Virtual-water content of agricultural production and food trade balance of Tunisia

This article is devoted to the assessment of Tunisian agricultural production and food trade balance water-equivalent. A linear regression model relating annual rainfall to crop yields is developed to estimate the agricultural production water-equivalent. Its implementation is based on national data for crop and animal production, leading to food demand water-equivalent quantification. Results highlight the relationship between agricultural and water policies and provide a picture of food security in the country in relation to local agricultural production, and to virtual water fluxes related to foodstuffs trade balance.     

Editors’ note

Editorial Note

Editors’ note     

Facilitating a benign attentional bias reduces negative thought intrusions.

The causal role of biased attention in worry was investigated in an experiment in which high worriers were assigned either to a condition requiring attention to nonthreatening words and text while ignoring worry-related material or to a mixed-attention control condition. The former procedure led to fewer negative thought intrusions in a worry test (as rated by both participants and an assessor) than did the control condition. These findings suggest that attentional bias plays a causal role in worry and that its modification can reduce excessive worry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spray-dried high-amylose sodium carboxymethyl starch: impact of α-amylase on drug-release profile

Spray-dried high-amylose sodium carboxymethyl starch (SD HASCA) is a promising pharmaceutical excipient for sustained-release (SR) matrix tablets produced by direct compression. The presence of α-amylase in the gastrointestinal tract and the variations of the gastric residence time of non-disintegrating dosage forms may affect the presystemic metabolism of this excipient and, consequently, the drug-release profile from formulations produced with SD HASCA. In this study, the influence of α-amylase and the residence time in acidic conditions on the drug-release profile was evaluated for a once-daily acetaminophen formulation (Acetaminophen SR) and a once-daily tramadol hydrochloride formulation (Tramadol SR). Both formulations were based on SD HASCA. α-Amylase concentrations ranging from 0?IU/L to 20000?IU/L did not significantly affect the drug-release profiles of acetaminophen and tramadol hydrochloride from SD HASCA tablets (f_2?>_?50) for all but only one of the studied conditions (f_2?=_?47). Moreover, the drug-release properties from both SD HASCA formulations were not significantly different when the residence time in acidic medium was 1?h or 3?h. An increase in α-amylase concentration led to an increase in the importance of polymer erosion as the main mechanism of drug-release instead of drug diffusion, for both formulations and both residence times, even if release profiles remained comparable. As such, it is expected that α-amylase concentration and residence time in the stomach will not clinically affect the performance of both SD HASCA SR formulations, even if the mechanism of release itself may be affected.     

Garlic peroxidase immobilized into chitosan matrix suitable for biosensors applications

Peroxidase X₁ (POX₁) isoenzyme was purified from garlic bulb (Allium sativum L.). Native-PAGE profile showed two isoforms partially purified (designated POX_1A and POX_1B). A POX_1B-based electrode showed great potential for monitoring hydrogen peroxide in biological samples. Chitosan was used as a matrix for enzyme immobilization. The enzyme activities were studied by photometry. Immobilization was accomplished by either inclusion in a thin film or adsorption to cross-linked microspheres. Two linkage agents were used: glutaraldehyde and glyoxal. The best immobilization and activity yields (82%, 95%) were obtained when POX_1B was incorporated within a chitosan/glyoxal film. The effect of temperature on the immobilized enzyme was tested. Results showed that full activity was retained after 40 min incubation at 40 °C. Anchored POX_1B inside chitosan was used for biosensor design. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy were employed to analyze electrochemical properties of the modified gold electrode and to monitor hydrogen peroxide. The biosensor was very sensitive and attained a detection limit of 100 nM.     

Design of molecularly imprinted polymer grafts with embedded gold nanoparticles through the interfacial chemistry of aryl diazonium salts

A novel strategy is described for the preparation of highly sensitive molecularly imprinted (MIPs) sensors for dopamine. It combines mercaptobenzene diazonium salt as a coupling agent for immobilizing gold nanoparticles to gold electrodes and benzoyl benzene diazonium salt as photoinitiator of radical polymerization at the said gold nanoparticle-decorated gold electrodes. The MIP films were prepared by surface-initiated photopolymerization (SIPP) of methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer (F) for dopamine (DA) the template molecule (T), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), the crosslinker (C). Dimethylaniline was employed as a hydrogen donor. The specificity and selectivity were demonstrated by square wave voltammetry (SWV). The detection limit was 0.35 nmol L^-1 (0.054 ng mL⁻¹). The sensor layers are stable and adherent to the surface through aryl layers. The originality and advantage of the process lie in the use of aryl diazonium salt as coupling agents for anchroring nanoparticles and MIP layers to the electrode surface in a simple and efficient way which ensures high sensing performance together with good surface-MIP adhesion. The same strategy can be extended to a broad range of templates.     

Optical properties of tropospheric aerosols determined by lidar and spectrophotometric measurements (Photochemical Activity and Solar Ultraviolet Radiation campaign)

We present the results of the aerosol measurements carried out over the Aegean Sea during the Photochemical Activity and Solar Ultraviolet Radiation campaign held in Greece during June 1996. Simultaneous observations performed with a lidar and a double-monochromator spectrophotometer allowed us to retrieve the optical depth, the Angstr?m coefficient, and the backscatter-to-extinction ratio. The Sun photometric data can be used to improve quantitative aerosol measurements by lidar in the Planetary Boundary Layer. Systematic errors could arise otherwise, because the value of the backscatter-to-extinction ratio has to be supplied. Instead this ratio can be retrieved experimentally by use of an iterative solution of the lidar equation.