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Spinal ependymoma, the most common intramedullary tumour in adults, is generally located intradurally and intramedullarily. The presence of this tumor in the bulbo-medullary region is rarely documented in the medical literature.We present the case of a 33-year-old man with persistent torticollis and severe neck pain. Spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the bulbo-medullary region. Subtotal resection of this lesion was performed, and anatomopathological and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the diagnosis of ependymoma. Following surgery, the patient underwent post-operative radiotherapy.The standard therapeutic management of ependymoma is total tumor resection. However, the role of post-operative radiotherapy remains to be determined, although it is recommended in cases of subtotal resection. &nbsp

Dans cet article, bien que la mesure de la performance sociale soit difficile, en raison d’une myriade d’indicateurs de réflexion contingente, nous avons proposé une vision holistique de management de la performance sociale en tant que concept agrégé d’impact social. Après avoir examiné les raisons pour lesquelles la mesure de la performance sociale est devenu extrêmement importante pour divers intervenants dans la structure organisationnelle, nous avons essayé de conceptualiser cette notion en synthétisant à travers une grille d’analyse littéraire le socle des recherches empiriques antérieurs et en proposant des lignes directrices qui peuvent aider les praticiens et les chercheurs à élaborer une stratégie de mesure de la performance sociale qui répond à leurs besoins spécifiques.

L’objectif de cet article est d’identifier les facteurs affectant le comportement d'achat en ligne du consommateur marocain. En positionnant la présente recherche dans le courant positiviste au travers une approche hypothético-déductive, une étude quantitative utilisant un échantillonnage de convenance de 7395 utilisateurs d'achats en ligne a été réalisée. Les données ont été recueillies à l'aide d'un questionnaire. L'analyse factorielle est effectuée pour identifier la structure et la fiabilité interne des échelles de mesures identifiées en utilisant le logiciel SPSS version 24. En nous basant sur le logiciel SMART PLS version 3.0, nous avons mis en œuvre la méthode des équations structurelles afin de tester les hypothèses. Les résultats de l'étude suggèrent que le comportement des consommateurs d'achat en ligne est affecté par plusieurs facteurs tels que la Commodité, la Variété, la Confiance, le Prix perçu et le Risque perçu. Ce dernier facteur est lié à la performance, au paiement en ligne, au livraison et à l’attente de la vie privée. L’ensemble de ces facteurs jouent un rôle important dans le comportement d’achats en ligne.

This work describes the spatiotemporal analysis of microplastics (MPs) pollution in sediments collected on a high urbanized beach located in Taghazout coast, central Atlantic part of Morocco. The study area is mainly composed of moderately well-sorted fine sands with an average density of MPs that ranged between 915 MPs/kg in 2018 and 1448 MPs/kg in 2019. The most polluted sites were in the south part of Taghazout coast, close to facilities of where beachgoers are often found. Microplastic Pollution Index (MPPI), Microplastic Impact Coefficient (CMPI), Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC), and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) revealed spatiotemporal variation of MPs pollution. Thus, the principal component analysis (PCA) showed a low correlation between the sediment characteristics (i.e., grain size, sorting, skewness) and MPs densities. Overall, the outputs of this baseline recommend implementing plastic management strategies to eliminate or at least minimize the collateral effects generated by MPs pollution in sediments of urbanized beaches. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/423883/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

Our investigation within the framework of this study is carried out on three marine species fished off in Moroccan coasts namely: a fish, the sole (Solea Vulgaris), a cephalopod, the cuttlefish (Sepia Officinalis) and a crustacean, the pink shrimp (Parapenaeus Longirostris). The aims of this study is to assess the level of concentration in these three marine species, of three metallic trace elements: Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Mercury (Hg) and giving a reflection on the way in which Moroccan deep-sea fishing professionals can join a food safety management system to ensure the safety of their product and promote their competitiveness. Sampling is carried out at the port of Agadir city after landing of the deep-sea fishing boats which operate beyond 10 nautical miles, offshoring the seabed of Agadir for pink shrimp (Parapenaeus Longirostris), and in Dakhla city offshore for sole (Solea Vulgaris) and cuttlefish (Sepia Officinalis). Trace metal analysis were performed on individual muscles belonging to the three species. The results of our investigations show that the Pb content varies between 0.01 ppm and 0.27 ppm in Solea Vulgaris; between 0.015 ppm and 0.16 ppm in Sepia Officinalis and between 0.022 ppm and 0.38 ppm for Parapenaeus Longirostris. For the Cd, the concentrations vary between 0.0047 ppm and 0.050 ppm in Solea Vulgaris; between 0.0025 ppm and 0.254 ppm in Sepia Officinalis and between 0.0065 ppm and 0.11 ppm in Parapenaeus Longirostris. Concerning Hg, the contents vary between 0.0006 ppm and 0.075 ppm in Solea Vulgaris; between 0.0008 ppm and 0.05 ppm in Sepia Officinalis and between 0.0016 ppm and 0.09 ppm in Parapenaeus Longirostris. It appears from this study that the metal contents detected at the level of the three species of seafood investigated are below the regulatory thresholds. These results can be considered as the first basis for validating the control measure linked to the absence of metallic contamination of the three species in the sites studied.

