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We conducted an ant inventory in urban and suburban spaces in Bejaia city to deal with this need for more information about ant biodiversity in the Algerian urban environment. The two methods, hand collecting and pitfall traps, are carried out 24 days in three months (May, June, and July) of 2022. In the urban habitats, 2,653 ant individuals were collected, comprising ten species, six genera and three subfamilies. In the suburban habitats, 6,706 ant specimens were collected, comprising 19 species, 11 genera, and three subfamilies. The most abundant subfamilies in both urban and suburban habitats are Formicinae, followed by Myrmicinae and Dolichoderinae. The results showed that suburban habitats are more diversified (H’= 1.72) than urban habitats (H’= 1.25). The equitability values for suburban and urban habitats are moderate, with 0.58 and 0.54, respectively. The Jaccard similarity index value is 0.45, indicating an essential turnover of ant species between urban and suburban habitats. The ant community’s composition differed between sampled sites (NMDS, Stress = 0.013). The average dissimilarity (as per SIMPER) was 90.37%. Four species (T. simrothi, L. cf. grandis, P. cicatricosa, and L. myops) contributed to 70% of the differences between sites of urban and suburban habitats.

Ball mills are the leading grinding equipment in the mineral processing industry. Balls are the primary component in the grinding of materials. Lifters lift these balls to the shoulder position before cataracts them to the toe position. Almost all classical theories do not consider the lifter's geometry in calculating the energy consumption of ball mills and focus only on the fill level of the charge, the lifter dimensions, their number, and the mill's rotational speed. To improve the ball mill's performance, a new shape of the lifters was proposed in the present research work. Simulation through the EDEM software and the discrete element method (DEM) was used to predict the particle behaviour and conduct a comparative study on the influence of the lifter geometry and ball mill rotational speed on torque, power draw, and kinetic energy. The validation of our results is evaluated by a confrontation of the experimental tests of discontinuous grinding with a 573 x 160 cm of Bian. The results show that using helical lifters has a more significant effect on the grinding efficiency, the torque, and the power draw of the ball mill. They decrease the wear rate of liners and lifters when mill speeds are extremely high (90%, 100%).

This study investigated the association of environmental factors with insect richness and nested patterns in the distribution of species of insects on small islands (northeastern Algeria). Insect species on eleven (11) islands were sampled using pitfall traps, sweep netting and a Japanese umbrella. To explain patterns in insect diversity on small islands, a generalized linear model (GLM) was used to determine the association of the overall richness and that of the dominant orders of insects with environmental variables (altitude, surface area, isolation, plant richness and number of habitats). To determine the nestedness pattern on these islands, the online interface NeD was used to measure total matrix nestedness. Of the variables measured, only plant richness was associated with variations in the overall species richness and that of the five dominant orders. The overall number of insects and that of the five dominant insect orders were significantly nested in all null models except the very restrictive FF model. Plant richness accounted for the nested structure of the overall number of insects and that of the five dominant orders (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera). Surface area was also important in the nested structure of overall number of insects and that of the order Lepidoptera. The nestedness of the overall number of insects and that of the five dominant orders of insects, however, did not result from passive sampling and selective colonization. The most effective way of conserving overall number of insects and that of the five dominant orders of insects on the Algerian islands studied is to protect their plant richness and to maximize the overall number of species and that of Lepidoptera on these islands, conservation should concentrate on the largest islands.

The study was conducted on four islands located west of Bejaia (north-eastern Algeria) to collect baseline information about diversity and composition of insects. Data were collected during summer and spring of 2015 using traps, sweep nets and the Japanese umbrella sampling methods. A total of 1691 individuals belonging to 112 species were collected. Totals of 72, 56, 41 and 34 species were recorded in Pisans Island, El Euch Island, Sahel Islet and Ail Islet, respectively. Of the 1,691 individuals recorded, 39.85 %, 30.51 %, 18.03 % and 11.59 % were recorded in Pisans Island, El Euch Island, Sahel Islet and Ail Islet, respectively. Shannon-Weaver index ranged from 2.96 to 3.34 and Equitability between 0.77 and 0.87. The composition of the insect community differed between sampled islands (NMDS, Stress =. 0.013). Eleven (11) insect species composed over 50 % of dissimilarity between islands. Two species (Cassida viridis (L.) and Pheidole pallidula (Nyl.) accounted for more than 5 % of the diversity on all islands. Sorensen's similarity coefficient showed that Pisans and El Euch islands have the highest similarity (45.37 %), while the lowest similarity was recorded between Pisans Island and Sahel Islet (15.53 %).

High chromium white cast iron (HCWCI) is used in mining, crushing plants, as mill liners, and in the manufacture of grinding balls. The grinding ball is the essential element in fine fragmentation. It must have an excellent life to counter extreme wear and impact conditions that it undergoes. Hence it is important to improve its mechanical properties. This study aims to find the effect of tempering temperature on microstructure, hardness, and abrasive wear of High Chromium White Cast Iron used in the manufacture of grinding balls. In this study, the balls in high chromium white cast iron with 12 to 17% Cr, of 50mm and 70mm in diameter were austenitized at 950°C for 45 min and 55 min for the balls of 50 and 70mm then were quenched in forced air. The balls were tempered at 250°C, 400°C, and 600°C for 120 min and 180 min for both diameters 50 and 70mm respectively, and cooled in the furnace. The results showed that tempering practiced at 250°C and 400°C gives an excellent hardness than balls austenitized at 950°C. It is about 60 HRC and it drops to less than 50 HRC for the tempering at 600°C. This tempering causes a significant mass loss (short life) but tempering at 250°C and 400°C decreases this loss by up to 1.6%. The results of XRD showed the presence of the martensite and carbides type M7C3 after tempering at 250°C and a ferritic matrix after tempering at 600°C.

