Impact of Treated Wastewater Reuse on Agriculture and Aquifer Recharge in a Coastal Area: Korba Case Study

Treated wastewater (TWW) reuse has increasingly been integrated in the planning and development of water resources in Tunisia. The present study aimed the evaluation of the environmental and health impact that would have the reuse of TWW for crops direct irrigation or for the recharge of the local aquifer in Korba (Tunisia). For this purpose water analyses were carried on the TWW intended for the aquifer recharge and on underground water of this area. As for underground water before recharge, no contamination by organic matter or heavy metals is shown but high salinity, nitrate, potassium and chloride concentrations are detected. The bacteriological analyses show the occurrence of faecal streptococcus, thermo-tolerant coliforms, total coliforms and E coli, but absence of salmonella. These results indicate that this water is not suitable for irrigation worse still for drinking purpose. The monitoring of TWW pollutants has demonstrated that oxygen demands (COD and BOD) do not exceed the Tunisian standards for TWW used in agriculture (NT 106.03) except for August when samples reach high values (COD = 139 mg O₂ L^− 1, BOD = 34). It is also the case for temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity and pH. Heavy metal concentrations are under the detection limit. The determination of nutrients shows relatively low concentrations of nitrates, nitrites and orthophosphate (the maxima in mg L^− 1 are respectively 6.6, 5.6 and 0.92) whereas the potassium levels are high (up to 48.8 mg L^− 1) and the ammonia levels very high, reaching 60.6 mg L^− 1. As for bacteriological pollution, while no salmonella and intestinal nematods are detected, high concentrations of total coliforms, thermo-tolerant coliforms, faecal streptococci and E. coli are analysed. Consequently, the better use of TWW in this region would be the use of infiltration basins for the recharge of the deteriorated aquifer by TWW. It would give the opportunity to better the quality of the TWW reaching the groundwater by an additional treatment for bacteriological and suspended solid (TSS) contaminants while being an alternative water for the aquifer recharge and a coastal barrier against seawater intrusion.     

An approach for extracting a small unsatisfiable core

The article addresses the problem of finding a small unsatisfiable core of an unsatisfiable CNF formula. The proposed algorithm, CoreTrimmer, iterates over each internal node d in the resolution graph that ‘consumes’ a large number of clauses M (i.e., a large number of original clauses are present in the unsat core with the sole purpose of proving d) and attempts to prove them without the M clauses. If this is possible, it transforms the resolution graph into a new graph that does not have the M clauses at its core. CoreTrimmer can be integrated into a fixpoint framework similarly to Malik and Zhang’s fix-point algorithm run_till_ fix. We call this option trim_till_fix. Experimental evaluation on a large number of industrial CNF unsatisfiable formulas shows that trim_till_fix doubles, on average, the number of reduced clauses in comparison to run_till_fix. It is also better when used as a component in a bigger system that enforces short timeouts.     

Tumor-Targeting Peptides Search Strategy for the Delivery of Therapeutic and Diagnostic Molecules to Tumor Cells

Background: The combination of the unique properties of cancer cells makes it possible to find specific ligands that interact directly with the tumor, and to conduct targeted tumor therapy. Phage display is one of the most common methods for searching for specific ligands. Bacteriophages display peptides, and the peptides themselves can be used as targeting molecules for the delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Phage display can be performed both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, it is possible to carry out the phage display on cells pre-enriched for a certain tumor marker, for example, CD44 and CD133. Methods: For this work we used several methods, such as phage display, sequencing, cell sorting, immunocytochemistry, phage titration. Results: We performed phage display using different screening systems (in vitro and in vivo), different phage libraries (Ph.D-7, Ph.D-12, Ph.D-C7C) on CD44+/CD133+ and without enrichment U-87 MG cells. The binding efficiency of bacteriophages displayed tumor-targeting peptides on U-87 MG cells was compared in vitro. We also conducted a comparative analysis in vivo of the specificity of the accumulation of selected bacteriophages in the tumor and in the control organs (liver, brain, kidney and lungs). Conclusions: The screening in vivo of linear phage peptide libraries for glioblastoma was the most effective strategy for obtaining tumor-targeting peptides providing targeted delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to glioblastoma.     

