The University of Batna 1 (French: Université de Batna 1, also named Université Colonel Hadj Lakhdar, Arabic: جامعة باتنة) is a public university in the city of Batna, Algeria. The university was originally created in 1977 as the University of Batna, before being split in 2005 into the University of Batna 1 and the University of Batna 2. It has four faculties and over 19,000 students.
This study explores the structural, electronic, and biological properties of 6-nitropiperonal (6NP), a nitro-substituted derivative of piperonal with potential biomedical relevance. The crystalline nature of 6NP was confirmed by powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), while FT-IR and FT-Raman analyses provided detailed vibrational insights. UV-vis spectroscopy revealed absorption bands at 325.3 and 408.7 nm, attributed to pi-pi* and n-pi* transitions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level yielded optimized geometry and a HOMO-LUMO gap of 3.92 eV, indicating moderate electronic stability and potential for controlled charge-transfer interactions. Reactivity analyses using molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), natural bond orbital (NBO), and Fukui functions identified clear electrophilic and nucleophilic regions within the molecule. ADMET predictions suggested favorable oral bioavailability and low toxicity, supporting its drug-likeness profile. Molecular docking against the antibacterial target protein (1JIJ) showed a binding affinity of -6.6 kcal/mol, further supported by 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations confirming stable ligand-protein interactions. Experimental assays demonstrated notable antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 = 39.04 & micro;g/mL), along with moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, as well as antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus. These findings establish a clear structure-property-activity relationship and highlight 6NP as a promising bioactive candidate.
Sulfamethazine (SMZ) has become a widespread pollutant in aquatic environments, posing serious ecological risks and contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Conventional water treatment techniques are generally inefficient at eliminating such pharmaceuticals; however, adsorption using polymeric resins offers a promising alternative. This study investigates the removal of SMZ using a strong acid cation-exchange resin (Purolite C100E). Batch experiments were conducted to examine the influence of key operational parameters, including pH, contact time, resin dosage, temperature, stirring speed, exchangeable cation form, and the presence of a co-adsorbate. Equilibrium isotherm experiments were performed using initial SMZ concentrations in the range of 20-280 mg/L. Operating conditions (pH 5, resin dosage 1 g/L, and contact time 150 min) were selected to achieve high removal efficiency, while the intrinsic adsorption performance of the resin was evaluated using equilibrium isotherms. The adsorption data were best described by the Langmuir model, yielding a high maximum adsorption capacity (qm) of 338.92 +/- 21.46 mg/g, which is superior to many previously reported adsorbents. Kinetic studies showed good agreement with the pseudo-second-order model, and thermodynamic analysis confirmed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic. FTIR analysis indicated that SMZ adsorption is mainly governed by hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions rather than electrostatic attraction. The resin exhibited good reusability over three adsorption-desorption cycles, and competitive adsorption tests demonstrated high selectivity toward SMZ. These results indicate that Purolite C100E is an efficient, selective, and reusable adsorbent for the removal of sulfonamide antibiotics from contaminated water.
Accurate detection of built-up areas in semi-arid regions is vital for urban planning and environmental monitoring. However, built-up surfaces and bare soils often produce very similar spectral responses. As a result, this similarity causes confusion in satellite image classification. Additionally, spectral overlap among urban materials, bare soil, and sparse vegetation further complicates detection. This study evaluates several spectral indices, including DBSI, NDTI, NDVI, BRBA, and BSI, combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to enhance built-up area extraction from Sentinel-2A imagery. Images captured during the driest season were selected to maximize spectral contrast. Three classification schemes based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) were tested. The first scheme used DBSI, NDTI, and NDVI. The second used BRBA, NDTI, and NDVI. The third relied on PCA-derived components. The results indicate that the PCA-based approach achieved the highest classification accuracy at 95%. In comparison, the DBSI/NDTI/NDVI combination reached 93%, while the BRBA/NDTI/NDVI scheme achieved 92%. Therefore, PCA helps reduce spectral confusion and enhances the identification of built-up areas in semi- arid environments. Overall, combining multiple spectral indices with dimensionality reduction offers a reliable method for urban analysis using Sentinel-2 imagery.
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are heteroxenous apicomplexan parasites recognized as major causes of reproductive disorders in numerous mammalian species. The present study aimed to assess through an epidemiological survey, the prevalence of reproductive losses in 75 dromedary herds during the period 2022-2025, as well as the associated risk factors, and to detect these protozoa by histopathological analysis in 63 dromedaries slaughtered at the slaughterhouse of El Oued province (126 samples: 63 hearts and 63 diaphragms). The survey revealed that 80% of the herds had a history of abortions, of which 60% also reported cases of stillbirth. Risk factor analysis showed a significant association exclusively with the presence of domestic cats and dogs (P < 0.05). Histological examination revealed forms compatible with T. gondii exclusively in the cardiac muscle of adult females, with tachyzoites detected in one animal (1.6%) and tissue cysts in two animals (3.17%). No evidence of N. caninum was detected. Cardiac lesions were characterized by mononuclear cell infiltrates, focal hemorrhages and areas of necrosis, indicating marked inflammatory and vascular reactions. These findings suggest that T. gondii, may be involved in reproductive losses in dromedaries and effective parasite control strategies specific to dromedary camels need to be developed.
Four-terminal (4T) tandem solar cells eliminate current-matching constraints and allow independent optimization of sub-cells, offering greater flexibility to combine different technologies and materials for optimized device performance. Stacked materials with complementary bandgaps improve carrier collection and harvesting of a broader solar spectral range while reducing thermalization and transmission losses through optimized heterojunctions. In this study, we present the design, numerical simulation, and optimization analysis of different III–V//CIGS 4T tandem solar cells. The most promising device involves a n-i-p top cell (n-InGaP/i-Al0.3Ga0.7As/p-Al0.3Ga0.7As) stacked on a CuIn1−xGaxSe2 (CIGS) bottom cell. A parametric study is conducted by means of the Atlas-Silvaco simulator calibrated against experimental data, revealing that the tandem efficiency is dominated by the top cell structure and its geometrical parameters. The optimized design of the top cell leads to a hetero-emitter thickness of 0.05 µm, an intrinsic layer thickness of 0.95 µm, and a base thickness of 3 µm, allowing the tandem cell to perform a conversion efficiency of 38.91
