Étude du régime alimentaire de deux souches de truite arc-en-ciel marocaine et bulgare dans deux plans d'eau du Moyen-Atlas Amghass I et Amghass II

Le présent travail porte sur l'étude du régime alimentaire de deux souches de truites arc-en-ciel : la souche marocaine issue de croisements de truites arc-en-ciel en provenance d'Europe et d'Amérique du nord et la souche bulgare introduite au Maroc en 1987. Les milieux d'étude sont deux plans d'eau du Moyen-Atlas marocain (Amghass I et Amghass II) présentant des eaux de bonne qualité physique et chimique et une diversité biologique (invertébrés) assez importante. Afin de déterminer les préférences alimentaires de ces deux souches nous avons évalué : le spectre alimentaire, déterminé par les abondances relatives, les coefficients d'occurrence des proies ingérées, l'indice alimentaire de Lauzanne pour les différentes catégories de proies et l'intensité de prédation des truites.Les résultats ont montré une similitude au niveau des régimes alimentaires des deux souches caractérisés par une nette préférence pour les larves et nymphes d'Insectes considérées comme proies essentielles.This current work is about the study of the dietary regime of two species of rainbow trout. The Moroccan kind is a cross breed of the European and North American Rainbow trout and the Bulgarian trout introduced into Morocco since 1987.The environments of study are two stretches of water in the "Moyen-Atlas" (Amghass I and Amghass II), which present water of good physical and chemical quality and are of quite important biological diversity.To determine the dietary preferences of the two species, we evaluated several parameters: the dietary spectrum which is determined by the relative abundance and the coefficient of occurence of ingested prey, the index alimentary of Lauzanne for the different categories of prey and how predatory the trout areThe results have shown a similarity in the level of dietary regimes of the two populations outlined by a clear preference for larvae and nymph insects which are considered to be essential prey

Understanding the origins of the intrinsic dead-layer effect in nanocapacitors

Thin films of high-permittivity dielectrics are considered ideal candidates for realizing high charge density nanosized capacitors for use in next generation energy storage and nanoelectronic applications. The experimentally observed capacitance of such film nanocapacitors is, however, an order of magnitude lower than expected. This dramatic drop in capacitance is attributed to the so called dead layer - a low-permittivity layer at the metal-dielectric interface in series with the high-permittivity dielectric. The exact nature of the dead layer and the reasons for its origin still remain somewhat unclear. Based on insights gained from recently published ab initio work on SrRuO3/SrTiO3/SrRuO3 and our first principle simulations on Au/MgO/Au and Pt/MgO/Pt nanocapacitors, we construct an analytical model that isolates the contributions of various physical mechanisms to the intrinsic dead layer. In particular we argue that strain-gradients automatically arise in very thin films even in absence of external strain inducers and, due to flexoelectric coupling, are dominant contributors to the dead layer effect. Our theoretical results compare well with existing as well as our own ab initio calculations and suggest that inclusion of flexoelectricity is necessary for qualitative reconciliation of atomistic results. Our results also hint at some novel remedies for mitigating the dead layer effect.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

A general wavelet-based profile decomposition in the critical embedding of function spaces

We characterize the lack of compactness in the critical embedding of functions spaces $X\subset Y$ having similar scaling properties in the following terms : a sequence $(u_n)_{n\geq 0}$ bounded in $X$ has a subsequence that can be expressed as a finite sum of translations and dilations of functions $(\phi_l)_{l>0}$ such that the remainder converges to zero in $Y$ as the number of functions in the sum and $n$ tend to $+\infty$. Such a decomposition was established by G\'erard for the embedding of the homogeneous Sobolev space $X=\dot H^s$ into the $Y=L^p$ in $d$ dimensions with $0<s=d/2-d/p$, and then generalized by Jaffard to the case where $X$ is a Riesz potential space, using wavelet expansions. In this paper, we revisit the wavelet-based profile decomposition, in order to treat a larger range of examples of critical embedding in a hopefully simplified way. In particular we identify two generic properties on the spaces $X$ and $Y$ that are of key use in building the profile decomposition. These properties may then easily be checked for typical choices of $X$ and $Y$ satisfying critical embedding properties. These includes Sobolev, Besov, Triebel-Lizorkin, Lorentz, H\"older and BMO spaces.Comment: 24 page

