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Olive mill wastewaters (OMW) are considered as a serious pollutant in Mediterranean countries due to their high level of toxicity and the huge quantities generated yearly. However, satisfying treatment to such a threat has yet to be proven and the evaporation ponds remain the most used technique and the ultimate path for OMW. The OMW phenolic compounds decomposition during drying in basin using qualitative survey was little investigated. This research was undertaken to study OMW evolution during drying in storage basin. Three OMW samples were collected from storage basin: liquid (L), sludge (S), and dry OMW (D). pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Na+, K+and Ca2+contents, oil content, and organic matter content (OM) were analyzed. The phenolic compounds were investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Results showed decreases of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), mineral Na+, K+and Ca2+contents, oil content, organic matter (OM), and total polyphenol compounds. The HPLC analysis showed that fresh liquid OMW contains five phenolic compounds (hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, vanilic acid, ferulic acid, and coumaric acid). In the sludge OMW only hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and ferulic acid were detected. In dry OMW, two phenolic compounds were identified (hyroxytyrosol and tyrosol).

Nowadays, traditional methods for dye removal from industrial effluents have been integrated with chemical oxidation processes, mainly advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) which are able to degrade complex organic substances. In this paper, the integration of membrane process and hydrodynamic cavitation for the treatment of a dyeing wastewater is presented. The degradation efficiency of two dyes (methyl orange and methylene blue) obtained in previous experimental activity and here resumed are used as an input to simulate an integrated treatment cycle in which dyeing waste-water is pre-treated, filtrated through a membrane operation, subjected to an AOP with hydrodynamic cavitation in a hybrid configuration. The integration among physical treatment (membrane) and chemical/physical treatment (hydrodynamic cavitation coupled with Fenton treatment) allows to obtain a depurated stream (permeate) that can be reused as process water and a concentrated stream (retentate) that after the treatment can be safely discharged into superficial body.

•The positivity of ANA, a classic marker of CTD, is not rare during MS.•ANA positivity in MS was not associated with clinical expression of any CTD.•ANA occurrence in MS was associated with IgG OCB+ profile and relapsing status.•ANA positivity during MS probably reflects an ongoing immune dysregulation.

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This study aims at assessing the impact of agency costs on the demand for audit quality at the time of an Initial Public Offering in an emerging market. It is based on IPOs of the Tunis Stock Exchange for the period 2005-2015. We used a logit estimation of our selected model. The results show the importance of the impact of incumbent-potential shareholder agency costs on audit quality demand. However, shareholder-manager agency costs did not show any impact on the audit quality demand in an IPO context. The study is important because the Tunisian government has been encouraging Tunisian firms to list on the stock exchange by providing them with tax incentives, but no specific restrictions have been placed on the IPO prospectus auditing. It is therefore an arbitration between higher and less audit quality demand made by the newly introduced firm in order to control its costs.

La maladie d’Addison (MA) est une affection chronique qui constitue une contrainte aux activités physiques des patients atteints.

Le sinus dermique est une communication anormale d’origine embryologique entre la peau et le système nerveux central. Sa localisation habituelle est lombosacrée et elle est rare au niveau occipital.

Les fentes orofaciales non syndromiques (FOFNS) sont des anomalies congénitales prévalentes qui peuvent avoir des implications substantielles pour les individus touchés et leurs familles. Bien que des facteurs génétiques aient été identifiés comme des composants étiologiques majeurs de ces fentes, la contribution des facteurs environnementaux et professionnels reste mal élucidée.

Over the past few decades, the scientific community has developed an increasing interest in high-performance water treatment systems based on cavitational processes. Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) is one of the promising technologies for wastewater treatment, especially for dyeing solutions, since it shows high efficiency in treating dyes, even at low concentrations. Both strategies have been shown to be efficient ways to get rid of pathogenic bacteria by disinfecting waters and achieving the mineralization of numerous organic pollutants. This makes cavitation-based techniques an attractive choice for use in water treatment facilities' post-treatment stages. Modern techniques have been presented that combine advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with cavitation for increased oxidation capacity. When used together, cavitation and AOPs (such as O3, H2O2, and Fenton's process) can cause materials to decay much more quickly. This work aims to investigate the degradation of Methyl Blue (MB) with HC and evaluate the effectiveness of a hybrid process (O3+ HC). The experimental tests were conducted to determine the optimal operating conditions (pressure, pH, O3dosage). Furthermore, the feasibility of MB mineralization at a high concentration range (10–100 mg/l) was performed. Cost estimation and energetic analysis were discussed. As a result, the optimal conditions were: P = 4.5 bar, pH 2, O3= 7.5 mg/L. For the initial concentration of 10 mg/L, the MB decolorization yield of HC, O3, and HC + O3were 10%, 99%, and 100%, respectively, after 30 min of treatment. The addition of O3promoted the degradation efficiency above 95%, decreasing the treatment time. Increasing the O3feed rate can reduce the treatment time. A flow rate of 8 L/min of ozone was adopted in the optimal flow value. The hybrid process has an important effect in improving the performance of wastewater treatment by reducing treatment time, causing saving in energy consumption and process cost.

