Analysis of diallel crosses between six varieties of durum wheat in semi-arid area

The study of morphological genetic determinism characteristics and production of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) through the use of a diallel cross between six varieties, including two Algerian genotypes and four French genotypes was conducted in semi-arid high area of Chellif, Algeria. The analysis of variance for general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) abilities and reciprocal effects were carried out according to the method of griffing. The results show a preponderance of additive effect for characters: length of the straw, thousand kernel weights and the number of grains per spike. An interesting relation was found for the three characters, between the effect parental heterosis (HI) and parental values (VI). Hybrids Ardente/Nefer, Nefer/Ardente and Ardente/Guem Goum Erkham showed a significant heterosis of 51 to 76% compared to their parents. A negative heterosis of the length of straw was found in crosses: Hedba3/Excalibur: -14%; Guem Goum Erkham/Excalibur: -18%; NE/H3: -19%; Excalibur/Accent: -24%; Hedba3/Guem Goum Erkham -32%. The additivity had a considerable influence on the expression of straw length, number of grains per spike and had also a lesser extent for the thousand grain weight. The preponderance of additive effect in the functioning of the genetic variability of straw length and thousand grain weights was confirmed in F2. Positive relations between parent heterosis, parental values and high ratios of GCA/SCA help in the selection of these crosses.Keywords: Diallel cross, durum wheat, heterosis, genetics, general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA)African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(2), pp. 286-293, 8 January, 201

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE AGROBACTERIUM TUMEFACIENS FROM ALMOND NURSERIES IN CHLEF REGION IN WESTERN ALGERIA

Crown gall is one of the destructive diseases and occurs worldwide. It is considered to be a disease of great economic importance in almond and other stone fruit tree nurseries due to the extensive losses. Based on their morphological characteristics on MacConkey medium and YMA medium, 10 isolates were selected on colonies of these isolates after 48 h at 28°C were circular, convex with smooth, translucent and easily suspended in water. The bacterial cells were rod shaped with rounded ends and were either single or in pairs. The isolates were Gram negative, the optimum growth was between 25 and 27°C.All strains are positive for mobility, catalase, oxydase. On the other hand, these isolates had all oxidized the lactose to 3-ketolactose. On the other hand, all Agrobacterium strains oxidized Sucrose, D-mannitol, D-sorbitol, Indol, inositol, Melibioze, D-galactose, L arabinose, Rhamnose, Amygdalin, Lactose and Glucose. Furthermore, the isolates transform also the arginin, lysin, ornithin, gelatin and starch. The pathogenic nature of the organism was confirmed by a bioassay on carrot disks. Additionally, Koch’s postulates for all isolates were also fulfilled

Sustainability evaluation of agricultural greenhouse structures in southern of Algeria using AHP, case of study: Biskra province

The protected cultivation of vegetables has considerably developed in southern ofAlgeria.  However, the sustainability of this system has not been evaluated.  The aim of this study is to find a greenhouse structure (Tunnel or Canarian) that promotes the agriculture sustainability in Biskra province using analytic hierarchy process (AHP).  In that event, a survey was conducted in this region where nine criteria were selected according to the local conditions.  The results obtained revealed that the farmer and the agricultural specialists shared the same vision regarding the weight of economic indicators with 74% and 66%, respectively.  The AHP analysis provided that the Canarian greenhouse (CG) presented the ideal structure.  This work might also help the decision makers and the researchers to implement a sustainable development policy. 

La communication écrite numérique :enquête sur le cyberviolence

Résumé : La question des échanges en ligne est digne d’intérêt dans la mesure où la violence verbale demeure omniprésente dans ce monde virtuel. Notre étude porte sur la cyberviolence en milieu scolaire. Elle s’inscrit dans une perspective sociolinguistique. Il s’agit de mettre l’accent sur l’émergence de la violence verbale dans les pratiques langagières des élèves algériens sur le réseau social Facebook. Notre analyse vise à rendre compte du processus global de la transgression des normes fixées par l’institution éducative. Les perspectives à partir desquelles nous abordons la violence verbale nous permettront de définir ses actes, de les repérer et les analyser linguistiquement.  Mots-clés : communication écrite, cyberviolence, monde virtuel, réseau social, normes

The Combined Effect of the Initial Cure and the Type of Cement on the Natural Carbonation, the Portlandite Content, and Nonevaporable Water in Blended Cement

The aim of this work is to better understand the physical and chemical phenomena involved in hydrated mix (clinker + addition) during the natural carbonation process, to characterize cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) under various curing environment. The prepared cement pastes were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed a considerable influence of the environment on the properties of mortars and cement and a perfect correlation between compressive strength, natural carbonation, nonevaporable water, and portlandite content. It was observed that the reduction of the curing period makes the mortars more sensitive. The kinetics of process was evaluated from Ca(OH)2 content and nonevaporable water contained in mortars. These two parameters reflect the hydration progress of the water/cement ratio studied. The weight loss due to Ca(OH)2 decomposition, calculated by DTA/TG analysis, shows the effect of the pozzolanic reaction and the natural carbonation. The supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) play a considerable role in the slowing down of the aggression environment