Acinos alpinus and Ziziphora hispanica: Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of Hydromethanolic Extracts from Aerial Parts

Acinos alpinus and Ziziphora hispanica belonging to the Lamiaceae family are well-known for their biological properties. The phenolic composition was characterized using HPLC coupled to photodiode array and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The antioxidant capacity was assessed by 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by disc-diffusion and broth micro-dilution methods. A total of 53 phenolic compounds were identified in both extracts, with the predominance of caffeoylquinic acid isomers with a content of 2.09 mg/g in A. alpinus extract, while coumarylquinic acid isomers with a content of 17.33 mg/g was determined in Z. hispanica extract. The Acinos alpinus extract displayed the highest radical scavenging activity (IC50 DPPH = 3.226±0.035 mg/mL) and reducing power (EC50 FRAP = 3.792±0.001 mg/mL), followed by Z. hispanica extract with IC50 DPPH value of 7.265±0.209 mg/mL, and EC50 FRAP value of 24.689± 0.106 mg/mL. Furthermore, both A. alpinus and Z. hispanica extracts exhibited a bactericidal effect against six pathogenic bacteria with a MIC value from 4.16 to 33.33 mg/mL. On the basis of the results achieved, the aerial parts of Moroccan Acinos alpinus and Ziziphora hispanica might be used as natural agents in the food and pharmaceutical field

Botanical and Genetic Identification Followed by Investigation of Chemical Composition and Biological Activities on the Scabiosa atropurpurea L. Stem from Tunisian Flora

Scarce information about the phenolic composition of Scabiosa atropurpurea L. is available, and no carotenoid compounds have been reported thus far. In this study the phenolic and carotenoid composition of this plant was both investigated and associated bioactivities were evaluated. Aiming to obtain extracts and volatile fractions of known medicinal plants to valorize them in the pharmaceutical or food industries, two techniques of extraction and five solvents were used to determine the biologically active compounds. Gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization and mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry highlighted the presence of 15 volatiles, 19 phenolic, and 24 natural pigments in Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem samples; among them, the most abundant were 1,8-cineole, chlorogenic acid, cynaroside, and lutein. Bioactivity was assessed by a set of in vitro tests checking for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and allelopathic (against Brassica oleracea L. and Lens culinaris Medik) effects. Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem extracts presented a considerable antioxidant, antibacterial, and allelopathic potential, with less antifungal effectiveness. These results indicate that the volatile fractions and extracts from S. atropurpurea L. stem could be considered as a good source of bioactive agents, with possible applications in food-related, agriculture, and pharmaceutical fields. Genetic investigations showed 97% of similarity with Scabiosa tschiliensis, also called Japanese Scabiosa

Chemical composition, nutritional value, and biological evaluation of Tunisian okra pods (Abelmoschus esculentus L. moench)

The aim of this work was to perform an unprecedented in-depth study on the bioactive phytochemicals of Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench Tunisian landrace (Marsaouia). For this purpose, its nutritional, aroma volatile, and phenolic profiles were characterized, and sundry biological activities were assessed in vitro. The approximate composition revealed that total dietary fiber as the most abundant macronutrient, mainly insoluble dietary fiber, followed by total carbohydrates and proteins. In addition, okra pods were rich in K, Ca, Mg, organic acids, tocopherols, and chlorophylls. Gas Chromatography-Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry (GC-EIMS) analysis showed that oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and phenylpropanoids were the predominant essential volatile components in A. esculentus pods. A total of eight flavonols were detected by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a DAD detector and mass spectrometry by electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD-MS/ESI); with quercetin-3-O-glucoside being the majority phenolic component, followed by quercetin-O-pentosyl-hexoside and quercetin-dihexoside. This pioneering study, evidences that Tunisian okra display promising antioxidant and cytotoxic actions, in addition to relevant inhibitory effects against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, and interesting analgesic activity

