60 research outputs found
Antifungal activity of methanolic extracts of four Algerian marine algae species
Since ancient times antimicrobial properties of seaweeds have been recognized. In this study, antifungal activity of four species of marine algae of Bejaia coast (Algeria) was explored. This activity was evaluated by agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were also determined for all the strains. All the extracts used in this study exhibited antifungal activity. The highest inhibiting effect was noted for Rhodomela confervoides (red algae) and Padina pavonica (brown algae), respectively against Candida albicans (diameter of inhibition zone: 24 mm) and Mucor ramaniannus (diameter of inhibition zone: 26 mm) for the first one and Candida albicans (diameter of inhibition zone: 26 mm) for the second one. Aspergillus niger showed resistance against majority of methanolic extracts. The evaluation of minimum inhibitory concentrations showed that extracts of Padina pavonica, Rhodomela confervoides and Ulva lactuca were very efficient against Mucor ramaniannus and Candida albicans. These results suggest that seaweeds collected from Algerian coast present a significant capacity which makes them interesting for screening for natural products.Key words: Marine algae, antifungal activity, methanolic extracts, natural substances
An educational tool for enhanced mobile e-Learning for technical higher education using mobile devices for augmented reality
In all dimensions of education and all subjects, Smartphones have turned out to be broadly acknowledged
technology. It plays an essential task in advanced online education systems. Because of smart devices� effortlessness and extension property, it is getting to be mandatory for portable applications. This paper analyses the
research on Smart Devices (SD) to incorporate visual simulation into e-learning. The researchers created an
Augmented Reality (AR) platform for e-learners to expand the coursebook with graphics and virtual multimedia
applications. This paper recommends a Mobile e-Learning (MeL) application termed �MeL app. The advanced
MeL app methods have been tested using Mann-Whitney �U� Test in the lecture hall using real-time learners. The
proposed MeL app planned to create the learning practice easier, focusing on e-learner�s requirements by
encouraging e-learners and instructor relationships to maintain communicative development-based e-learning for
Technical Higher Education (THE). Software engineering learners assess this proposed framework in THE. Future
work in this investigation incorporates new highlights, testing the device in extreme situations, evaluating the
instructive perspectives utilizing more significant and increasingly various understudy and beginner inhabitants,
and at last, extending the application space
Assessment of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Cystoseira mediterranea and Padina pavonica from Algerian North-East for a Potential Use as a Food Preservative
The aim of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of two marine algae, Cystoseira mediterranea and Padina pavonica, extracts. Total phenols (TPC), carotenoids, and phlorotannins contents of the extracts obtained by four extraction solvents were determined and compared. The highest TPC content was observed for aqueous extract of C. mediterranea with 37.09±0.46 mg GAE/g DE followed by ethanol extract of P. pavonica (24.28±0.99 mg GAE/g DE), which showed the highest phlorotannins content (1.18±0.18 mg PE/g DE), while its methanol extract held carotenoids content of 66.96±4.78 ÎŒg gâ1 DE. Ethanol extract of C. mediterranea exhibited the best antioxidant activity with an EC50 of 58.3±1.16 ÎŒg mlâ1. The antibacterial activity screening against MRSA and E. coli showed that ethanol extract of C. mediterranea towards a Methicillin resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (20.33±0.28 mm) and E. coli (15.66±0.57 mm) was more efficient with MICs about 80 mg mlâ1 and 20 mg mlâ1, respectively. Ethanol extract of C. mediterranea seems to have the highest potential for use in food industries
Effect of climate on the epidemiology of bovine hypodermosis in algeria
In order to explore the effect of climate on cattle warble fly infestation, a total of 1.635 animals from 4 departments of Northern Algeria were examined visually and by manual palpation for the presence of warbles. Cattle were examined from March to
June 2014, coinciding with the peak of emergence of warbles, and both the prevalence and intensity of infestation were recorded. The departments included in this study were located in the two different climatic areas in Northern Algeria:
humid (Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou) and semi-arid (Tissemssilt and Ain Defla). The overall prevalence was 28.75%; the intensity of infestation ranged from 1 to 98 warbles per animal (mean 18.93±11.05). The prevalence and intensity of infestation within the departments with semi-arid climate (38.23%; 21.57±11.98) was significantly higher than in those with humid climate (20.74%; 14.84±7.86). The CHAID algorithm showed the climate as the most influencing factor for warble fly prevalence, followed by
the husbandry system and breed. Logistic regression and multivariate ANOVA indicate that in addition to climate, other intrinsic (age, breed) and extrinsic factors (husbandry system, treatment) included in the study also were associated with both, prevalence and intensity of infestation. Our results indicate that in semiarid areas of Northern Algeria environmental conditions are more favorable for the development of free stages (pupae and adult flies) of Hypoderma spp life-cycle than in humid areas
Examining the stability of membrane proteins within SMALPs