This paper introduces a novel code called two dimensional Pascal’s triangle zero cross correlation (2D-PTZCC) for spectral/spatial coding with its structure of the corresponding system to implement in spectral amplitude coding optical code division multiple access (SAC-OCDMA) systems The novel code is derived from a one dimensional zero cross correlation (1D-ZCC) code using Pascal’s triangle rule. The analytical results prove that the proposed code has totally removed the multiple access interference (MAI), in addition the phase induced intensity noise (PIIN) influence is highly reduced due to the zero cross correlation (ZCC) property. Comparing with the recent developed two-dimensional codes like 2D multi diagonal (2D-MD), 2D dynamic cyclic shift (2D-DCS), 2D diluted perfect difference (2D-DPD) and 2D perfect difference (2D-PD) codes for the same code length. The results of simulation show that the suggested code improve the system capacity and increase the number of simultaneous users reaches 29 % and 64 % comparing to 2D-DPD and 2D-PD codes, respectively. As well, it supplies higher signal power and data bit rates whereas it saves effective source power around −0.81dBm for 2D-DCS and 2D-DPD codes and consumes minor light spectral width. The passage from 1D to 2D ameliorated 1.68 times the system capacity and saved around −4.27dBm$ - 4.27{\rm{ dBm}}$the effective power for each user.

TiO2catalysts were synthesized via simple sol–gel method using different carboxylic acids. The synthesized materials were characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2physisorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated in the degradation of phenol under visible and solar light. The prepared catalysts using the carboxylic acids showed an improvement in the characteristics of TiO2. Particularly, the catalyst prepared with citric acid, showed a single pure anatase phase with a small crystallite size (of around 9.4 nm), larger surface area (81 m2/g) and narrower band gap (2.94 eV) compared to the non-modified TiO2and the reference Degussa P25. Moreover, the results showed that using citric acid, a high conversion of phenol under visible light of around 46% was achieved and a complete degradation under sunlight in a shorter time of around 90 min.

Les soins palliatifs sont une approche multidisciplinaire pour améliorer la qualité de vie des patients et leurs familles à tous les stades d’une maladie grave. Cette approche est accomplie en gérant les symptômes pénibles tels que la douleur et la dyspnée. La dyspnée réfractaire se caractérise par une difficulté respiratoire persistante au repos ou avec un effort minimal malgré un traitement optimal de la maladie sous-jacente. L’utilisation d’opioïdes a été bien documentée dans ce contexte ; cependant, l’hésitation persiste lors de la prescription d’opioïdes jusqu’aux étapes terminales de la maladie. Ce travail décrit les preuves actuelles de l’utilisation des opioïdes pour le traitement de la dyspnée en soins palliatifs, les protocoles et les voies de leur administration.

This paper presents a new strategy of mobile robot navigation inspired from Follow The Gap and Grouping Obstacles methods in static and dynamic environments. In this work, we have proposed a solution based on gap identification for the problem of obstacle avoidance. The mobile robot scans the surrounding through a laser sensor, then chooses the safest gap between the obstacles to reach the target. After that, the direction of the mobile robot is given by a fuzzy logic controller. This algorithm has shown its adaptability in cluttered environment and has produced good results comparing to the methods suggested in previous works. On the other hand, we have added a new fuzzy logic controller in the case of dynamic obstacles to command the linear velocity of the robot. This approach was tested in some simulations, and has shown its efficiency in generating shorter and optimal paths in a small time, which represents a great advantage.

Burkitt Lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive B-type non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It rarely develops at the level of the sinonasal cavities, especially in young children. We present the case of a 2-year-old boy who presented with a 2-month history of nasal obstruction, snoring, and epistaxis followed by a recent dyspnea. Examination revealed a protruding tissue mass in the left nasal cavity. Computed tomography scan showed a homogenous soft-tissue mass in the left nasal cavity extending toward the ipsilateral orbit, infratemporal fossa, nasopharynx, as well as the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a homogenous infiltrating mass with a hypo-intense signal on T2-weighted images reaching the infratemporal fossa and oropharynx. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of BL. The patient was referred to the clinical hematology department and received complex chemotherapy. Following chemotherapy, imaging revealed significant regression of the mass. We performed a nasopharyngeal biopsy which confirmed the absence of any persistent disease. This case report highlights a rare case of an extensive sinonasal BL emphasizing the importance of a high level of suspicion to ensure an early diagnosis and treatment.

