality of the oils, the time of contact of the olives with the soil has been taken into account. Multi-element data were obtained using ICP-MS. Nineteen elements (Li, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mo, Ba and La) were submitted for statistical analysis. Using analysis of variance, linear discriminant analysis and principal component analysis it was possible to differentiate between oils produced from different batches of olives whose plants received different types of water. Also, the results showed that there was correlation between the elemental and mineral composition of the water used to irrigate the olive plots and the elemental and mineral composition of the oils

Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in North Africa: a review

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis caused by an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii. The disease is distributed worldwide and can affect all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans. The present review aimed to collect, compile and summarize the data on the prevalence of T. gondii infection in humans and animals in the five North African countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt). Published data from national and international databases were used. Distribution patterns and risk factors for T. gondii infection are discussed, focusing on biotic and abiotic factors. This review is a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of T. gondii infection in North Africa and will therefore be a useful tool for researchers. It can also be used to propose or enhance appropriate national toxoplasmosis control programs

A New PSO-based Algorithm for Two-Dimensional Non-Guillotine Non-Oriented Cutting Stock Problem

In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed for the two-dimensional non-guillotine non-oriented cutting stock problem. The considered problem consists of cutting small rectangular pieces of predetermined sizes from large but finite rectangular plates. The objective is to generate cutting patterns that minimize the unused area and fulfill customer orders. The proposed algorithm is a combination of a new particle swarm optimization approach with a heuristic criterion inspired from the literature. The algorithm is tested on twenty-two instances divided into two sets. Corresponding results show the algorithm efficiency in optimizing the trim loss that is comprised between 2.6% and 7.8% for all considered instances

Computational Approach for Structural Feature Determination of Grapevine NHX Antiporters

Plant NHX antiporters are responsible for monovalent cation/H+ exchange across cellular membranes and play therefore a critical role for cellular pH regulation, Na+ and K+ homeostasis, and salt tolerance. Six members of grapevine NHX family (VvNHX1-6) have been structurally characterized. Phylogenetic analysis revealed their organization in two groups: VvNHX1-5 belonging to group I (vacuolar) and VvNHX6 belonging to group II (endosomal). Conserved domain analysis of these VvNHXs indicates the presence of different kinds of domains. Out of these, two domains function as monovalent cation-proton antiporters and one as the aspartate-alanine exchange; the remaining are not yet with defined function. Overall, VvNHXs proteins are typically made of 11-13 putative transmembrane regions at their N-terminus which contain the consensus amiloride-binding domain in the 3rd TM domain and a cation-binding site in between the 5th and 6th TM domain, followed by a hydrophilic C-terminus that is the target of several and diverse regulatory posttranslational modifications. Using a combination of primary structure analysis, secondary structure alignments, and the tertiary structural models, the VvNHXs revealed mainly 18 α helices although without β sheets. Homology modeling of the 3D structure showed that VvNHX antiporters are similar to the bacterial sodium proton antiporters MjNhaP1 (Methanocaldococcus jannaschii) and PaNhaP (Pyrococcus abyssi)

Impact of olives storage and irrigation with treated wastewater on the oil quality: simulation of mill conditions

The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of irrigation by treated wastewater on the Tunisian olive oil quality. In this experiment, olives from fields irrigated with treated wastewater were transported to the laboratory and mixed with other batches of olives, at different proportions, of the same variety and coming from not irrigated olive groves. In order to meet the work schedule of Tunisian mills, the mixtures of olives obtained were stored in a laboratory at room temperature for 3, 6 and 9 days before being crushed. The results showed that the free fatty acids and the carotene content of the oils do not depend on the irrigation system, but are dependent on the duration of olive storage before the extraction. On the contrary, the irrigation system affects the oxidation state of the oils and their fatty acid composition.El propósito de esta investigación fue evaluar el impacto del riego con aguas residuales tratadas sobre la calidad del aceite de oliva de Túnez. En este experimento, las aceitunas de los campos regados con aguas residuales tratadas se transportaron al laboratorio y se mezclaron con otros lotes de aceitunas, en diferentes proporciones, de la misma variedad y procedentes de los olivares no regados. Con el fin de cumplir con el programa de trabajo de los molinos tunecino, las mezclas de aceitunas obtenidas se almacenaron en un laboratorio a temperatura ambiente durante 3, 6 y 9 días, antes de ser prensadas. Los resultados mostraron que los ácidos grasos libres y el contenido de caroteno de los aceites no dependen del sistema de riego, pero dependen de la duración del almacenamiento de oliva antes de la extracción. Por el contrario, el sistema de riego afecta al estado de oxidación de los aceites y su composición en ácidos grasos

