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Perineal hernias occur rarely following abdominoperineal resections. No standardized surgical approach exists for treating PH. We herein present the case of a large, symptomatic PH that was repaired with a combined abdominal and perineal approach, with peritoneal flap reconstruction of the pelvic floor and placement of a biological mesh. The patient has not recurred after 3 years of follow-up. In conclusion, despite the lack of a standardized approach for tackling perineal hernias, a combined one with peritoneal flap reconstruction can be successfully used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current developments relating to integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) in learning lead us to wonder about the positive impact that pedagogical video can have on e-learning devices mediating between teacher and learner. Determining the concepts of mediatization and mediation constitutes one of the essential bases of any pedagogical engineering of mediated videos to ensure better transmission of knowledge. To articulate the two concepts of mediation and mediatization, designers, teachers, and trainers must not only mediate the contents of the video but also the pedagogical relation, the design and production process, without forgetting the scenarization phase of the pedagogical videos, which occupy an important place in the pedagogical engineering. In our article, after giving an overview of the two concepts, mediation, and mediatization, we define the pedagogical video, the use of the pedagogical video, and the forms of the pedagogical video. Then, we identify the mediatization tools of pedagogical videos and their mediatization articulation according to previous studies.

Pomegranates are attacked by invasive fruit flies of the family Drosophilidae including the African fig fly, Zaprionus indianus. This species is reported for the first time from North-East Algeria reared from pomegranate fruits from two commercial pomegranate orchards. This vinegar fly is an opportunist that uses both fallen fruits and damaged fruits still on the pomegranate tree as breeding substrates.We report percent infestation of fruit of Z. indianus and of several other pomegranate insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular structure and basic vibrational frequencies of benzimidazole (BZI) are presented using ab initio-Hartee-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) techniques. The noted polarized IR and Raman fundamentals of polycrystalline, single crystal, KBr-BZI disks and gas like samples are analyzed.

Myrmecological investigations were conducted in an olive grove agro-ecosystem. Among the taxa we report the presence of the cryptic ant species Lioponera longitarsus, subfamily Dorylinae, for the first time in Algeria. Standard morphological measurements are presented for worker and queen. The discovery of this genus for the fourth time in North Africa in different habitats within a semi-arid climate suggests that the populations of Lioponera may be native but it is not possible to exclude them having been transported by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Polymer/clay nanocomposite particles with 2-aminophenol (2AP) and polyaniline and modified montmorillonite by copper minerals were synthesized using an in situ intercalative oxidative polymerization method. The nanocomposites were characterized by elementary analysis, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and conductivity measurements. The insertion of the polymer into the layer of the clay was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, which shows a significantly larger d spacing expansion from 13.35 to 13.45 Å, thus indicating that the conducting polymer chain was aligned with layers of the clay. The conductivity of the nanocomposites salt is between 8.87×10−5 and 9.78×10−4 S/cm, probably due to the confined environment in the nanometer size layers of the nanocomposite. The electrochemical behavior of the polymers extracted from the nanocomposites has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. Good electrochemical response has been observed for polymers grown into M-Cu; the redox processes indicate that the polymerization into M-Cu is electroactive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the Algeria food industry, reproducibility of quality pasta remains an important challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of the physico-chemical and sensory qualities of pasta produced from the Guelma region. Methods: The stability of physico-chemical characteristics of both semolina and pasta was evaluated repeatedly over three months. For semolina, the tests included particle size, colour, moisture, ash content and gluten index. For pasta, morphometry, colour, cooking quality (optimal cooking time (OCT), water uptake), cracking rate and manufacturing defect, ash, moisture content as well as sensory qualities were evaluated. Results: The stability of semolina in the standard manufacturing process was characterised by rates of moisture at 14.46 ± 0.36%; ash content 0.68 ± 0.04%; gluten index 83.75 ± 1.5% ; semolina colour (L: 84.95 ± 0.39, a: -3.43 ± 0.08, b: 37.30 ± 0.57 minimum); and + 50% with grain size: 200 μm Conclusion: Physicochemical properties and sensory qualities of Farfalle pasta were found to be within acceptable ranges throughout the duration of the experiment indicating stability and reproducibility of the standard manufacturing process used in the Algerian pasta industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first study of its kind, ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were sampled near a unique natural environment, a large saline lake, Chott El Hodna, a Ramsar ConservationWetland in eastern Algeria. The species of ants were determined at two sites, Medbah and Birkraa in spring (March–-April) 2011 using pitfall trapping and hand collecting. We provide a checklist and some observations on 24 species belonging to 14 genera and four subfamilies (Dolichoderinae, Dorylinae, Formicinae and Myrmicinae). To evaluate the ant diversity, we used data from pitfall traps for calculating ecological indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two optically controlled phase shifters are proposed. The first structure is based on the microstrip ring resonator inserted between two gaps. Phase-shifting is performed by optically controlling the gaps capacitance. The structure has shown excellent characteristics, however the rejection rate is high. To minimise the reflected power, the second phase shifter, which is based on the rat race coupler, is proposed. In this case, the phase-shifting is performed by adding extra lengths to two gaps, judiciously placed along the microwave ports. The gaps act as short-circuits under sufficient illumination conditions. At 10 GHz, the structure provides a continuous variation of Δϕ(S21) between 0 and 90°, with Δ|S21| less than 5dB. On a 500 MHz band around 10 GHz, the phase variation is less than 5%. |S11| keeps <⁕20 dB within the experimental bandwidth 8.9–10.7 GHz. Both structures were fabricated on high-resistivity silicon substrate and the experimental results confirm the three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously showed that the stimulation of heme oxygenase-1 expression by high glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in cultured rat islets is prevented by antioxidants and suggested that this effect of high glucose results from an oxidative stress. However, the role of oxidative stress in high-glucose-induced β-cell dysfunction is unclear. We therefore compared the preventative effects of N-acetyl-ʟ-cysteine (NAC), a free radical scavenger, and manganese(III)tetrakis (4-benzoic acid)porphyrin (MnTBAP), a superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetic agent, on the alteration of stimulus-secretion coupling induced in rat islets by overnight exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2-treated islets) or l-wk culture in 30 vs. 10 mmol/l glucose (High-glucose vs. Control islets). The features of β-cell dysfunction differed between the two groups: reduced glucose-induced insulin secretion without changes in glucose sensitivity in H2O2-treated islets; increased sensitivity to glucose with parallel reductions in insulin content and maximal rate of glucose-induced insulin secretion in High-glucose islets. The latter alterations were accompanied by a decrease in preproinsulin without changes in pancreatic and duodenal homeobox gene 1 mRNA levels. The functional alterations induced by H202 were significantly prevented by addition of NAC or MnTBAP in the culture medium. In contrast, neither NAC nor MnTBAP affected the functional alterations induced by high glucose. These results suggest that β-cell dysfunction induced by 1-wk culture in high glucose does not result from an increase in oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an optically controlled broadband phase-shifter using a parallel-line coupler, that takes advantage of high-resistivity silicon photo-absorption at 840 nm. A continuously variable phase-shifting of 120° is achieved at 11 GHz with Δ|S21| < 5 dB and with |S11| < -15 dB in a large frequency band (6–15 GHz). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 47: 570–573, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21232 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considers the use of citric acid as both an additive to conventional hydrochloric acid systems and as a stand-alone acidizing fluid. Review of laboratory work focused on understanding reaction pathways and geochemical precipitation issues; Paradigms related to the calcium citrate issue; Laboratory studies performed independently by two research laboratories; Findings that provide new insights into the applications, usage and potential limitations of citric acid.