The aim of the present study is the first to evaluate the ecotoxic state of the marine environment in Anza-Taghazout coasts (Morocco) after installation of two Wastewater Treatment Plants using a natural population of marine bivalves M. galloprovincialis. These coasts are exposed to many discharges generating, thus, different sources of pollutants. These pollutants can modulate the physiological responses of marine bivalves to environmental stress. In this context, a multi-biomarker approach consisting of a battery of biomarkers evaluation was used to assess the response of these species to stress. In the whole soft tissues of M. galloprovincialis, four biomarkers were evaluated: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Glutathione S-transferase (GST), Catalase (Cat) and malondialdehyde activity (MDA). In parallel, physico-chemical parameters were measured in the marine water of Anza-Taghazout within three selected sites: S1 considered as ‘hotspot’ located at Anza city; S2 located near of Aourir city and the third site, S3 ‘reference’ located in Imouran beach. Our results showed that activities of both Gluthation-S-Transferase and Catalase were higher in M. galloprovincialis collected from site S1, but high values of Malondialdehyde and Acetylcholinesterase activities were observed successively at S3 and S2. Application of Integrated Biomarker Response index (IBR) was suitable for classifying the stress response in the M. galloprovincialis but did not allow to evaluate the level of the xenobiotic exposure in the studied sites. The statistical results did not show any significant differences between the three studied sites and therefore S1 has recently become clean due to the installation of two wastewater treatment plants.

BACKGROUND: Agadir city plans to reuse treated wastewater on a large scale to irrigate these green spaces. This study aims to evaluate the risk of intestinal parasites, to which human and animal populations are exposed during the reuse of treated wastewaters. METHODS: Over 21 months, wastewater samples were collected in Bensergao and Mzar wastewater treatment plants, in Agadir city, southern Morocco. The occurrences and removal of intestinal parasites were inspected using the modified Bailenger method. RESULTS: The biodiversity of helminths is higher than protozoa, while the protozoa cysts are more abundant and more prevalent. Generally, the highest parasitic loads were recorded during the hot season. For raw waters, the average concentration of protozoa cysts was 173.33 ± 70.81 cysts per L for Bensergao plant and 179.33 ± 129.22 cysts per L for Mzar plant. However, the helminths average concentration was 48.70 ± 39.91 eggs/larvae per L for Bensergao plant and 51.10 ± 31.76 eggs/larvae per L for Mzar plant. The purified water of the Mzar plant does not contain parasites, unlike the Bensergao plant where a small numbers of parasites were detected, included 2.33 ± 1.53 cysts per L for protozoa and 0.45 ± 0.58 eggs/larvae per L for helminths. CONCLUSIONS: Considering parasitological risks, the purified waters of Bensergao plant cannot be used without risks to the public health and environment. In contrast, the purified waters and the purified waters disinfected by ultraviolet radiation from the Mzar plant can be used safely to water the green spaces of Agadir city.

In order to use the purified wastewater for the irrigation of a golf course in the Taghazout area (Southwestern of Morocco), this study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of the treated wastewater in the new Aourir plant (Activated Sludge technology). In order to achieve these objectives, three types of water were analyzed: raw water (RW), biologically treated water (BTW) and water treated by ultraviolet radiation (UV-TW). The physicochemical parameters analyzed were Temperature, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), five-day Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Total Suspended Solids (SS), Nitrate (NO3), and Orthophosphates (PO4). Otherwise, the analyzed biological parameters are Total Coliforms (TC), Fecal Coliforms (FC), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Fecal Streptococci (FS). The physicochemical parameters showed that temperature is always lower than 30°C, the pH is close to neutrality and a strong fluctuation of the high electrical conductivity (2700 μS/cm) occurs in UV-TW. At all stages of wastewater treatment, COD, BOD5, SS, NO3 and PO4 were below the limit values recommended by Moroccan standards. The bacteriological results showed a high level of bacterial contamination in RW and BTW, but in UV-TW the loads did not exceed 3 log10. The average loads of TC, FC, E. coli and FC in UV-TW were 2.13, 1.67, 1.77, and 2 (log10 CFU/100ml) respectively. Activated sludge treatment combined with UV has demonstrated sufficient quality to reuse treated water in irrigation; however, the UV treatment requires control to avoid any effect on the microbiological and physicochemical quality of green spaces and groundwater.