Le but de notre travail est de décrire la distribution de l’épaisseur cornéenne centrale (ECC) dans la population tunisienne.

Le but de ce travail est d’évaluer les niveaux des connaissances, attitudes et pratiques concernant les complications chroniques du diabète.

Le cortisol est une hormone stéroïdienne ayant des fonctions métaboliques importantes portant sur le métabolisme des lipides, des protéines et des glucides mais ayant également des effets cataboliques sur les tissus musculaires.

En Tunisie, nous avons constaté ces années une augmentation de la fréquence des formes ganglionnaires de la tuberculose au dépend des formes pulmonaires. Ces formes échappent souvent au diagnostic par les tests classiques. Notre objectif était d’évaluer la performance de l'intradermo-réaction (IDR) à la tuberculine dans le diagnostic de la tuberculose en Tunisie, en utilisant la méthodologie de la courbe ROC.

Le tabac représente une pandémie mondiale avec 1,1 milliard de fumeurs en 2019. Les professionnels de la santé jouent un rôle important dans la lutte contre ce fléau. Cependant ils sont également concernés. L'objectif est de déterminer la prévalence du tabagisme et les habitudes tabagiques des professionnels de santé de l'hôpital Abderrahmane Mami.

L'exposition au tabagisme passif est confirmée être un facteur de risque indépendant des maladies cancéreuses. La quantification de cette exposition est importante pour savoir analyser ce problème et en déduire les solutions. L'objectif de cette étude était de décrire l'exposition des adolescents âgés de 13 à 15 ans au tabagisme passif.

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the thyroid gland is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only nine cases have been reported in the literature.

L’emploi d’un revêtement s’avère souvent utile pour modifier les propriétés de surface d’un composant indépendamment de ses propriétés de volume. L’utilisation du courant pulsé permet d’améliorer sensiblement la qualité des revêtements métalliques. L'objectif de cette étude est de corréler les paramètres du procédé d’électrodéposition des revêtements de chrome et leurs propriétés structurales et fonctionnelles, en appliquant la méthode du plan d’expériences. Les films élaborés ont été observés par AFM et leurs caractéristiques mécaniques et morphologiques ont été étudiés.

Single crystals of LiDy(PO3)4, NaNd(PO3)4, NH4Dy(PO3)4and AgLa(PO3)4polyphosphates have been grown using the flux method. A mixture of monovalent carbonate (M2CO3), rare earth oxide (Ln2O3) and phosphoric acid (H3PO485%) was heated at 285°C during a week. Single crystals were obtained and characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Their investigation was carried out by thermal analysis (ATG/ATD). Their electric conductivity was measured by impedance spectroscopy. The conductivity, σ, vary between $1{,}5\times10^{-8}~\Omega^{-1}$.cm-1at 300 °C and $2\times10^{-5}~\Omega^{-1}$.cm-1at 500 °C. The activation energies increase from 0,31 for NH4Dy(PO3)4to 1,26 eV for NaNd(PO3)4. The basic structural units of these phosphates are ribbons (PO3)nformed by corner-sharing of PO4tetrahedra with variable geometry, which are unfavourable to the ionic conduction. The ionic transport was mainly assured by M+ions; moreover, the hydrogen bond established in the structure of NH4Dy(PO3)4and the proton exchange allow to explain the relatively high conductivity of this phosphate. The results are discussed and correlated to the structural properties of these phosphates.

The quaternary phase diagram CaO-La2O3-SiO2-P2O5was investigated in order to delimit an existence domain of single-phase oxy-silicophosphates. The studied samples were synthesized by high-temperature solid state reaction ($1200\sim1400^{\circ}$C). The uranium solubility in Ca5La5(SiO4)3(PO4)3O2apatites was also studied. The obtained results exhibit that within the defined domain, it exists a solid solution between pure phosphate apatites CaxLay(PO4)6Otand pure silicate apatites CaxLay(PO4)6Ot. The uranium solubility in the Ca5La5(SiO4)3(PO4)3O2stoechiometry was found about 4.7% in cationic ratio.

