Evaluation of factors influencing the groundwater chemistry in a small tropical island of Malaysia.

Groundwater chemistry of small tropical islands is influenced by many factors, such as recharge, weathering and seawater intrusion, among others, which interact with each other in a very complex way. In this work, multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate the factors controlling the groundwater chemistry of Kapas Island (Malaysia). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 17 hydrochemical parameters from 108 groundwater samples obtained from 18 sampling sites. PCA extracted four PCs, namely seawater intrusion, redox reaction, anthropogenic pollution and weather factors, which collectively were responsible for more than 87% of the total variance of the island’s hydrochemistry. The cluster analysis indicated that three factors (weather, redox reaction and seawater intrusion) controlled the hydrochemistry of the area, and the variables were allocated to three groups based on similarity. A Piper diagram classified the island’s water types into Ca-HCO3 water type, Na-HCO3 water type, Na-SO4-Cl water type and Na-Cl water type, indicating recharge, mixed, weathering and leached from sewage and seawater intrusion, respectively. This work will provide policy makers and land managers with knowledge of the precise water quality problems affecting the island and can also serve as a guide for hydrochemistry assessments of other islands that share similar characteristics with the island in question

Pacifica: Poetry International: Revolutions in Tunisian Poetry

A collection of contemporary poetry from Tunisia, including poems in translation with their French and Arabic original texts

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Écriture et pouvoir : l’exemple de l’aphorisme dans L’Homme révolté d’Albert Camus

L’écriture, la parole camusienne vacillent entre deux infinis : le verbe total et le silence ineffable, le soupir. D’un côté, l’écriture prolixe, paroxystique. De l’autre, la concision qui frôle le silence. Tout est dans le non-dit, parole en pointillé, en suspension, flottant entre le blanc, le silence qui enserre la pensée, l’aphorisme. Il existe dans L’Homme révolté de Camus des foyers de concentration, des « énoncés simples » dont la deixis textuelle est indigente, qui semblent fermés sur..

Arbuscular mycorrhizas by contact with mycorrhized[i] Stylosanthes guianensi[/i]s enhance P use efficiency for N-2 fixation in the common bean ([i]Phaseolus vulgaris[/i] L.)

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotype Flamingo was inoculated with Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 and Glomus intraradices by mycorrhizal inoculant or by contact with mycorrhized Stylosanthes guianensis and grown under sufficient versus deficient phosphorus supply after transfer from initial sand culture, for comparing the effects of double inoculation (by contact or by inoculant) on growth, nodulation, mycorrhization of the roots, phosphorus use efficiency and total nitrogen. Although, the results showed that the double inoculation induced a significant increase in all parameters whatever the phosphorus supply and the cultivation systems in comparison to control and no significant difference between both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) treatments. Significant differences among colonization and nodulation of the roots and growth were found in both hydroaeroponic and sand culture. Nevertheless, the highest phosphorus use efficiency and plant total nitrogen were found under P deficiency in both AMF treatments. It is concluded that inoculation with rhizobial and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (by contact or by inoculant) could improve symbiotic nitrogen fixation even under phosphorus deficiency

Comparison between the reference [i]Rhizobium tropic[/i]i CIAT899 and the native [i]Rhizobium etl[/i]i 12a3 for some nitrogen fixation parameters in common bean ([i]Phaseolus vulgaris[/i] L.) under water stress

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699Drought stress is one of the most important factors limiting plant growth; in particular, water is regarded as a major problem in symbiotic nitrogen fixation for legume growth. The adverse effects of water stress on the rhizobial symbiosis of common bean genotypes CocoT and Flamingo were investigated in field conditions. Common bean plants were inoculated with rhizobia strains: Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 or Rhizobium etli 12a3, and grown under field conditions, plants were spray irrigated until the first flower was observed on set. Irrigation was stopped for 20 days in plants submitted to water stress. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used with polyclonal antibody to assess the occupancy in nodule of the rhizobia used for inoculation. Under water stress, a significant decrease in nodule population, nodules biomass, shoot content of nitrogen, growth and chlorophyll with all symbioses, whereas proline accumulation increased. The interaction between symbioses and water stress for all parameters was significant. Overall, 12a3 was more efficient than CIAT899 for Flamingo, though not for CocoT. It is concluded that symbiosis between Flamingo and 12a3 has potential for application in field under water stress in desert soil

Combined inoculation with [i]Glomus intraradices[/i] and [i]Rhizobium tropici[/i] CIAT899 increases phosphorus use efficiency for symbiotic nitrogen fixation in common bean ([i]Phaseolus vulgaris[/i] L.)

Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699This study compared the response of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia strain inoculation. Two common bean genotypes i.e. CocoT and Flamingo varying in their effectiveness for nitrogen fixation were inoculated with Glomus intraradices and Rhizobium tropici CIAT899, and grown for 50 days in soil-sand substrate in glasshouse conditions. Inoculation of common bean plants with the AM fungi resulted in a significant increase in nodulation compared to plants without inoculation. The combined inoculation of AM fungi and rhizobia significantly increased various plant growth parameters compared to simple inoculated plants. In addition, the combined inoculation of AM fungi and rhizobia resulted in significantly higher nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation in the shoots of common bean plants and improved phosphorus use efficiency compared with their controls, which were not dually inoculated. It is concluded that inoculation with rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could improve the efficiency in phosphorus use for symbiotic nitrogen fixation especially under phosphorus deficiency

Flamingo is a new common bean ([i]Phaseolus vulgaris[/i] L.) genotype with tolerance of symbiotic nitrogen fixation to moderate salinity

Salinity is one of the major environmental threats to agriculture. In particular, soil salinization is a major limiting factor of symbiotic nitrogen fixation for legume growth. The adverse effects of salinity on the rhizobial symbiosis of common bean genotypes CocoT and Flamingo and the subsequent photosynthesis and plant-growth were investigated in glasshouse. Common bean plants were grown in sterilized sand and irrigated with salt concentrations of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 gl-1, respectively and inoculated with rhizobial strains of Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 or Rhizobium etli 12a3. Nodule number and biomass, shoot content of nitrogen and chlorophyll were decreased by increasing salinity with all used symbiosis, whereas, the proline accumulation increased. The interaction between symbioses and salt levels for all parameters was highly significant. Overall, Flamingo inoculated with R. etli had the highest plant growth and nitrogen fixation under salinity. It is concluded that Flamingo has potential for application in field conditions exposed to soil salinization or irrigated with saline water, unless native rhizobial would interact negatively