The present work is a part of the impact study of the tourist resort "Taghazout Bay" installation on the coast of Taghazout (North of the Agadir bay). The purpose of this study is to assess the initial state of the macro-zoobenthic structure present in the intertidal sands at the three study stations over the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The biological approach is accompanied by the study of some physico-chemical parameters of the seawater (temperature, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen) and the study of the sediment (grading structure, classification, and contents in organic matter). PCA analysis identified a perfect correlation between physico-chemical parameters. The sediment contains three grading classes only (Medium sand, fine sand, and very fine sand), very well classified with normal proportions of organic matter. The study of intertidal benthic macrofauna of the sandy substrate shows ten species and spatiotemporal variations with a clear dominance of the bivalve species Donax trunculus. We notice, from the DIMO model, that the variation profile of the spring and summer (2016 and 2017) shows a community dynamics called "Diversity type". In winter and in autumn, they know an "Evenness type". The rank-frequency diagram explains that the benthic community of Taghazout sandy coast exists in the stage "Pioneer 1". The ascending hierarchical clustering gave three logical gatherings of seasons. The faunistic structure of this benthic community revealed the shape M>C>P. We also notice that there is diversity in regimes in this ecosystem.

Downtimes due to ice formation on rotor blades reduce the economic efficiency of wind turbines. An accurate ice prediction is required to operate active de-icing measures such as blade heating as an anti-icing system. Building upon our previous research, this paper proposes the use of a convolutional neural network model with dual inputs and one-dimensional convolution filters using historical data from the wind turbine as well as weather forecasts to predict the ice situation for the next 24 hours. The model is validated using data from three different wind farms and shows an average balanced accuracy of 97.9%.

In the era of digitalization, electronic Kanban (e-Kanban) extends the traditional Kanban with additional data and information sharing that allows for more flexible and optimized inventory planning. The lack of automated fill level measurements for load carriers still hinders the full automation of the process. Our aim is to develop a self-learning e-Kanban system that automatically triggers replenishment orders using machine learning and data from low cost, autonomous sensor modules that measure the fill level of load carriers. This paper explains the concept and presents a first version of the mentioned sensor module that consists of an Intel Realsense sensor and an NVIDIA Jetson Nano. An evaluation is presented as well using small load carriers, which shows the suitability of the proposed method.

Le concept de la culture s���av��re crucial dans la sph��re manag��riale, cela ��tant donn�� qu���elle nous aide �� comprendre et �� pr��voir les ph��nom��nes du monde r��el. Le management ne peut jamais changer une culture nationale, il ne peut que la comprendre et l'utiliser. En revanche, il peut cr��er et parfois modifier une culture organisationnelle. En effet, l���objectif de cet article s���articule autour de la r��alisation d���une revue litt��raire synth��tique des ��tudes ayant trait��es le concept de la culture nationale et celui de la culture organisationnelle, leurs mod��les th��oriques et leurs impacts sur le leadeurship et sur la gestion des ressources humaines. Cela pour aider les managers �� comprendre et �� utiliser efficacement les param��tres culturels au moment de la prise de d��cisions.

Le concept de la culture s’avère crucial dans la sphère managériale, cela étant donné qu’elle nous aide à comprendre et à prévoir les phénomènes du monde réel. Le management ne peut jamais changer une culture nationale, il ne peut que la comprendre et l'utiliser. En revanche, il peut créer et parfois modifier une culture organisationnelle. En effet, l’objectif de cet article s’articule autour de la réalisation d’une revue littéraire synthétique des études ayant traitées le concept de la culture nationale et celui de la culture organisationnelle, leurs modèles théoriques et leurs impacts sur le leadeurship et sur la gestion des ressources humaines. Cela pour aider les managers à comprendre et à utiliser efficacement les paramètres culturels au moment de la prise de décisions.