Amphipathic co-polymers such as styrene-maleic acid (SMA) have gained popularity over the last few years due to their ability and ease of use in solubilising and purifying membrane proteins in comparison to conventional methods of extraction such as detergents. SMA2000 is widely used for membrane protein studies and is considered as the optimal polymer for this technique. In this study a side-by-side comparison of SMA2000 with the polymer SZ30010 was carried out as both these polymers have similar styrene:maleic acid ratios and average molecular weights. Ability to solubilise, purify and stabilise membrane proteins was tested using three structurally different membrane proteins. Our results show that both polymers can be used to extract membrane proteins at a comparable efficiency to conventional detergent dodecylmaltoside (DDM). SZ30010 was found to give a similar protein yield and, SMALP disc size as SMA2000, and both polymers offered an increased purity and increased thermostability compared to DDM. Further investigation was conducted to investigate SMALP sensitivity to divalent cations. It was found that the sensitivity is polymer specific and not dependent on the protein encapsulated. Neither is it affected by the concentration of SMALPs. Larger divalent cations such as Co2+ and Zn2+ resulted in an increased sensitivity
Relating industrial symbiosis and circular economy to the sustainable development debate
Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a business-focused collaborative approach oriented towards resource efficiency that has been theorised and studied mainly over the last twenty-five years. Recently, IS seems to have found a renewed impetus in the framework of the Circular Economy (CE), a novel approach to sustainability and Sustainable Development (SD) that has been rapidly gaining momentum world-wide. This opening chapter of the book provides an introduction to the concepts of IS, CE and SD, and summarizes their complex evolutionary paths, recalling the rel-evant developments and implementation challenges. In addition, the authors point out the divergences and interrelations of these concepts, both among themselves and with other related concepts and research fields, such as industrial ecology, eco-logical modernization and the green economy. Furthermore, the potential contribu-tion of IS and the CE to SD is briefly discussed, also highlighting critical issues and trade-offs, as well as gaps in research and application, especially relating to the so-cial component of sustainability. Particular attention is given to the potential role of IS in the achievement of targets connected to the Sustainable Development Goals set in the UN Agenda 2030. The recent advances in the IS and CE discussion in the context of the SD research community are further explored, with particular empha-sis on the contribution of the International Sustainable Development Research So-ciety (ISDRS) and its 24th annual conference organised in Messina, Italy, in 2018. The programme of that conference, indeed, included specific tracks on the above-mentioned themes, the contents of which are briefly commented on here, after an overview on the whole conference and the main cross-cutting concepts emerged. In the last part of the chapter, a brief description of the chapters collected in the book is presented. These contributions describe and discuss theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches and/or experiences and case studies where IS and the principles of CE are applied in different geographical context and at different scales to ultimately improve the sustainability of the current production patterns
Consensus Middle East and North Africa Registry on Inborn Errors of Immunity
Background: Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic defects of immunity, which cause high rates of morbidity and mortality mainly among children due to infectious and non-infectious complications. The IEI burden has been critically underestimated in countries from middle- and low-income regions and the majority of patients with IEI in these regions lack a molecular diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed the clinical, immunologic, and genetic data of IEI patients from 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The data was collected from national registries and diverse databases such as the Asian Pacific Society for Immunodeficiencies (APSID) registry, African Society for Immunodeficiencies (ASID) registry, Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) registry, J Project centers, and International Consortium on Immune Deficiency (ICID) centers. Results: We identified 17,120 patients with IEI, among which females represented 39.4%. Parental consanguinity was present in 60.5% of cases and 27.3% of the patients were from families with a confirmed previous family history of IEI. The median age of patients at the onset of disease was 36Â months and the median delay in diagnosis was 41Â months. The rate of registered IEI patients ranges between 0.02 and 7.58 per 100,000 population, and the lowest rates were in countries with the highest rates of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and death rates for children. Predominantly antibody deficiencies were the most frequent IEI entities diagnosed in 41.2% of the cohort. Among 5871 patients genetically evaluated, the diagnostic yield was 83% with the majority (65.2%) having autosomal recessive defects. The mortality rate was the highest in patients with non-syndromic combined immunodeficiency (51.7%, median age: 3.5Â years) and particularly in patients with mutations in specific genes associated with this phenotype (RFXANK, RAG1, and IL2RG). Conclusions: This comprehensive registry highlights the importance of a detailed investigation of IEI patients in the MENA region. The high yield of genetic diagnosis of IEI in this region has important implications for prevention, prognosis, treatment, and resource allocation
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