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Although vitamin D insufficiency has been correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there are few data on the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and atherogenic indices predictive of CVD. This study investigated the relationship of vitamin D status with lipid profile and atherogenic indices in adult women in Morocco. Three hundred women aged 18 to 50 years from Meknes were included. Fasting 25(OH)D and lipid concentrations were assayed by a one-step electrochemiluminescence-based immunoassay and an enzymatic method, respectively. Atherogenic indices (atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC), non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C), Castelli risk indices I and II (CRI-I and II), and CHOLIndex (CI)) were calculated using conventional lipid parameters. Logistic regression models and operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were used to assess the relationship of the variables and estimate the threshold of 25(OH)D levels associated with high atherogenic indices. 25(OH) D below 20 ng/mL was significantly associated with an enhanced risk of hypertriglyceridemia and elevated values of AIP, AC, non-HDL-C, and CRI-I with an OR (95% CI) of 4.904 (1.856–12.959), 3.637 (2.149–6.158), 3.589 (1.673–7.700), 2.074 (1.215–3.540), and 2.481 (1.481–4.123), respectively. According to the ROC analysis, the likelihood of hypertriglyceridemia and high values of AIP, AC, non-HDL-C, and CRI-I were associated with 25(OH)D thresholds ≤15.15 ng/mL, ≤17.5 ng/mL, ≤19.8 ng/mL, ≤20.1 ng/mL, and ≤19.5 ng/mL, respectively, all p < 0.01. Based on the atherogenic indices, this study indicates that vitamin D below 20 ng/mL may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adult women. Additional health measures are essential to raise awareness among women and health professionals of preventing and controlling cardiovascular risk factors, particularly among young individuals.

This work focused on the investigation of a generalized variation inclusion problem. The resolvent operator for generalized $ \eta $-co-monotone mapping was structured, the Lipschitz constant was estimated and its relationship with the graph convergence was accomplished. An Ishikawa type iterative algorithm was designed by incorporating the resolvent operator and total asymptotically non-expansive mapping. By employing the novel implication of graph convergence and analyzing the convergence of the considered iterative method, the common solution of the generalized variational inclusion and the set of fixed points of a total asymptotically non-expansive mapping was obtained. Moreover, a generalized resolvent dynamical system was investigated. Some of its attributes were discussed and implemented to examine the considered generalized variation inclusion problem.

In many agroecosystems, soil suppressiveness to root knot nematodes (RKN) is of great interest in defining the biological agents controlling population density, especially with growing concerns about the environmental and human health impacts of chemicals. In this study, we evaluated the suppressiveness to Meloidogyne spp. in two land use soils: a protected argan soil from the Souss Massa National Park (SMNP), Morocco, and a conventional soil from an adjacent non-protected area. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, we characterized the fungal and bacterial communities in these soils for the first time. Nematodes belonging to different trophic guilds were also analyzed to further understand ecological factors that enable suppressive organisms to function and persist in the soil. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with tomato plants grown in untreated and autoclaved soils, each inoculated with 800 Meloidogyne infective juveniles (J2). We found that omnivore-predator nematode abundance, structure, and maturity indices were higher in the protected soil indicating the presence of a well-structured soil food web and a stable ecosystem. After sixty-seven days, RKN population density and gall index were reduced by 79.6 % and 81.5 % in the protected soil, respectively. 50 % autoclaved protected soil was also suppressive, but not 75 % and totally autoclaved soil. In contrast, conventional soil amplified the RKN population by 1319 %. More than 6770 bacterial and 558 fungal taxa were detected in this study, with Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Mortierellales, Orbiliales, Agaricales, Diversisporales, and Pleosporales being consistently associated with RKN suppression. We found that fungal diversity was higher in SMNP-protected soil. In conclusion, soil protection enhances soil ecosystem resilience and that protected argan soils can serve as a valuable source of biological agents for the sustainable management of phytoparasitic nematodes.

Infrastructure and urbanization drive the increasing demand for concrete, which strains natural resources and threatens the ecosystem. Incorporating recycled materials into concrete can fulfill this demand without compromising quality. This study therefore examines the mechanical properties of concrete after replacing sand utilizing fine aggregates of brick powder (BP) using appropriate standard techniques of destructive and non-destructive testing methods. Concrete mixtures were developed by incrementally substituting sand with brick powder in ratios from 5% to 25% and evaluated for workability, compressive strength, and split tensile strength in comparison to conventional concrete. The findings indicate that replacing 10% sand with brick powder improves strength by 29.94%, reduces workability by 42.66%, and increases split tensile strength by 8.74%. A strong link was found between compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and rebound number, which was confirmed by regression analysis. Integrating 10% brick powder improves concrete's mechanical properties and promotes sustainable construction practices.

In recent years, bio-reinforced composite materials have occupied an important class among the materials of mass use in our daily lives thanks to their potential advantages such as lightness, low cost, ease of implementation, and in particular biodegradation. The latter has been the objective of several studies focusing particularly on poorly biodegradable polymers, among these polymers we find polyamide 6 (PA6). It is a semi-crystalline polymer, distinguished by its good mechanical properties, excellent chemical and thermal stability, and low price compared to other polyamides. In this research, we investigated the impact of reinforcing PA6 with peanut shell powder (PSP), olive pomace powder (OPP), and plaster (PL) on its biodegradation process. Our objective was to determine whether the incorporation of these reinforcements accelerates, delays, or has no effect on PA6 biodegradation. To achieve this, we conducted degradation experiments using the bacterium Alcaligenes faecalis (AF), isolated from the public landfill of Meknes, Morocco. Our findings revealed intriguing insights into the biodegradation behavior of the PA6 composites. Specifically, the incorporation of PSP significantly enhanced PA6 biodegradation, resulting in a notable 38 % weight loss. Conversely, the inclusion of OPP led to a delay in biodegradation, with only a 19 % weight loss observed. Interestingly, the addition of plaster exhibited a biodegradation pattern similar to that of raw PA6. Furthermore, we utilized FTIR and SEM coupled with EDS elemental analysis to confirm the biodegradation of the composites. These techniques provided valuable insights into the structural, morphological, and elemental changes undergone by the composites during the biodegradation process. Overall, our study contributes novel insights into the biodegradation dynamics of PA6 composites reinforced with natural materials. By elucidating the effects of reinforcement on biodegradation, our research paves the way for the development of sustainable and eco-friendly composite materials.

