Smart control of soil water and salt content for improving irrigation management of tomato crop field: Kairouan area.

A good assessment of soil water and salt content is required for sustainable irrigation with brackish/saline water. The use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has been initiated for the tomato crop (Savera variety) as part of the PRIMA MEDITOMATO project. An experiment was carried out between February and June 2022 at a farmer's site.

The nutritional composition of six plant species after irrigation with treated wastewater and possible hazards by heavy metal accumulation.

A field experiment was conducted investigating the possibility of using treated wastewater (TWW) on sites affected by water scarcity in summer, waterlogging during the wet season, and salinity. A corresponding pot experiment was conducted comparable to the field experiment in Kalaât Landelous. The same plant species (Atriplex nummularia Lindl.

-Micronucleus Test Application for Saline Irrigation Water Risk Assessment.

In view of climate change, increasing soil salinity is expected worldwide. It is therefore important to improve prediction ability of plant salinity effects. For this purpose, brackish/saline irrigation water from two areas in central and coastal Tunisia was sampled.

Mapping heavy metal (Cu, Zn, and Pb) pollution and ecological risk assessment, in the surroundings of Gabes cement plant-Tunisia.

The pollution and contamination assessment of three heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Zn) in the topsoil, and common plants (, , , , , and ) were carried out at different distances from a cement plant. This evaluation was based on four evaluation methods: Bioconcentration factor, Contamination factor, Geoaccumulation Index and Potential ecological risk factor. The chlorophylls a and b contents were also analyzed.

Salinity decreases cadmium accumulation in Vicia faba.

The study investigates the effect of cadmium (Cd), salinity (NaCl), and combined stress on rhizosphere pH, growth parameters, membrane leakage, and genotoxicity in Vicia faba. Germinated seeds were exposed for 48 h to 0.01 mM Cd(NO) (Cd), 50 mM NaCl (S50), 150 mM NaCl (S150), and Cd-NaCl (CdS50 and CdS150).

Saline soil reclamation by agroforestry species under Kalaât Landelous conditions and irrigation with treated wastewater in Tunisia.

Irrigation with treated waste water (TWW) in combination with plantation of agroforest species was tested in the Kalaât Landelous region for the reclamation of salt affected soils. Five species (Atriplex nummularia, Eucalyptus gomphocephala, Acacia cyanophylla, Casuarina glauca, Pinus halepensis) were cultivated in saline soils that are affected by shallow, saline groundwater and were irrigated with TWW during the summer season. The results after 4 years of experimentation show a distinct decrease in soil pH and salinity accompanied by a decrease in Cl and Na concentrations.

Accumulation of trace elements by corn (Zea mays) under irrigation with treated wastewater using different irrigation methods.

Treated wastewater reuse for irrigation has gained a greater significance as an alternative resource to meet the growing water demands for agriculture and reduce the pressure on limited existing fresh water. However, this reuse needs adapted management in order to avoid environmental and health risks. An experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to evaluate the effect of different irrigation methods on the Metallic Trace elements and metals concentrations of a Tunisian soil (pH = 8.

Chromosomal and Nuclear Alterations in the Root Tip Cells of Induced by Sodium Chloride.

  Despite the well-known toxic effect of chloride sodium (NaCl), only few studies analyze its genotoxic effect on crops. Micronucleus assay is an efficient tool for the measure of chromosomal DNA damages. Based on this test, the effects of salt on micronucleus induction, and on chromosome and nucleus changes, were investigated in Vicia faba root tips treated with NaCl (electrical conductivity = 25 dS/m) during 24 hours.

Competitive sorption and desorption of trace elements by Tunisian Aridisols Calcorthids.

The sorption and retention processes play an important role in determining the bioavaibility and fate of trace elements in soils. Sorption and desorption of Pb(2+), Zn(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Co(2+) in three Tunisian Aridisols Calcorthids (AR1, AR2, and AR3) were studied using batch experiments. Sorption and retention capacities were determined by means of K r parameter and they were related to soil properties.

A6 peptide activates CD44 adhesive activity, induces FAK and MEK phosphorylation, and inhibits the migration and metastasis of CD44-expressing cells.

The A6 peptide (acetyl-KPSSPPEE-amino) has antitumor activity in the absence of significant adverse events in murine tumor models and clinical trials. A6 shares sequence homology with CD44, an adhesion receptor involved in metastasis that is also a marker of cancer stem cells and drug-resistant phenotypes. We investigated the mechanism of action of A6 by examining its effects on CD44 activity, cell migration, and metastasis.

8-Substituted analogues of 3-(3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxy-benzyl)-8-isopropyl-adenine: highly potent and selective PDE4 inhibitors.

3-(3-Cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxy-benzyl)-8-isopropyl-adenine V11294 (1) has been identified as a lead structure, which selectively inhibits human lung PDE4 (436 nM) and is also active in a number of in vitro and in vivo models of inflammation. Here we describe the synthesis and pharmacology of a series of highly potent 8-[(benzyloxy)methyl]-substituted analogues, with potencies in the range 10-300 nM. In addition, several compounds showed interesting PDE4 subtype specificities, for example, the 3-thienyl derivative 5v, which showed 6-10 nM potency at PDE4B, D3, and D5 and a 20- to 200-fold selectivity over A and D2, respectively.

A miniaturized column chromatography method for measuring receptor-mediated inositol phosphate accumulation.

Inositol phosphates (IPs), such as 1,4,5-inositol-trisphosphate (IP(3)), comprise a ubiquitous intracellular signaling cascade initiated in response to G protein-coupled receptor-mediated activation of phospholipase C. Classical methods for measuring intracellular accumulation of these molecules include time-consuming high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation or large-volume, gravity-fed anion-exchange column chromatography. More recent approaches, such as radio-receptor and AlphaScreen assays, offer higher throughput.

4-(2-pyridyl)piperazine-1-carboxamides: potent vanilloid receptor 1 antagonists.

A series of 4-(2-pyridyl)piperazine-1-carboxamide analogues based on the lead compound 1 was synthesized and evaluated for VR1 antagonist activity in capsaicin-induced (CAP) and pH (5.5)-induced (pH) FLIPR assays in a rat VR1-expressing HEK293 cell line. Potent VR1 antagonists were identified through SAR studies.

N-(4-tertiarybutylphenyl)-4-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)tetrahydropyrazine -1(2H)-carbox-amide (BCTC), a novel, orally effective vanilloid receptor 1 antagonist with analgesic properties: I. in vitro characterization and pharmacokinetic properties.

Vanilloids such as capsaicin have algesic properties and seem to mediate their effects via activation of the vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1), a ligand-gated ion channel highly expressed on primary nociceptors. Although blockade of capsaicin-induced VR1 activation has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo with the antagonist capsazepine, efficacy in rat models of chronic pain has not been observed with this compound. Here, we describe the in vitro pharmacology of a highly potent VR1 antagonist, N-(4-tertiarybutylphenyl)-4-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)tetrahydropyrazine-1(2H)-carbox-amide (BCTC).