The grapevine VvWRKY2 gene enhances salt and osmotic stress tolerance in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum

Our study aims to assess the implication of WRKY transcription factor in the molecular mechanisms of grapevine adaptation to salt and water stresses. In this respect, a full-length VvWRKY2 cDNA, isolated from a Vitis vinifera grape berry cDNA library, was constitutively over-expressed in Nicotiana tabacum seedlings. Our results showed that transgenic tobacco plants exhibited higher seed germination rates and better growth, under both salt and osmotic stress treatments, when compared to wild type plants. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrated that, under stress conditions, transgenic plants accumulated more osmolytes, such as soluble sugars and free proline, while no changes were observed regarding electrolyte leakage, H2O2, and malondialdehyde contents. The improvement of osmotic adjustment may be an important mechanism underlying the role of VvWRKY2 in promoting tolerance and adaptation to abiotic stresses. Principal component analysis of our results highlighted a clear partition of plant response to stress. On the other hand, we observed a significant adaptation behaviour response for transgenic lines under stress. Taken together, all our findings suggest that over-expression of VvWRKY2 gene has a compelling role in abiotic stress tolerance and, therefore, would provide a useful strategy to promote abiotic stress tolerance in grape via molecular-assisted breeding and/or new biotechnology tools

Prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors associated with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Objective: To identify prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by comparing them to their siblings without autistic disorders. Method: The present study is cross sectional and comparative. It was conducted over a period of three months (July-September 2014). It included 101 children: 50 ASD's children diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria and 51 unaffected siblings. The severity of ASD was assessed by the CARS. Results: Our study revealed a higher prevalence of prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors in children with ASD in comparison with unaffected siblings. It showed also a significant association between perinatal and postnatal factors and ASD (respectively p = 0.03 and p = 0.042). In this group, perinatal factors were mainly as type of suffering acute fetal (26% of cases), long duration of delivery and prematurity (18% of cases for each factor), while postnatal factors were represented principally by respiratory infections (24%). As for parental factors, no correlation was found between advanced age of parents at the moment of the conception and ASD. Likewise, no correlation was observed between the severity of ASD and different factors. After logistic regression, the risk factors retained for autism in the final model were: male gender, prenatal urinary tract infection, acute fetal distress, difficult labor and respiratory infection. Conclusions: The present survey confirms the high prevalence of prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors in children with ASD and suggests the intervention of some of these factors (acute fetal distress and difficult labor, among others), as determinant variables for the genesis of ASD

The Solar Saltern of Sfax: Diversity of Hyperhalophilic Microalgae Species as a Promising Naturel Source of Biomolecules

The saltern of Sfax is a thalasso haline paralic ecosystem were the salinity ranged from 45 to 450 PSU. The microalgae distribution of saltern showed a spatial ecological succession. The specific richness of microalgae decreased with the salinity, accounting 37, 17 and 5 species at three level of salinity from 40 to 80, 80 to 200 and 200 to 450 PSU, respectively. To better understand the behavior of the hyper-halo tolerant microalgae, three autotrophic species Halamphora sp. SB1 MK575516 (Diatom), Phormidium versicolor NCC-466 (Cyanophyceae) and Dunaliella salina (Chlorophyceae) were isolated from each level of salinity and they are grown in batch in artificial seawater at laboratory scale. Growth and metabolites synthesized by these microalgae were assessed. Salinity reacts on the physiology of these three species which possess mechanisms of resistance to more or less effective stresses and generally by the synthesis of different biomolecules such as pigments, sugars, proteins and fatty acids