Introduction: We propose in this study to analyze the results obtained in the experience of Dar El Amal by comparing the two age groups 45-49 years versus over 50 years. This experience of Dar Al Amal was started in Sfax (Tunisia) in 2004. The project had included women over a period of six and a half years. The target population was all women over the age of 45 years. Results: In the period of the study, 10 000 women had at least one mammography within the first round in Dar El Amal. The average age was 51.56 years. The recall rate was more important in women aged 45-49 years compared with those over 50 years with a statistically significant relationship (p=0.013). Tests classified ACR0 and ACR3 predominated in women aged between 45 and 49 years with a statistically significant relationship. The positive predictive value (PPV) of mammography was better in those over 50 years (p=0.012). Conclusion: The majority of countries in the world opt for screening from the age of 50 years. Women under 50 years are not routinely concerned, but they have more right to a targeted and appropriate screening.

Le schwannome du thorax est une tumeur neurogène qui prend origine le plus souvent à partir d’un nerf intercostal. Sa localisation thoracique préférentielle est médiastinale postérieure.

En Tunisie, l’accès à l’Internet est de plus en plus facile. Les adolescents peuvent plus facilement glisser vers un usage problématique d’Internet ou une addiction à l’Internet.

Les dermatoses perforantes (DP) sont des affections cutanées hétérogènes rares. On distingue les DP primitives (DPP) et les DP acquises (DPA). À travers une série hospitalière, nous étudions les particularités épidémiologiques, cliniques et histologiques des DPA.

The effects of anodizing conditions (electrolyte, current density and temperature) on the friction coefficient and Vickers microhardness of anodic oxide layers formed on Al 5754 and Al 1050A substrates were investigated. The studied properties were examined using DELTALAB HVS–1000 Vickers microhardness tester and rotating pin on disc tribometer. It was established that the highest microhardness (>HV 400) and the lowest friction coefficient (<0.4) were obtained with the oxalic acid addition of 10 g/L at high current density of 3 A/dm2and low temperature of 5 °C. The presence of oxidized Mg through the anodic oxide layer formed on Al 5754 was examined using glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). The MgO was found to act negatively on the mechanical property of the layer. Finally, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the anodic layer before and after friction tests. It is found that the wear mechanism is related to many aspects of the initial morphology, chemical composition of the layer (C, S and Mg), porosity and internal stress.

The biomaterials are used for many biomedical applications. The main objective of the present work was to investigate the potential role of Bioglass (Melting)- Polyvinyl alcohol (BG (M)-PVA) and Bioglass (Melting)-Polyvinyl alcohol-20%Ciprofloxacin (BG (M)-PVA-20Cip) in regenerative bone capacity. These composites were implanted in the femoral condyles of Wistar rats and compared to that of ovariectomised groups. Our results noted, after the different period of implantation (15, 30, 60 and 90 days), that the Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Acid phosphatase (ACP) activities showed an excellent osteoinductive property of BG (M)-PVA, that this phenomena decreased with the presence of ciprofloxacin. Physico-chemical techniques (ICP-OES and SEM) were engaged to highlight the influence of antibiotic on the structure, porosity and bioactivity of a porous Glass-PVA before and after implantation. The results obtained by ICP-OES showed a rapid reduction in silicon (Si) and sodium (Na), and noted an accelerator increase in calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) ion concentrations in BG (M)-PVA that the BG (M)-PVA-20Cip. This result is confirmed by SEM. We can conclude that the loading of ciprofloxacin in BG (M)-PVA is characterized by a retard effect of formation of apatitic phase.

Le trouble déficit de l’attention/hyperactivité (TDAH) est un trouble psychopathologique dont la prévalence chez l’enfant est particulièrement élevée et qui est souvent associé à d’autres troubles psychopathologiques qui sont à l’origine d’une difficulté supplémentaire à surmonter pour les enfants atteints de ce trouble. L’objectif de notre travail était d’étudier la comorbidité psychiatrique au TDAH en population scolaire dans la région de Sfax en Tunisie.

Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma. We present a case of a 50-year-old man, with a rare location in the flank. Clinical presentation showed an ulcerative lesion. Imaging features were evocative of malignancy. Surgical excision was performed, involving oblique muscles. The diagnosis of low-grade leiomyosarcoma with free margins was made. No adjuvant therapy was indicated. Clinical and radiological follow-up of the patient during two years did not reveal recurrences. Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma of the flank is extremely rare and takes part in a group of infrequent and unknown tumors. Clinical presentation is unspecific and histological evidence is mandatory for diagnosis. Tumor extension in depth constitutes the major determinant factor for therapeutic management and prognosis. Wide surgical resection is crucial to minimize recurrence risk especially when poor prognostic factors take place.