Ice formation on rotor blades of wind turbines cause significant downtimes in cold regions. Existing ice sensors can detect, but cannot predict ice. Therefore, our research aims to develop an ice prediction system based on historical and forecasted data. In a first step, the detection process is analyzed in this research paper. Two machine learning models are trained using minimalistic input parameters. A full-factorial experiment design is performed for the models, using the fl-score as the response variable. The most significant input parameter was the external temperature for both models.

Ice formed on wind turbines not only causes economic damage but also poses a risk to nearby humans. Countermeasuring ice formation requires reliable detection systems. Existing ice detection solutions have improved with time, but are still not sufficiently accurate. This paper investigates the use of different convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and RGB images taken from cameras installed on the nacelle of wind turbines to detect ice on the rotor blades. In our research, the VGG19 model achieved the best performance with an accuracy and an f1-score of (96 ± 2) %.

Halophilic bacteria are a group of microorganisms living in saline environments and in some cases need the salinity to survive. Furthermore,these bacteria species have the potential for interesting and promising applications. In fact, this is due not only to their ability to adapt to extreme physico-chemical conditions but also because many of them they produce interesting substances for the industry such as extracellular hydrolytic enzymes.The present study aims to isolate and characterize halophilic bacteria producing hydrolase enzymes from twosalinesin Sidi Moussa-Oualidia complex (Morocco) and to screen their potential to produce hydrolase enzymes. In this study, 15 halophilic bacteria were identified and analyzed for their ability to produce extracellular enzymes. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequencing indicated that the 15 isolated strains belong to the genera Bacillus, Oceanobacillus and Virgibacillus. The study of enzymatic activity revealed that all isolates studied were capable of producing at least one extracellular hydrolytic enzyme of which 9 produced amylase, 6 cellulase, 13 DNase, 11 lipase, and 8 protease. In addition to their ability to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, our isolates have demonstrated their potential adaption to extreme Physico-chemical conditions. These properties could allow them to be used for many industrial applications.

Weather conditions have a significant impact on the installation of offshore wind turbines. The rules for installation set clear limits. These limits are usually based on estimations of various experts and not on real assumptions and measurements on-site. When wind speeds and wave heights are too high, work cannot be carried out, and this leads to delays and additional costs. Therefore, we have carried out a measurement campaign during the installation of rotor blades to investigate to which extent the limits can be adjusted by using a tuned mass damper. The results from the measurement campaign—specifically empirically derived significant wave height limits—are used in a discrete event simulation. This study simulates delays resulting from weather conditions. Based on this, the total installation costs are considered. The results of the measurement campaign show that a safe installation with the use of a damper is possible at wave heights of up to 1.6 m. With the discrete event simulation, it is possible to prove that 17.9% can be saved for the costs of the installation vessel. In addition, the wind farm could be erected 32 days faster. Thus, it can be stated that the use of a tuned mass damper simplifies the installation from a technical point of view and is economical.

Weather conditions have a significant impact on the installation of offshore wind turbines. The rules for installation set clear limits. These limits are usually based on estimations of various experts and not on real assumptions and measurements on-site. When wind speeds and wave heights are too high, work cannot be carried out, and this leads to delays and additional costs. Therefore, we have carried out a measurement campaign during the installation of rotor blades to investigate to which extent the limits can be adjusted by using a tuned mass damper. The results from the measurement campaign—specifically empirically derived significant wave height limits—are used in a discrete event simulation. This study simulates delays resulting from weather conditions. Based on this, the total installation costs are considered. The results of the measurement campaign show that a safe installation with the use of a damper is possible at wave heights of up to 1.6 m. With the discrete event simulation, it is possible to prove that 17.9% can be saved for the costs of the installation vessel. In addition, the wind farm could be erected 32 days faster. Thus, it can be stated that the use of a tuned mass damper simplifies the installation from a technical point of view and is economical.