Contribution à l'étude d'un Syndrome nerveux chez les ovins au niveau de la Commune d'Ait Ichou, Oulmès: Enquêtes Epidémiologiques

The present work is a contribution to the investigation of a neurological syndrome of unknown etiology (locally called Taghara which means seizures) that affects sheep in the Ait Ichou area.The study was first approached by interviewing farmers to collect epidemiological data.The results showed that (1) Disease prevalence was on average 4.76 %, with 67 % of flocks having a prevalence less than 10 % and only 6 % had prevalence between 40 and 66 %, (2) About 50 % of interviewed farmers ignored the disease cause and about 10 % attributed this disorder to plants intoxication or cold, (3) The disease appeared mainly during the cold season (72 % of cases), (4) Seizures are in 68% of cases triggered by external stimulus of the diseased animals, (5) More than 50 % of affected animals died following fall in ravines whereas the spontaneous recovery was observed only in 12 % of cases, (6) Sheep flocks spent most time on forest and are rarely supplemented and when a complementation was given, it is usually performed during mating (40 %) and lambing (30 %) seasons compared to 10 % during the period of disease occurrence, (7) The disease has no interference with reproduction, affects exclusively adult animals (>1 year) and both sexes, (8) The veterinarians in the area imputed the disease in part to plant poisoning but no specific treatment has yet been developed. Keywords: Sheep; Neurological diseases; interview; Ait-Ichou; Oulmès; Morocco.Le présent travail se propose d’étudier un syndrome nerveux d’étiologie inconnue (appelé localement Taghara qui signifie convulsions ou épilepsie) qui sévit chez les ovins à l’échelle de la Commune Rurale d’Ait Ichou, Cercle d’Oulmès. L’étude s’est déroulée entre février et juin 2013 et a été, dans un premier temps, basée sur des enquêtes auprès des éleveurs et des vétérinaires dans l’objectif de cerner les aspects épidémiologiques de la maladie. Les  enquêtes ont été effectuées par entretien direct auprès de 49 % des éleveurs alors que les vétérinaires de la zone ont été contactés par téléphone. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que (1) La prévalence moyenne de la maladie a été de 4,76 % (1,4 à 66 %), (2) La moitié des éleveurs ignore les causes de la maladie, (3) La maladie sévit essentiellement durant la période des pluies et les crises convulsives sont déclenchées par l’excitation des animaux, (4) Plus de 50 % des animaux atteints ont succombé et la guérison spontanée n’a été que rarement observée, (5) Les ovins ne sont que rarement complémentés, (6) La maladie n’interfère pas avec la reproduction, atteint exclusivement les adultes des deux sexes, (7) Les vétérinaires attribuent la maladie aux plantes toxiques.     Mots clés: Ovin; Maladies nerveuses; Enquêtes;  Ait Ichou; Oulmès; Maroc.   &nbsp

New approach to evaluate the exit dose quality for high radioprotection and radiotherapy efficiency

For safety and radioprotection reasons in radiotherapy treatment, the exit dose is evaluated with irradiation field size and photon beam energy. The objective of this study is to introduce an empirical law for predicting the delivered dose at the other side of patient while radiotherapy treatment of cancer. In this study, the exit dose is the delivered dose out of the phantom on beam central axis. The measurements of percentage depth dose were done as a function of irradiation field size with an uncertainty of 2 % as recommended by IAEA protocols for two photon beam energies 6 and 18 MV. For high radioprotection quality inside radiotherapy department, an empirical law is elaborated with a reliability of 97 %. Thereafter, it consists a basic law that should be used theoretically to know the delivered dose variation with field size at the exit dose point for knowing the behavior of dose outside of radiotherapy treatment region. The medical physicists and physicians should take this law in radiotherapy treatment of the cancer

Association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposures in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data from 28 823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. We considered 11 occupations and grouped them by likelihood of exposure to organic dusts, inorganic dusts and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income. Results Overall, working in settings with potentially high exposure to dusts or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. The most common occupation was farming. Compared to people not working in any of the 11 considered occupations, those who were farmers for ≥20 years were more likely to have chronic cough (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19–1.94), wheeze (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16–1.63) and dyspnoea (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.53–2.20), but not lower FVC (β=0.02 L, 95% CI −0.02–0.06 L) or lower FEV1/FVC (β=0.04%, 95% CI −0.49–0.58%). Some findings differed by sex and gross national income. Conclusion At a population level, the occupational exposures considered in this study do not appear to be major determinants of differences in lung function, although they are associated with more respiratory symptoms. Because not all work settings were included in this study, respiratory surveillance should still be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.publishedVersio