Les valeurs prédictives positive (VPP) et négative (VPN) d'un test nous informent sur la probabilité d’être réellement malade ou non, tout en ayant respectivement un test positif ou bien négatif. Notre objectif était d’étudier l'apport du nomogramme de Fagan dans la détermination des VPP et VPN de l'intradermo-réaction (IDR) à la tuberculine.

Le tabagisme demeure un problème de santé publique majeur dans le monde et en Tunisie. Le professionnel de santé constitue le pivot central de cette lutte. Cependant ce dernier fume autant que la population générale et semble insuffisamment préparé pour aider les patients fumeurs. L'objectif est d’évaluer les connaissances des professionnels de santé de l'hôpital Abderrahmane Mami vis-à-vis du tabagisme.

Le myélome multiple constitue 1 % des cancers et 10 % des hémopathies malignes dans le monde. Récemment, la survie des malades s'est améliorée grâce aux nouveaux agents thérapeutiques et l'autogreffe de cellules hématopoïétiques. L'objectif de notre étude était de rechercher les facteurs pronostiques de la mortalité associés au myélome multiple.

L'aide à l'arrêt du tabac nécessite une prise charge globale dans laquelle le professionnel de santé joue un rôle fondamental. L'objectif de notre étude était d’évaluer les connaissances et les attitudes des professionnels de santé de l'hôpital Abderrahmane Mami concernant les modalités d'aide à l'arrêt du tabac.

L'aide au sevrage tabagique est un pilier principal parmi les mesures prises par l'Organisation mondiale de la santé dans la lutte anti-tabac. En Tunisie, cette mesure chez les fumeurs adolescents n'est pas encore quantifiée. L'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer la prévalence des indicateurs du sevrage tabagique chez les adolescents tunisiens.

La cigarette constitue depuis longtemps le moyen de tabagisme le plus répandu dans le monde. En Tunisie, pays endémique, nous sommes confrontés à une recrudescence d'usage chez les adolescents. Le but de cette étude était de décrire les prévalences d'usage de la cigarette chez les adolescents âgés de 13 à 15 ans sur une période de 16 ans.

Temperature dependence of Pb2+decays in the hydroxyapatites Ca$_{10-x}$Pbx(PO$_{4})_{6}$(OH)2has been studied between 25 and 300 K. It has been showed that the process of photoluminescence is mainly controlled by the metastable 3P0level. The broad emission band at very low temperature is attributed to 3P0$\to$1S0and at 3P1$\to$1S0at higher temperature.

The proposed method consists on ‘3D-to-2D’ transformation of the temporal frames that allows exploring the temporal redundancy of the video using 2D transforms and avoiding the computationally demanding motion compensation step. This transformation turns video spatial temporal correlation into high spatial correlation. In this paper, we explore the proposed method performances and try to better show what it actually offers to users. The paper presents also the extensions chosen to reduce the perceived artefacts and increase the perceptual as well as objective (PSNR) decoded video quality, which is actually competitive with state-of-the-art video coders, especially when operating complexity is taken into account.

This paper describes the development and application of a new peel protocols for the evaluation of adhesion of a flexible‐to‐rigid assembly. The developed apparatus allows simulating and predicting the delamination of the polymer coating from the steel substrate. The effect of certain test parameters such as a peel angle and peel speed was discussed. The durability of the retained assembly was equally investigated by considering an accelerated hygrothermal aging. The interfacial damages after conditioning and peel tests were characterized. Using two peeling angles of 90° and 180°, no significant difference was observed in terms of peel responses. The interface behavior seems to be not sensitive to the peel angle. However, an increase in the peel rate induces an increase in the peel strength. The characterization of the interface exhibits two mechanisms: The delamination process of the polymer coating is characterized by cohesive and mixed rupture, respectively, at low and high peel rates. Studying the effects of aging and coating defects on the interface behavior displays a continuous loss of adhesion of the polymer coating especially when it presents physical defects. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 29:185–196, 2010; View this article online at . DOI 10.1002/adv.20188

Thick and dense oxide layers were obtained on aluminium in sulphuric acid electrolyte. For this purpose, the methodology of experimental design was used. A three-variables Doehlert design (bath temperature, anodic current density, sulphuric acid concentration), was achieved. In order to maximize the growth rate and the density of the anodic oxide layer, optimum path study was conducted. Under the determined optimal anodizing conditions (5.7°C, 3 A·dm−2, C sul=140 g·L−1), the estimated response values were 0.86 μm·min−1 and 3.12 g·cm−2 for growth rate and density, respectively. The morphology of optimum layer was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The compactness of the optimum anodic layer can be correlated with its morphology revealed by SEM observations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]