Stabilization of Ethyl‐Cellulose Oleogel Network Using Lauric Acid

The use of oleogels in a wide range of applications requires a broad diversity of gel properties tailored for each purpose. The current research explores the combination of ethyl‐cellulose (EC) with lauric acid (LA), at different ratios with an emphasis to explore each component contribution and function in the gel structure and properties. The results suggest that oleogel physical properties strongly depend on the EC concentration. A transition from antagonistic to synergistic behavior between EC and LA with respect to the mechanical properties is observed above 4 wt% polymer. This behavior is seen in all LA concentrations, suggesting that the main effect arises from the EC while the LA acts as a stabilizer. In addition, LA reduces EC gelation temperature from approximately 140 °C to 79–101 °C, depending on the EC concentration, suggesting a ‘plasticizing’ effect. The recovery ability of EC oleogel after large amplitude deformation is improved from 16% to 34% due to the LA crystalline nature. LA crystal structure is not affected by EC concentration; however its crystallization temperature shifts to a lower temperature. Practical Applications: These results provide a broad overview of the composition‐function relation obtained while combining EC with LA.     

Effects of Ultrasonic Nanocrystal Surface Modification (UNSM) on Residual Stress State and Fatigue Strength of AISI 304

The effects of a new mechanical surface treatment method, called ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM), on near-surface microstructures and residual stress states as well as on the fatigue behavior of an austenitic steel AISI 304 are investigated and discussed. The results are compared with consequences of other mechanical surface treatment methods such as deep rolling or shot peening.     

YES1 as a Therapeutic Target for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer after Trastuzumab and Trastuzumab-Emtansine (T-DM1) Resistance Development

Trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1) is a therapeutic agent molecularly targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), and it is especially effective for MBC with resistance to trastuzumab. Although several reports have described T-DM1 resistance, few have examined the mechanism underlying T-DM1 resistance after the development of acquired resistance to trastuzumab. We previously reported that YES1, a member of the Src family, plays an important role in acquired resistance to trastuzumab in HER2-amplified breast cancer cells. We newly established a trastuzumab/T-DM1-dual-resistant cell line and analyzed the resistance mechanisms in this cell line. At first, the T-DM1 effectively inhibited the YES1-amplified trastuzumab-resistant cell line, but resistance to T-DM1 gradually developed. YES1 amplification was further enhanced after acquired resistance to T-DM1 became apparent, and the knockdown of the YES1 or the administration of the Src inhibitor dasatinib restored sensitivity to T-DM1. Our results indicate that YES1 is also strongly associated with T-DM1 resistance after the development of acquired resistance to trastuzumab, and the continuous inhibition of YES1 is important for overcoming resistance to T-DM1.     

Correlation of MET-Receptor Overexpression with MET Gene Amplification and Patient Outcome in Malignant Mesothelioma

Thanks to clinically newly introduced inhibitors of the mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET) receptor tyrosine-kinase, MET-gene copy number gain/amplification (MET-GCNG/GA) and increased expression of the MET protein are considered very promising therapeutic targets in lung cancer and other malignancies. However, to which extent these MET alterations occur in malignant mesothelioma (MM) remains unclear. Thus, we investigated by well-established immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization methods, the frequency of these alterations in specimens from 155 consecutive MMs of different subtypes obtained from pleural or peritoneal biopsies and pleurectomies. Thirty-three benign reactive mesothelial proliferations (RMPs) were used as controls. MET-protein upregulation was observed in 35% of all MM-cases, though restricted to predominantly epithelioid MMs. We detected low-/intermediate-level MET-GCNG/GA in 22.2% of MET-overexpressing MMs (7.8% of whole MM-cohort) and no MET-GCNG/GA in the other 77.8%, suggesting other upregulating mechanisms. In contrast, 100% of RMPs exhibited no MET-upregulation or MET-GCNG/-GA. Neither MET exon 14 skipping mutations nor MET-fusions were detected as mechanisms of MET overexpression in MM using RNA next-generation sequencing. Finally, in two cohorts of 30 MM patients with or without MET overexpression (MET-positive/-negative) that were matched for several variables and received the same standard chemotherapy, the MET-positive cases showed a significantly lower response rate, but no significant difference in progression-free or overall survival. Our results imply that MET overexpression occurs in a substantial fraction of predominantly epithelioid MMs, but correlates poorly with MET-amplification status, and may impact the likelihood of response to mesothelioma standard chemotherapy. The predictive significance of MET-IHC and -FISH for possible MET-targeted therapy of MM remains to be elucidated.     

Reducing the acrylamide content of a semi-finished biscuit on industrial scale

The baking agent, reducing sugars and organic acids are the ingredients that most influence the acrylamide formation in sweet bakery. Various experiments focusing on these components were performed with biscuits on industrial scale. The replacement of ammonium hydrogencarbonate by sodium hydrogencarbonate reduced the acrylamide content by about 70%. The use of a sucrose solution instead of inverted sugar syrup had a similar effect. Addition of some extra tartaric acid reduced the acrylamide content by about one-third. The positive effects on the acrylamide content were still observed after a second baking process. These results show that mitigation in industry-scale based on the optimization of baking agent, reducing sugars, and organic acid is feasible and compliant to high-quality standards.