Investigation of genetic variability related to the in vitro floral hermaphrodism induction in Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

This paper reports on a molecular analysis study conducted on Date palm flowers from the Deglet Nour cultivar to investigate putative genetic variability related to the in vitro floral hermaphrodism induction. Natural male and female as well as hermaphrodite ones that were produced in vitro through the hormonal treatment of female flowers were submitted to ISSR-PCR analysis. Microsatellite based amplification (ISSR) was applied on genomic DNA from inflorescences taken at different periods of hormonal treatment corresponding to the various deviation stages to search for putative variations that may have occurred on the initial genome due to the application of plant growth regulators. Several amplification bands were purified, cloned, and sequenced. The results revealed that hormonal treatment entailed no detectable genetic variation in the treated Date palm flowers. Two of the selected and ISSR-PCR amplified DNA fragments showed however, possible links with flowering regulation. The findings indicate that these sequences are potential candidate gene markers that may enhance our understanding of flower development and sex identification in this species.Key words: Date palm, female inflorescences, hermaphrodite flowers, in vitro culture, ISSR, sex identification

Carcinome Anaplasique De La Thyroïde: A Propos De 11cas

Introduction : le carcinome anaplasique de la thyroïde est une tumeur rare, mais agressive. Le but de notre travail est d\'étudier les aspects cliniques et de discuter les modalités thérapeutiques de ce cancer. Matériel et méthodes : Il s\'agit d\'une étude rétrospective de 11 cas de carcinomes anaplasiques de la thyroïde colligés et traités au service d\'ORL et de CCF du CHU Farhat Hached Sousse sur une période de 16 ans (1990-2005). Résultats : l\'âge moyen de nos malades était de 60 ans, il s´agissait de 7 femmes et 4 hommes. Les signes de compression locale étaient présents dans 7 cas et l\'examen physique a objectivé un goitre chez 8 malades avec une taille moyenne de 6 cm. L\'atteinte ganglionnaire était observée dans 8 cas et les métastases à distance dans 2 cas. 4 malades ont eu une trachéotomie en urgence avec biopsie thyroïdienne. Les 7 autres malades ont eu une thyroïdectomie totale associée à un curage cervical bilatéral. La radiothérapie a été indiquée dans 10 cas, elle était palliative dans 6 cas. L\'évolution était fatale chez 10 malades avec une survie inférieure à un an. Une seule patiente est en vie, en rémission complète avec un recul de 10 ans. Conclusion : malgré les multiples modalités thérapeutiques envisagées, le pronostic du carcinome anaplasique de la thyroïde reste fâcheux avec une survie ne dépassant qu\'exceptionnellement un an.Introduction: thyroid anaplasic carcinoma of is a rare, but aggressive tumour. Our aim is to study the clinical aspects and to discuss the therapeutic methods of this cancer with great metastatic capacity and bad prognosis. Material and methods: It is a retrospective study of 11 cases of thyroid anaplasic carcinoma treated in the ENT department of Farhat Hached Hospital over one 16 years period (1990-2005). Results: the average age of our patients was 60 years with a female prevalence. The signs of local compression were present in 7 cases and the physical examination objectified a goitre among 8 patients with an average size of 6 cm. Lymph nodes were observed in 8 cases and metastases were noted among 2 patients. 4 patients had a tracheotomy in urgency and 7 other patients had a total thyroïdectomy associated to a bilateral lymph node dissection. The radiotherapy was indicated in 10 cases, palliative in 6 cases. The survival was less than one year for 10 patients. Only one patient is still alive with a complete remission after 10 years of follow up. Conclusion: in spite of the multiple therapeutic methods considered, the prognosis of anaplasic carcinoma of the thyroid is very bad with a survival exceeding rarely a year. Journal Tunisien d\'ORL et de chirurgie cervico-faciale Vol. 16 2006: pp. 12-1

Besov-Type Spaces on Rd and Integrability for the Dunkl Transform

In this paper, we show the inclusion and the density of the Schwartz space in Besov-Dunkl spaces and we prove an interpolation formula for these spaces by the real method. We give another characterization for these spaces by convolution. Finally, we establish further results concerning integrability of the Dunkl transform of function in a suitable Besov-Dunkl space

Electromechanical analysis of an adaptive piezoelectric energy harvester controlled by two segmented electrodes with shunt circuit networks

This paper presents an adaptive power harvester using a shunted piezoelectric control system with segmented electrodes. This technique has spurred new capability for widening the three simultaneous resonance frequency peaks using only a single piezoelectric laminated beam where normally previous works only provide a single peak for the resonance at the first mode. The benefit of the proposed techniques is that it provides effective and robust broadband power generation for application in self-powered wireless sensor devices. The smart structure beam with proof mass offset is considered to have simultaneous combination between vibration-based power harvesting and shunt circuit control-based electrode segments. As a result, the system spurs new development of the two mathematical methods using electromechanical closed-boundary value techniques and Ritz method-based weak-form analytical approach. The two methods have been used for comparison giving accurate results. For different electrode lengths using certain parametric tuning and harvesting circuit systems, the technique enables the prediction of the power harvesting that can be further proved to identify the performance of the system using the effect of varying circuit parameters so as to visualize the frequency and time waveform responses

New materials and devices for preventing catheter-related infections

Catheters are the leading source of bloodstream infections for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Comprehensive unit-based programs have proven to be effective in decreasing catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs). ICU rates of CR-BSI higher than 2 per 1,000 catheter-days are no longer acceptable. The locally adapted list of preventive measures should include skin antisepsis with an alcoholic preparation, maximal barrier precautions, a strict catheter maintenance policy, and removal of unnecessary catheters. The development of new technologies capable of further decreasing the now low CR-BSI rate is a major challenge. Recently, new materials that decrease the risk of skin-to-vein bacterial migration, such as new antiseptic dressings, were extensively tested. Antimicrobial-coated catheters can prevent CR-BSI but have a theoretical risk of selecting resistant bacteria. An antimicrobial or antiseptic lock may prevent bacterial migration from the hub to the bloodstream. This review discusses the available knowledge about these new technologies

Impulsive Noise Cancellation in Multicarrier Transmission

International audienc