The present paper seeks to study the diversity and ant community composition of some Algerian islands. This study is considered as the first exhaustive survey of ant species of Algerian islands since 1957. The survey was carried out in the spring and summer seasons between April and July of two years 2014 and 2015. Vegetation richness, island area, mainland distance, and elevation variables were measured for each island. Relative abundance (RA), frequency of occurrence (FO), as well as species richness (S), Shannon’s diversity index (H), and equitability (E) for each island were used to compare the diversity pattern among islands. Patterns of species composition and community structure were compared among the sampling islands through ordination analysis (nonmetric multidimensional scaling [NMDS]). SIMPER analysis using a Bray–Curtis similarity index matrix was performed to determine the contribution of each ant species to the dissimilarities among islands. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed to highlight the impact of environmental variables on the ant community. All analyses were computed by using PAST software. Two sampling methods (pitfall trap and hand collecting) were used, which led to the identification of 1039 individuals belonging to 16 species. Diversity indexes were different among islands. Ant community was significantly different between islands of the two regions Bejaia and Jijel. Three species contributed to 50.74% of the differences between islands of the two regions. Part of the ant community composition was influenced directly or indirectly by three environmental variables: vegetation richness, island area, and mainland distance. It is important to point out the absence of two invasive ants, Linepithema humile and Paratrechina longicornis, in our islands.

Introduction: Behçet's disease is a systemic vasculitis characterized by a large clinical polymorphism with a particular frequency of cutaneous signs. Sweet's syndrome is a neutrophilic dermatosis marked by the sudden appearance of painful skin lesions in the form of erythematous papules, nodules or plaques. This syndrome is associated with high fever, neutrophilia and histologically a diffuse infiltrate of neutrophils in the dermis. Observation: We report the case of a 43-year-old patient followed for Behçet's disease, who developed cutaneous plaques of neutrophilic dermatosis of both upper limbs. The clinical and biological picture was in favor of Sweet's syndrome. Conclusion: The coexistence of Sweet's syndrome and Behçet's disease is already reported in the literature. The association is however very rare given the differences in the clinical and pathogenic features between the two conditions.

Abstract Background Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould, is a polyphagous fungus that infects a wide range of plants, including tomato. In many countries, including Algeria, the management of grey mould is a challenging problem, even with chemical control. This necessitates the search for other strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biocontrol potential of two rhizospheric bacterial isolates for the protection of tomato against B. cinerea. Results On tomato plants, the two bacterial isolates consistently provided high levels of protection (on average 72.1% for SJ19 and 52.3% for SJ4). Their applications as a 1:1 mixture reinforced their effect (87.8% protection), indicating their compatibility and a potential use as a consortium. In vitro, the isolates significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of B. cinerea strains, both through direct confrontation in dual-culture assays (12–69% inhibition) and through the production of volatile compounds (36–46% inhibition). The two isolates, applied as seed treatment and as drench on seedlings, also showed strong growth-promoting effects on tomatoes. They substantially increased the length and fresh weight of shoots and roots, as well as stem diameter, leaf number and chlorophyll content, compared to untreated plants. Conclusion The two bacteria tested in this study showed a high potential for use as biostimulants and as biofungicides against tomato grey mould.

Backgroundto perform a functional analysis of a new NK2 homeobox 1 (NKX2-1) variant (c.85_86del denominated NKX2-1DEL) identified in a family presenting with isolated respiratory disease, in comparison to another frameshift variant (c.254dup denominated NKX2-1DUP) identified in a subject with classical brain-lung-thyroid syndrome.Methodspathogenic variants were introduced into the pcDNA3-1(+)-wt-TTF1 plasmid. The proteins obtained were analyzed by western blot assay. Subcellular localization was assessed by confocal microscopy in A549 and Nthy cells. Transactivation of SFTPA, SFTPB, SFTPC, and ABCA3 promoters was assessed in A549 cells. Thyroglobulin promoter activity was measured with the paired box gene 8 (PAX8) cofactor in Nthy cells.ResultsThe two sequence variants were predicted to produce aberrant proteins identical from the 86th amino acid, with deletion of their functional homeodomain, including the nuclear localization signal. However, 3D conformation prediction of the conformation prediction of the mutant protein assumed the presence of a nuclear localization signal, a bipartite sequence, confirmed by confocal microscopy showing both mutant proteins localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Transcriptional activity with SFTPA, SFTPB, SFTPC, ABCA3 and thyroglobulin promoters was significantly decreased with both variants. However, with NKX2-1DEL, thyroglobulin transcriptional activity was maintained with the addition of PAX8.ConclusionThese results provide novel insights into understanding the molecular mechanism of phenotypes associated with NKX2-1 pathogenic variants.

Appraising the bandgap energy of materials is a major issue in the field of band engineering. To better understand the behavior of GaAs1-uNu material, it is necessary to improve the applied calculation methodologies. The band anticrossing model (BAC) allows modeling of the bandgap energy when diluted nitrogen is incorporated into the material. The model can be improved using artificial neural networks (ANN) as an alternative solution, which is rarely applied. Our goal is to study the efficiency of the (ANN) method to gauge the bandgap energy of the material from experimental measurements, considering the extensive strain due to the lattice mismatch between the substrate and the material. This makes the GaAsN material controllable with (ANN) method, and is a potential candidate for the fabrication of ultrafast optical sensors.