Tunis University

About: Tunis University is a education organization based out in Tunis, Tunisia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Thin film. The organization has 11745 authors who have published 15400 publications receiving 154900 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Tunis & UT.

Plants-derived biomolecules as potent antiviral phytomedicines: new insights on ethnobotanical evidences against coronaviruses

Abstract: SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is in focus over all known human diseases, because it is destroying the world economy and social life, with increased mortality rate each day. To date, there is no specific medicine or vaccine available against this pandemic disease. However, the presence of medicinal plants and their bioactive molecules with antiviral properties might also be a successful strategy in order to develop therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, this review will summarize the available literature and other information/data sources related to antiviral medicinal plants, with possible ethnobotanical evidence in correlation with coronaviruses. The identification of novel antiviral compounds is of critical significance, and medicinal plant based natural compounds are a good source for such discoveries. In depth search and analysis revealed several medicinal plants with excellent efficacy against SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, which are well-known to act on ACE-2 receptor, 3CLpro and other viral protein targets. In this review, we have consolidated the data of several medicinal plants and their natural bioactive metabolites, which have promising antiviral activities against coronaviruses with detailed modes of action/mechanism. It is concluded that this review will be useful for researchers worldwide and highly recommended for the development of naturally safe and effective therapeutic drugs/agents against SARS-CoV-2 infection, which might be used in therapeutic protocols alone or in combination with chemically synthetized drugs.

Geography, Plants, and Growing Systems Shape the Genetic Structure of Tunisian Botrytis cinerea Populations

Abstract: Botrytis cinerea, considered for a long time as a generalist fungal pathogen of a multitude of plants, was recently shown to exhibit significant population structure in France according to the host, suggesting sympatric specialization. Recent models also showed that adaptation to new hosts may facilitate the process of sympatric speciation in fungal plant pathogens. The present work aimed at investigating if host plants, combined with geographic origin and growing systems, shape the diversity and structure of Tunisian populations of B. cinerea. We genotyped 153 isolates with 9 microsatellites. In all the investigated populations, the fungus reproduced mainly sexually. Gene flow was significantly reduced between greenhouses and open fields from strawberry but not from grapevine. Populations from tomatoes, sampled under greenhouses only, exhibited a low genotypic diversity. The effects of plant and geography from open fields were investigated on a sample of 74 isolates. Six populations were inferred, mainly structured according to a geographic barrier corresponding to the Grande Dorsale Mountain. However, this effect could not be separated from the host plant origin of isolates. The analysis of 63 isolates recovered from strawberries and faba beans in the Cap Bon and Centre regions did not reveal any significant effect of plant on pathogen population differentiation.

On the inventory performance of multi-criteria classification methods: empirical investigation

Abstract: A number of multi-criteria inventory classification (MCIC) methods have been proposed in the academic literature. However, most of this literature focuses on the development and the comparison of ranking methods of stock keeping units (SKUs) in an inventory system without any interest in the original and most important goal of this exercise which is the combined service-cost inventory performance. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge these MCIC methods have never been compared in an empirical study. Such an investigation constitutes the objective of this paper. We first present the inventory performance evaluation method that we illustrate based on an example commonly used in the relevant literature which consists of 47 SKUs. Then, we present the empirical investigation that is conducted by means of a large data-set consisting of more than 9086 SKUs and coming from a retailer in the Netherlands that sells do-it-yourself products. The results of the empirical investigation show that the MCIC methods that...

Impurity-controlled superconductivity/spin density wave interplay in the organic superconductor: (TMTSF)2ClO4

Abstract: The study of the anion ordered (TMTSF)2ClO4(1 − x)ReO4x solid solution in the limit of a low ReO4− substitution level (0 ≤ x ≤ 17%) has revealed a new and interesting phase diagram. Superconductivity is drastically suppressed as the effect of ReO4− non-magnetic point defects increases following the digamma behaviour for usual superconductors in the presence of paramagnetic impurities. Then, no long-range order can be stabilized above 0.1 K in a narrow window of substitution. Finally, an insulating SDW ground state in ReO4−-rich samples is rapidly stabilized with the decrease of the potential strength leading to the doubling of the transverse periodicity. This extensive study has shown that the superconducting order parameter must change its sign over the Fermi surface.