Phenols,Flavonoids, and Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Leaves and Stem Bark of Morus Species

Leaves and stem bark composition from Morus species (M. alba var. alba, M. alba var. rosa and M. rubra) was evaluated for its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in order to enhance its therapeutic uses. Total phenolics and flavonoids contents were estimated in hydromethanolic and aqueous extracts. Results showed highest content in M. rubra leaves aqueous extract (1129 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g dry weight and 816 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g dry weight, respectively). Using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, the highest antioxidant activity was obtained in aqueous stem barks extracts. M. alba var. alba has an IC₅₀ of 2.84 mg/ml and the IC₅₀ value of M. rubra was the highest (4.78 mg/ml). ABTS^.+ (2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) method and reducing power assay were used to confirm the results from the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl test. All extracts expressed considerable free radical-scavenging properties. Hydromethanolic and aqueous extracts were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus feacalis, Staphylococcus epidermis, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria. Hydromethanolic stem bark extracts have the highest antimicrobial activities, and it may be a good antimicrobial agent for human gastrointestinal infections. This plant could be used as an additive to foods and also as a possible source to obtain new and effective herbal medicines to treat infections of multi-drug resistant strains of microorganisms.     

Rapid determination of soil unconfined compressive strength using reflectance spectroscopy

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Understanding the physical and especially mechanical properties of forest soils is very important in forest engineering operations including...     

Influence of Ultrasonic Waves on the Processing of Cotton with Cationic Softener

In recent years, the textile industry has been forced to develop new technologies to reduce energy and water consumption. The use of ultrasound in textile wet processing is one solution to this problem. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of ultrasonic energy on the processing of cotton with a cationic softener. For this purpose, cotton fabric was treated with a fatty acid amide derivative cationic softener in water using ultrasonic energy during treatment. The physical properties of the fabrics treated under different conditions are discussed. The results show that the treatment of fabrics with softeners in an ultrasound bath is more effective compared to conventional methods and that it enhances the physical properties of the cotton.     

Isolation and characterisation of lactic acid bacteria strains from raw camel milk for potential use in the production of fermented Tunisian dairy products

The aim of this work was to study the suitability of camel milk for the production of dairy products by lactic acid fermentation. Sixty strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from camel milk. The strains were tested for their acidification activity, ability to use citrate, exopolysaccharide production, lipolytic, proteolytic activities and resistance to antibiotics. Ten strains were investigated for their ability to metabolize carbohydrates and that resulted in the identification of 5 Lactococcus lactis, 1 Lactobacillus pentosus, 2 Lactobacillus plantarum, 1 Lactobacillus brevis and 1 Pediococcus pentosaceus strains. Two strains of Lactococcus lactis SCC133 and SLch14 were selected to produce traditional Tunisian fermented dairy products (Lben, Raib, Jben cheese and Smen). These strains were chosen based on their acid production capacity and their ability to produce a high yield of biomass.     

Synthese,etude cristallochimique et conductivite ionique de quelques aluminosilicates de lithium de type spodument β (LiAlSi2O6)

Solid solutions Li_1+xAl_1+xSi_2?xO₆, Li_1?xAl_1?xSi_2+xO₆, Li_1?xAlSi_2?xM_xO₆ (M = P, V) all of the β-spodumene type, have been synthesised and the limits of their homogeneity ranges established. The ionic conductivity of sintered ceramics has been measured between 200 and 600°C by the complex impedance method. Its observed evolution (increase and then decrease with increasing substitution rates) is discussed in terms of a compensation mechanism between the relative evolution of the numbers of respectively charge carriers and empty sites. Influence of sintering process on conductivity has been shown by comparison of naturally sintered, hot-pressed and glassy samples.     

Critical plant and soil phosphorus for wheat,maize, and rapeseed after 44 years of P fertilization