The formation of a lytic immunological synapse (IS) is crucial for cytotoxic lymphocytes to accurately target and effectively eliminate malignant cells. While significant attention has been focused on the lymphocyte side of the IS, particularly its role as a secretory domain for lytic granules, the cancer cell side of the IS has remained relatively underexplored. Recent findings have revealed that cancer cells can rapidly polarize their actin cytoskeleton toward the IS upon interaction with natural killer (NK) cells, thereby evading NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In this Brief Research Report, we present preliminary findings suggesting that actin cytoskeleton remodeling at the cancer cell side of the IS is associated with the targeted secretion of small extracellular vesicles towards the interacting NK cell. We observed that multivesicular bodies (MVBs) preferentially accumulate in the synaptic region in cancer cells exhibiting synaptic accumulation of F-actin, compared to those lacking actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Extracellular immunofluorescence staining revealed increased surface exposure of CD63 at the cancer cell side of the IS, suggestive of the fusion of MVBs with the plasma membrane. This hypothesis was supported by a pH-sensitive probe demonstrating dynamic trafficking of CD63 to the extracellular region of the IS. Collectively, our data support the notion that cancer cells can engage in targeted secretion of extracellular vesicles in response to NK cell attack, underscoring the need for further research into the potential role of this process in facilitating cancer cell immune evasion.

Drought stress ranks among the most critical environmental challenges facing agriculture today, causing significant impairments to plant growth and development. In Morocco, these negative impacts are projected to intensify further under the combined pressures of climate change and the worsening water shortage crisis. The imperative need for sustainable arganiculture (cultivation of Argane trees) in dry lands necessitates the expeditious identification of drought-tolerant elite Argania spinosa trees. In this context, we investigated the drought tolerance of 2-year-old A. spinosa seedlings from two contrasting provenances Lakhssas (LKS) and Aoulouz (ALZ) under severe stress by evaluating their antioxidative defense mechanisms. A total of 24 parameters related to reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative damage, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense were measured and compared between both provenances. The results showed that the drought-stressed conditions significantly increased the activity of enzymatic antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, polyphenoloxidase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and ascorbate-glutathione cycle enzymes, as well as the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants, including reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (AsA), α-Tocopherols (α-toc), polyphenols, anthocyanins, and group thiols. The ability of A. spinosa trees to greatly enhance their antioxidant system to limit cellular damage caused by ROS production might be an important attribute linked to drought tolerance. Regarding the inter-provenance variation under drought stress conditions, LKS provenance exhibited superior antioxidative capacity through enhanced AsA-GSH cycle activity and elevated levels of AsA-GSH, α-toc, and polyphenols. However, ALZ demonstrated elevated anthocyanin levels and reduced peroxidative stress markers (hydrogen peroxide and malonyldialdehyde). Significant and positive correlations were recorded between studied ROS and antioxidants. Investigating the multifaceted antioxidative defense system underpinning drought tolerance in A. spinosa can facilitate the identification of drought-tolerant argane trees for the development of a future breeding program allowing sustainable arganiculture in dry lands.

Due to their intensive cultivation, horticultural crops are particularly susceptible and vulnerable to the detrimental effects of drought stress, necessitating significant water inputs for optimal growth and yield. Accordingly, water-saving irrigation strategies, i.e., Partial Root zone Drying (PRD) and Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) emerge as pivotal tools for bolstering the resilience of the horticultural sector. The current study aims to evaluate the impact of PRD and RDI strategies on pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) growth, and physio-biochemical attributes under semi-controlled greenhouse conditions. Research findings revealed pronounced enhancements in stem length under both irrigation strategies, with PRD exhibiting superior effects on shoot fresh and dry biomass (increases of 57.2% and 61.1%, respectively) compared to full irrigation. At the physiological level, PRD and RDI induced a significant reduction in stomatal conductance in pepper plants relative to full irrigation, while maintaining leaf water potential and relative water content. Biochemically, plants subjected to PRD and RDI methods exhibited significant accumulation of free proline, particularly pronounced with PRD (approximately 115.9% increase compared to full irrigation). Furthermore, Chl a and carotenoid concentration significantly increased under PRD, indicating sustained photosynthetic functionality. Comparatively, PRD appears as the more effective technique, offering the potential to conserve agricultural water about 50 without compromising growth parameters, while simultaneously enhancing tolerance traits in C. annuum. Nonetheless, further investigations on other traits across diverse soil types, climates, and cultivars under field conditions are imperative to ascertain the broader applicability of PRD and optimize its implementation.

This article contains some outcomes on fixed points for a graph preserving nonlinear contraction in a metric space endued with a transitive directed graph. Our results improved, enriched, and subsumed various known fixed point theorems. To argue for reliability of our results, we presented two examples. We concluded the manuscript to investigate a unique solution of a certain first-order boundary value problem by means of our results.