Phytochemical constituents, antioxidant activity, and toxicity assessment of the aerial part extracts from the infraspecific taxa of Matthiola fruticulosa (Brassicaceae) endemic to Sicily

In a project designed to investigate the specific and infraspecific taxa of Matthiola endemic to Sicily (Italy) as new potential sources of bioactive compounds in this work, the infraspecific taxa of Matthiola fruticulosa were studied, namely, subsp. fruticulosa and subsp. coronopifolia. HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS and SPME-GC/MS analyses of hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of the two subspecies led to the detection of 51 phenolics and 61 volatile components, highlighting a quite different qualitative-quantitative profile. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were explored through in vitro methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity assays. The results of the antioxidant tests showed that the extracts possess a different antioxidant ability: Particularly, the extract of M. fruticulosa subsp. fruticulosa exhibited higher radical scavenging activity than that of subsp. coronopifolia (IC50 = 1.25 ± 0.02 mg/mL and 2.86 ± 0.05 mg/mL), which in turn displayed better chelating properties (IC50 = 1.49 ± 0.01 mg/mL and 0.63 ± 0.01 mg/mL). Lastly, Artemia salina lethality bioassay was performed for toxicity assessment. The results of the bioassay showed lack of toxicity against brine shrimp larvae for both extracts. The data presented indicate the infraspecific taxa of M. fruticulosa as new and safe sources of antioxidant compounds

Zn treatment effects on biological potential of fennel bulbs as affected by in vitro digestion process

Zn treatment effects on the stability of polyphenols, MDA (malondialdehyde) content, antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibition activities of two varieties of fennel bulbs were studied by using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model. Likewise, the effect of Zn on viability cells of E. coli was also performed. The results revealed that high amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were released during the digestion process, especially after the intestinal phase. Additionally, the antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity were affected by the gastrointestinal digestion process and seems to be correlated with total phenol contents. On the other hand, the viability of E. coli was not affected by the activity of our tested bulbs during passage through the artificial digestion model, but the treated bulbs activity contribute relatively to the inhibition growth of bacteria. The survival of E. coli in fennel bulbs was challenged with simulated gastrointestinal fluids and the results showed that the E. coli strains, despite having experienced a viability reduction at the intestinal phase, were able to overcome the exposure to the gastrointestinal synthetic fluids. This E. coli ability reinforces the need for good hygienic measures to assure safe fresh produce, even for those that are rich in antibacterial compounds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Highly Efficient Elimination of Colorectal Tumor-Initiating Cells by an EpCAM/CD3-Bispecific Antibody Engaging Human T Cells

With their resistance to genotoxic and anti-proliferative drugs and potential to grow tumors and metastases from very few cells, cancer stem or tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are a severe limitation for the treatment of cancer by conventional therapies. Here, we explored whether human T cells that are redirected via an EpCAM/CD3-bispecific antibody called MT110 can lyse colorectal TICs and prevent tumor growth from TICs. MT110 recognizes EpCAM, a cell adhesion molecule expressed on TICs from diverse human carcinoma, which was recently shown to promote tumor growth through engagement of elements of the wnt pathway. MT110 was highly potent in mediating complete redirected lysis of KRAS-, PI3 kinase- and BRAF-mutated colorectal TICs, as demonstrated in a soft agar assay. In immunodeficient mice, MT110 prevented growth of tumors from a 5,000-fold excess of a minimally tumorigenic TIC dose. T cells engaged by MT110 may provide a potent therapeutic means to eradicate TICs and bulk tumor cells derived thereof