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As the most consumed source of animal protein in Southern Algeria, this study focused on monitoring the quality of fresh camel meat stored at different temperatures by analyzing some physicochemical and microbiological parameters according to national standards. Dried and salted camel meat, locally called (Kadid), was used as a control sample. The microbiological results of fresh camel meat showed a total aerobic mesophilic flora (TAMF) load of 5,8 Log10 CFU/g, 3,86 Log10 CFU/g for total coliforms, and 2,95 Log10 CFU/g for fecal coliforms. All samples analyzed were free of pathogenic bacteria, namely coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS), Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. However, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) species with a load of 3,47 Log10 CFU/g were identified as follows: S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis. In less than 7 days, sample B stored at room temperature experienced deterioration, with the microbial load exceeding the maximum acceptable threshold (M) set by national regulations, along with changes in physicochemical parameters, rendering the product unfit for consumption. This degradation was faster compared to the sample A stored at a maximum temperature of +10°C. However, for the control sample, the physicochemical results of dried and salted camel meat (Kadid) showed an acidic medium (pH=5,26). The analyzed samples had moisture content (MC %), sodium chloride content (SCC %), and total solid content (TSC %) of 10,73%, 0,3% (3g/L), and 89,27%, respectively. From a microbiological points of view, fresh camel meat stored at +10°C meets national legislation requirements for a maximum storage of one month. In contrast, the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of dried and salted camel meat (Kadid) allow it to be preserved for an extended period, even at room temperature. The traditional method of preparing and preserving the meat has proven effective against microbial contaminants. It maintains a balance of physicochemical parameters that enhance preservation and improve the nutritional and organoleptic quality compared to chilled fresh camel meat.

This study aims to estimate the in situ effect of Phoenician juniper leaves on the physicochemical and microbiological quality of fermented goat’s milk stored under ambient conditions. In this study, we used two samples. The first sample was goat's milk flavored with juniper leaves, compared to the control sample without juniper leaves. We analyzed three physicochemical parameters: pH, titratable acidity, and temperature. Furthermore, the bacteriological analysis focused on the following parameters: Total aerobic mesophilic flora (TAMF), total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC), coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CoPS), and pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella spp and Listeria monocytogenes). The physicochemical results showed a change in the pH and titratable acidity of both samples with a higher acidity for the test sample compared to the control sample. This change was marked by an increase in a load of total aerobic mesophilic flora and lactic acid bacteria, a decrease in the total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms, and the Staphylococci load in the test sample compared to the control sample, which experienced an increase in these bacterial parameters. For the test sample, juniper leaves reduced bacterial contaminants in fermented goat’s milk by 38% for total coliforms, 41% for fecal coliforms, and 89% for staphylococci. Both samples were free of Salmonella spp and L. monocytogenes. These results are probably due to the effect of bioactive compounds of Juniperus phoenicea L leaves known for their antimicrobial effect. This traditional practice of our ancestors can improve the quality of fermented goat’s milk stored even at ambient temperature.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is an overlooked type of violence, remaining largely concealed and relegated to the private domain of family affairs. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers IPV a critical global public health concern. Its repercussions extend beyond physical harm, significantly affecting the mental and emotional health of women within our nation. This study aimed to determine the demographic characteristics of women who have experienced IPV by conducting a thorough cross-sectional investigation. The research was conducted among patients seeking consultation at the forensic medicine department of Laghouat Hospital, located in a southern Algerian region where population dynamics may vary compared to other parts of the country. In this study, 566 female violence victims were initially screened, 341 of which reported IPV experiences. Data were then gathered through individual interviews with the victims using a data collection form to investigate the demographic characteristics of these victims. This study sheds light on several factors intricately linked to IPVs. These factors include the age of the victim, educational level, occupation, living standards, marital status, marriage duration, number of children, spouse’s premarital acquaintance, sexual activity, and the association of verbal threats and obscene remarks. This study emphasizes that IPV is preventable, highlighting the pivotal role of societal strategies in its mitigation. Proactive measures involving governmental bodies, legal systems, official organizations, educational institutions, the media, and voluntary groups must be taken to effectively reduce the incidence of IPV.

Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are of ecological, socio-economic, and nutritional importance for the Saharan population. This study aims to scan the production of dates, particularly in Bechar (Southwest of Algeria) by determining the main varieties of dates, and the areas of agricultural exploitation intended for their production in Bechar. Several palm oases were visited to survey the different varieties of dates produced in Bechar, while the statistical data relating to the dates production and the date-producing agricultural areas were obtained through bibliographic, documentary research, as well as data from the agricultural services department of Bechar (DSA). The obtained results showed that Algeria is among the leading producers of dates, ranking fourth worldwide through 16 date-producing provinces, where the province of Bechar occupies the 6th position with production going from 2,446 t (2015) to 59,781.3 t (2021). A rate of 85% of this production is attributed to the soft date variety 'Ghers' and its analogs, while 15% is for the dry dates 'Degla Beida' and similar ones. The survey carried out in Bechar showed richness and diversity in terms of the variety of dates. Among the 10 component municipalities of Bechar province, Taghit is the most dates-producing municipality, constituting a rate of 12,72% of the total production. The agricultural area intended for the production of dates has also undergone an evolution where it reached a total of 13,918.5 ha (Agricultural area occupied by date palms) of which 10,027 ha is the date-producing agricultural area. The challenges facing this crop mainly lie in phytopathogenic diseases affecting the date palms and in climatic factors, namely drought and water stress. The local and national authorities should intervene to maintain and even promote the place of date-producing provinces in Algeria, which constitutes one of the drivers of economic development outside the oil sector.

This research paper was conducted to investigate and report the phonological problems that Master One English as a Foreign Language students at the university of Adrar face when they listen to spoken discourse, especially when they try to perceive and interpret words that undergo sound modifications at word boundaries, namely assimilation, elision, intrusion, linking and weak forms. The sample comprised a class of Master One with 20 students who were subjected to a small text which is used for two purposes; first, as a cloze dictation test to measure students’ ability to recognize words undergoing sound modifications, and the same text was transcribed and given to students where they were asked to provide any instance of reduced forms processes. The results revealed that students had a lot of difficulties in breaking up words into their individual sounds (i.e., lexical segmentation) due to the occurrence of reduced forms that blurred the ends and beginnings of words. With the transcribed text, students produced very few instances of the required reduced forms. The results of the investigation beg the teachers of English to handle and use native-like English. Résumé Ce travail de recherche a été mené pour étudier et rapporter les problèmes phonologiques auxquels sont confrontés les étudiants du Master Anglais comme Langue Etrangère de l'université d'Adrar lorsqu'ils écoutent un discours parlé, en particulier lorsqu'ils tentent de percevoir et d'interpréter des mots qui subissent des modifications sonores aux limites des mots, à savoir l'assimilation, élision, intrusion, liaison et formes faibles. L'échantillon était constitué d'une classe de première année Master de 20 étudiants qui ont été soumis à un petit texte utilisé à deux fins : d’abord, comme teste de dictée pour mesurer la capacité des étudiants à reconnaître des mots subissant des modifications sonores, et le même texte a été transcrit et remis aux étudiants où il leur a été demandé de fournir toute instance de processus de formes réduites. Les résultats ont révélé que les étudiants avaient beaucoup de difficultés à diviser les mots en leurs sons individuels (c'est-à-dire la segmentation lexicale) en raison de l'apparition de formes réduites qui brouillaient les fins et les débuts des mots. Avec le texte transcrit, les étudiants ont produit très peu d’exemples des formes réduites requises. Les résultats plaident les professeurs d'anglais soient prêts à maîtriser et utiliser l'anglais comme un locuteur natif.

Abstract This present work is a part of the liquid discharges treatment topic by studying the removal performance for thermotolerant coliforms (FC) and fecal streptococci (F.Strep) by a local natural light green clay from Kenadsa (Bechar-Algeria) under continuous adsorption processes in a fixed-bed column. The study estimated the clay adsorbing efficiency by the adsorption technique for bacteria contaminating the dairy effluent by determining the bacterial load before and after treatment. The mean log counts per 100 ml for FC and F.Strep were assessed by MPN method on liquid medium. The clay material characterizations were made through X-ray diffraction, X fluorescence spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Besides, some parameters were estimated such as the breakthrough time tb (clay filter breakdown); the amount of the contaminating bacteria that was removed at the breakthrough time Xb and the exhaustion of disinfection capacity Xe; the total amount of contaminating bacteria flowing through the column Xtotal; and the total removal efficiency (Y). According to the XRD, XRF and FTIR results, the predominant mineral constituents were silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, ferric oxide and magnesium oxide with rates of 59,44; 18,09; 7,79; and 3,87%, respectively, and hence, their classification among non-swelling clay minerals, illite is the major mineral group of this material. The results of the bacteriological analysis of raw dairy effluents showed an average bacterial load of 3,88 Log10 and 4,1 Log10 CFU/100 mL for FC and F.Strep, respectively, exceeding the thresholds set by the national and the international regulations. The results of the dairy effluents treated by the tested material have shown that the used clay has a relatively high adsorption property for the clay fixed-bed system (3 cm of bed height), expressed by a total removed efficiency Y (%) of FC and F.Strep used to evaluate the column performance ranging from 55 to 84%. It gives a higher log removal for FC and F.Strep (0.98–1.65 Log10) reported from the first adsorption process, and a breakthrough time ranged from 100 to 250 min, which was inversely proportional to the initial bacterial load of discharges and also linked to the nature of the bacterial contaminants. When the breakthrough occurs earlier, the column service life will be shortened. For the studied parameters, the results of treated effluent complied with national and WHO regulations for unrestricted agricultural irrigation, otherwise, as authorized effluents to be discharged into nature without risks. These preliminary results are very promising at laboratory scale as an innovative green technology, treatment method respecting the environment and opens up prospects for the future, where the modification or the optimization of operating conditions such as the bed height of the fixed bed for adsorption, the volumetric flow rate or the clay structure like the particle size distribution of the adsorbents, known as one of the adsorbent classes endowed with an antimicrobial property, can improve the column performance, and further, the removal or even more the disinfection process by adsorption method.