Phosphorus (P) crop fertilization requires optimal management to avoid the waste of a non-renewable resource and water pollution, but current methods for assessing soil phyto-available P and plant P requirements are not sufficiently precise to meet this goal. The objectives of the present study were to (1) evaluate the effect of long-term P fertilization on the grain yield of winter wheat, maize, and rapeseed, (2) validate or establish models of critical shoot P concentration (P_C) based on relationships of shoot P concentration with either shoot biomass or shoot nitrogen (N) concentration, and (3) assess both plant-based and soil-based diagnostic tools for managing P fertilization. A long-term field experiment with contrasted P fertilizer treatments, established in 1971 by Agroscope in Changins (Switzerland), was used to measure the shoot biomass and P concentration of winter wheat in 2011, maize in 2012, and rapeseed in 2014 weekly during the growing period and the grain yield at harvest. Soil available P in the 0–0.20 m soil layer was assessed by three chemical extractions: ammonium acetate EDTA (P-AAE), sodium bicarbonate (P-NaHCO₃), and CO₂-saturated water (P-CO₂). Long-term P fertilization increased soil available P extracted by P-CO₂ (+?24%), P-AAE (+?200%), and P-NaHCO₃ (+?155%), shoot growth and grain yield by 8.4% and 26.2% for winter wheat and rapeseed respectively but had no effect on maize. The relationships between P_C and shoot biomass or N concentration were described respectively by allometric and linear models (R²?>?0.85, n?=?21, 28 and 32 for winter wheat, maize and rapeseed respectively; slope P values for linear models <?0.05). The P_C–shoot N concentration model (slope: 0.083, intercept: 0.88) for winter wheat confirmed results from previous studies and can be used for calculating the P nutrition index. For the three soil available P indicators, threshold values needed to achieve 95% of the maximum yield for the three crops were less than those currently used in the official fertilization guidelines in Switzerland. Our results obtained after 44 years of contrasted P fertilization confirm the relationship between P_C and shoot N concentration for grain crops and the need to revise P fertilizer recommendations based on currently used soil P tests.     

Hot compression and fracture toughness of HSS composed hot strip work rolls

The rolls in the finishing stands must have good resistance to both wear and fire cracks. The use of high-speed steel at the finishing stands has shown satisfactory results. The composition of this high-alloyed steel is an important parameter as the most significant change lays on the type, morphology, and volume fraction of the eutectics carbides. The heat treatment of these products consists of high temperature austenization followed by quenching and two temperings, as required in order to increase their overall hardness and to completely eliminate residual austenite. The influence of tempering temperatures on the mechanical properties of these products, determined using tensile, hot compression and fracture toughness tests, was studied in this research work. Their corresponding failure micromechanisms were defined by means of the analysis of fracture surfaces.     

Process-based mass-balance modeling of soil phosphorus availability in a grassland fertilized with N and P

Modeling changes in plant-available soil P in relation to P budgets should integrate the isotopic kinetic approach, which describes the dynamics of P ion transfer at the solid-to-solution interface. We tested a process-based mass-balance model that uses the quantity of P ions in solution, the diffusive P ions (Pr) in the solid phase, and the annual P budget to describe the soil P availability of a timothy (Phleum pratense L.) grassland that received additions of annual P and N fertilizer. An experiment was established on a gravely-sandy loam soil in 1998, with combinations of P (0, 15, 30, and 45 kg ha^?1) and N (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg ha^?1) applied annually from 1999 to 2006. An isotopic dilution analysis was performed on soils sampled in 2006 to calibrate the Freundlich kinetic equation which describes the dynamics of Pr transfer at the solid-to-solution interface as a function of time (t) and concentration of P ions in solution (Cp). Model simulations were performed over 9 years (1999–2007). Measurements of Cp from soils sampled between 2001 and 2007 were compared with simulated values to evaluate model performance. The amount of Pr was estimated for two transfer periods, of 2 and 3 months, to evaluate the extent and contribution of slow P ion reactions. The Freundlich kinetic equation was defined as: Pr = 7.78 × Cp^0.41 × t ^0.36 (with Pr < Pr_LIMIT, 192 observations, Adj. R ² = 1.0, P < 0.001). Simulated Pr values were 74 and 84% of total inorganic soil P for the transfer periods of 2 and 3 months, respectively. For the two transfer periods, and for each combination of N and P additions, simulations accurately reflected the long-term effects of P and N fertilization on the trends of measured Cp with root mean square deviation (RMSD) between measured and simulated values of less than 0.17. Across P applications, the simulations were slightly improved with a 2-month transfer period for limiting N conditions (0 and 60 kg N ha^?1; Y = 0.95X + 0.06, R² = 0.76, RMSD = 0.08) and a 3-month transfer period for non-limiting conditions (120 and 180 kg N ha^?1; Y = 0.86X + 0.04, R² = 0.78, RMSD = 0.06). This approach needs to be tested in various soil types and diverse cropping systems because the estimation of Pr value can be quite sensitive to the extent of rapid and slow reactions, hence the transfer periods. For this gravely-sandy loam soil, the proposed approach accurately describes the functioning of P cycling and confirms the agronomic importance of solution and solid phase P ions in managed grasslands.