Polymorphism at High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits and Morphological Diversity of Aegilops geniculata Roth Collected in Algeria

A collection of 35 accessions of the tetraploid wild wheat Aegilops geniculata Roth (MM, UU) sampled in northern Algeria was evaluated for morphological and biochemical variability. Morphological and ecological analyses based on morphological traits and bioclimatic parameters, respectively, were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA). Accessions were differentiated by width characters, namely spike’s width, and a weak relationship between morphological traits and ecological parameters was found. Polymorphism of high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits was carried on by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Among accessions analyzed, 27 alleles were identified at the two loci Glu-M1 and Glu-U1: resulting in twenty-nine patterns and a nomenclature was proposed. Two alleles at the Glu-U1 locus expressed a new subunit with a slightly slower mobility than subunit 8. These results provide new information regarding the genetic variability of HMW glutenin subunits, as well as their usefulness in cultivated wheat quality improvement

Prevalence of Eimeria species, detected by ITS1-PCR, in broiler poultry farms located in seven provinces of northeastern Algeria.

Coccidiosis is an important global chickens' disease which can cause serious economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Little is known about the extent of infection or diversity, of the causative agent Eimeria spp., in Algeria. A priority, therefore, is to determine the prevalence and species composition to inform strategies on treatments and control measures. Samples were collected from 187 broiler farms, located in 7 Northeastern Algerian provinces (Jijel, Constantine, Skikda, Mila, Setif, Batna, Bordj bou-Arreridj), and Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 PCR (ITS1-PCR) was used to determine the prevalence and composition of Eimeria species in chickens. The survey revealed the presence of all seven species of Eimeria at different prevalences (E. maxima (69%), E. acervulina (68.4%), E. necatrix (11.2%), E. tenella (8%), E. praecox (4.3%), E. mitis (2.1%), E. brunetti (2.1%). Multiple infections, with up to 4 different Eimeria species present on a single farm, were the most frequent situation in our samples (51.9% mixed infections versus 47.6% single infections). All farms revealed infected samples, and we conclude that this parasite is a significant problem in these provinces

Investigation into the potential of using UV-treated sporulated oocysts of Eimeria tenella as a local solution to immunization of chickens against caecal coccidiosis

In this study, we aim to evaluate the immune response of chickens to UV-treated sporulated oocysts as a means of protection against caecal coccidiosis caused by field strains of Eimeria tenella. Two groups of chicks were immunized using prepared UV-treated oocysts of E. tenella and challenged at day 20 post hatching. The first group was immunized only once at day 1 post hatching, the second group was immunized twice (day 1 and day 8 post hatching). Two non-immunized control groups were used: the first group was challenged with E. tenella, while the second group remained uninfected. The effectiveness of immunization on production and animal health was evaluated by the following criteria: body weight, feed conversion ratio, blood in faeces, mortality, lesion scores and oocyst output. The two immunized groups showed a significantly better performance in body weight, weight gain and lesion scores than the non-immunized group. However, all three groups performed significantly worse than the unchallenged group. The mortality of the non-immunized infected group was high (70%) while mortality in both immunized and unchallenged groups of chickens was significantly lower (range 2.2 to 4.4%) than the infected group (p < 0.05). The production of oocysts in faeces, post-infection, was significantly higher in the non-immunized group compared to the immunized group (p < 0.05) and both were significantly higher than the uninfected group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, immunization by prepared UV-irradiated oocysts is effective in stimulating at least a partial protective immunity in immunized chickens against caecal coccidiosis

Prediction of interfacial behaviour of single flax fibre bonded to various matrices by simulation of microdroplet test

The microdroplet test is commonly used to determine the apparent interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of fibre-reinforced microcomposites. A deeper analysis of the test outcome can provide meaningful information about the fibre/matrix interface behaviour if a predictive approach is adopted. In this study, this predictive approach was used to investigate the quality of interface for polymer drops bonded single flax fibre at the microscale. Microdroplets of five thermoplastics matrices were prepared with single flax fibres. Microbond test was performed to assess the force–displacement curves of the studied composite systems. In addition, a finite element (FE) modelling methodology was adopted to quantify the interfacial role by proposing an interfacial constitutive law including the debonding stage. The numerical sensitivity results reveal the leading role of the interfacial stiffness as well as the fibre–matrix separation displacement in triggering the debonding behaviour. In addition, the numerical responses show strong matching with experimental trends using the proposed interfacial model for a wide variety of fibre/matrix interactions. The identification of the mechanical behaviour of the considered composite system shows that the best performing system is flax fibre/PLA, allowing a maximum fibre–matrix separation of 156 µm and an interfacial stiffness of 47 GPa/mm. The worst performing system is flax fibre/PP, which has a limited fibre–matrix separation of 55 µm. This study concludes that the proposed numerical model is able to capture the interfacial shear behaviour of polymeric drops bonded to a single flax fibre, which allows its extension at the mesoscale for a given arrangement of flax fibres in the bio-based composites

Modelling microwave devices using artificial neural networks / Mikrobangų įtaisų modeliavimas, taikant dirbtinių neuronų tinklus

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have recently gained attention as fast and flexible equipment for modelling and designing microwave devices. The paper reviews the opportunities to use them for undertaking the tasks on the analysis and synthesis. The article focuses on what tasks might be solved using neural networks, what challenges might rise when using artificial neural networks for carrying out tasks on microwave devices and discusses problem-solving techniques for microwave devices with intermittent characteristics. Santrauka Nagrinėjamos dirbtinių neuronų tinklų taikymo galimybės mikrobangų įtaisams tirti. Apžvelgiami eksperimentiniai ir teoriniai darbai. Pateikiama apibendrinta informacija apie uždavinius, sprendžiamus taikant neuronų tinklus, problemas, kylančias dirbtinius neuronų tinklus taikant mikrobangų uždaviniams spręsti, ir problemų sprendimo būdus. Pateikiama bendra neuronų tinklų struktūra ir konkretūs neuronų tinklų naudojimo pavyzdžiai. Reikšminiai žodžiai: mikrobangų įtaisai, neuronų tinklai, lėtinimo sistemos, iteraciniai skaičiavimai