Abstract Milk and dairy products’ production lines generate pollution in the form of food waste. The management of this waste concerns professionals that fit the purpose of this study to assess the chemical risk of the raw liquid effluents that are discharged from a milk processing plant located in Bechar (Southwest of Algeria) by analyzing the main chemical indicator parameters of water pollution following official analytical methods. A total of ten samples were analyzed during the months of February, March and April of the year 2019. The obtained results were interpreted according to the regulatory requirements recommended by the Algerian standard related to threshold limit of physicochemical parameters’ values. The obtained results showed pollution signs revealed by high levels of the organic matters, expressed by significant means related to the following parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD: 810.33 mg/L), 5 days-biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5: 797.91 mg/L), total suspended solids (TSS: 47.3 mg/L) and turbidity (174.014 NTU) exceeding those required by the national standard, except other physicochemical parameters, such as pH, conductivity, sulfate, nitrate and nitrite contents that did not exceed the threshold of acceptable values. Although these raw effluents present a high organic load expressed by average BOD5/COD ratio equal to 0.985, they constitute organic matters in a dissolved form (average value of the TSS/BOD5 ratio = 0.076). Furthermore, The COD/BOD5 ratio that had an average value equal to 1.015 underlines the biodegradability character of discharged dairy effluents. The high pollution levels which are aggravated by the lack of wastewater treatment can hurt the environment and the biological diversity and, therefore the humans' health. This requires an immediate intervention for a solution, where it is very important that proper wastewater treatment systems should be installed for the environment protection and for the ecological balance. Otherwise, it may constitute a risk to the public health on medium- to long-term by affecting the quality of the underground reservoir known as the main source of supply for the inhabitants of arid and semi-arid areas.

Concern about the discharge of untreated industrial wastewater as a threat to the ecosystem is seriously increasing every day. Part of these discharges are generated by the agri-food industries, which must consider purification for successful remediation of ecosystems. Effluents from dairy industries are among the agri-food wastes richest in organic matter. It constitutes a major source of pollution due to its richness in macroelements and microbial pollutants. This study focused on the treatment of raw dairy effluents (RDE) from a dairy unit located in Bechar (Southwestern Algeria) using two processes: the first, a biological process in a laboratory-scale batch culture through three bacterial strains, namely Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli, and the second, a chemical treatment by adding different concentrations of coagulants [Al2(SO4)3; FeCl3]. Pollution indicator parameters, namely BOD5, COD, and total nitrogen content (TKN) were monitored and compared with the control sample (RDE). The results obtained for the analyzed pollution parameters of dairy effluents (COD: 653mgO2/L; BOD5: 554,5mgO2/L; TKN: 57,2mg/L; and NO3 -: 80mg/L) exceed the thresholds set by national regulations and must be adjusted to ensure compliance with Algerian standards. The results of the biological treatment showed high purification efficiency compared to chemical treatment with an abatement rate of 84,84% for COD; 95,06% for BOD5; 87,76% for total nitrogen; and 67,62% for nitrate, and removal of bacterial indicators of pollution by 48-50% for fecal coliforms; and 34-40% for fecal streptococci at the outlet of the batch culture system, attributed to B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa strains making post-treatment dairy effluents more compliant with national discharge standards than E. coli by reducing pollution indicator parameters. While chemical treatment with coagulants were less favorable with relatively high COD and BOD values. These results confirm the advantage of biological processes, which are simple, economical, and respectful of the environment. Thus, the purified effluent can be reused on-site in the production process, namely cooling, washing, and even irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]