The marine environment plays a major socio-economic role in the Agadir region (south-west Morocco). This area, which hosts important fishery resources, is currently not spared from the pollutants resulting from agricultural, domestic, industrial and tourist development. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the tourist resort Taghazout bay on the bacteriological and physicochemical quality of the coastal waters of Taghazout. Seawater samples were collected between March 2016 and March 2018 at three sampling sites (S1, S2 and S3) in order to monitor the concentrations of fecal coliforms (FC), fecal streptococci (FS) and total germs (TG). The results of physico-chemical parameters show seasonal fluctuations influenced by climatic factors. The spatio-temporal monitoring of bacteriological parameters shows that the average total germ count is 127.05 CFU/100ml, 39.61 CFU/100ml for fecal coliforms and 15.21 CFU/100ml for fecal streptococci. The values of FC80, FC95 and FS90 do not exceed the guide values of Moroccan standards. This classifies Taghazout beach in category A (Good quality of bathing water). The monitoring analysis recorded by the Pearson correlation test between the environmental parameters and the level of fecal bacteria showed that there was a significant positive correlation between FC concentrations and rainfall, the FS concentrations showed significant positive correlations with all the environmental parameters while the TG concentrations indicate no correlation with them. Fecal contamination parameters should be routinely monitored for improving the environmental conditions of coastal cities. This must be the case for the Taghazout coastline where a regular monitoring program must be established to evaluate the impact of the new tourist resort "Taghazout bay" on the environmental quality of this ecosystem.

In order to use purified wastewater on watering green spaces of Agadir city, we conducted this study to assess the bacteriological and physicochemical quality of treated wastewater in Mzar treatment plant. To realize these objectives, we analyzed four types of waters: raw water (RW), decanted water, purified water and purified water treated by the ultraviolet radiation (PWUV). The biologically analyzed parameters are fecal coliforms (FC) and fecal enterococci (FE). The physicochemical parameters are: pH, electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and total suspended solids (TSS). The results showed a high level of bacterial contamination in all types of waters, and the average loads of FC were between 4.71 × 106 CFU/100 mL (RW) and 1.45 × 103 CFU/100 mL (PWUV), while loads of FE were between 2.62 × 105 CFU/100 mL (RW) and 7.92 CFU/100 mL (PWUV). The physicochemical parameters show a pH close to neutrality and a high electrical conductivity (3261 μS/cm) in PWUV. In all stages of wastewater treatment, values of COD, BOD5 and TSS were under the limit values recommended by Moroccan standards. Except for the electrical conductivity and FC, all the studied parameters were under the limit values requested by the Moroccan standards. The microbiological quality of PWUV is unstable, and if these waters are reused, they can affect the microbiological and physicochemical quality of green spaces and groundwater.

In cold regions like Northern Europe or Northern America, formation of ice on wind turbines not only reduces the power output of the system, but also leads to wind turbine breakdowns and poses a risk to nearby vehicles and people. Economical solutions for anti-icing systems such as preventive heating are required. Purely meteorological icing predictions are not sufficient to accurately predict icing on wind turbines. Therefore, this paper proposes an icing prediction approach that uses historical weather data and data from a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system plus methods from supervised machine learning to predict the risk of icing. The first results of the prediction model show its capability to predict most of the icing events. The discussion shows that the model should consider more meteorological data that describe the icing risk such as humidity or liquid water content to achieve better prediction results. The final aim is a prediction system that will use real-time data to determine icing risks hours beforehand, allowing the operation of existing anti-icing systems more efficiently.

Digital twins perform process-accompanying services of machining processes or even of complete production systems. This article examines the interconnection between a physical production system and its digital twin, focusing on required sensors and the number of synchronization points to realize a dedicated control by the digital twin. Therefore, the physical system is modeled within AnyLogic to simulate different sensor configurations and breakdowns. A simulation-based digital twin is implemented to control the production system over a TCP/IP interface. As a result, a simulation-based examination of sensor configurations and their impact on the overall production system’s performance is proposed.

La question du roulement volontaire des médecins spécialistes a suscité un intérêt croissant dans de nombreux pays à travers le monde. À cet égard, les pays devraient être alertés par le taux de roulement volontaire de cette catégorie du personnel soignant en raison des impacts négatifs qu’il pourrait engendrer sur la santé de leurs citoyens. L’objectif de cet article consiste à réaliser une étude qualitative de type exploratoire. Cela nous permet d’avoir une parfaite connaissance des particularités contextuelles du milieu hospitalier public marocain. Une telle connaissance est susceptible d’enrichir notre modèle de recherche doctorale. Les résultats analysés, à travers le logiciel NVIVO 11, de notre échantillon composé de vingt trois médecins spécialises, montrent que les participants ont une forte intention de roulement volontaire, ce qui permet de conclure que les interviewés envisagent souvent de quitter leur emploi actuel.

Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation wird ein Zustandsüberwachungssystem (engl. condition monitoring system) entwickelt, welches unter Verwendung des Komplexereignisverarbeitungsansatzes (engl. complex event processing) eine Überwachung eines Systemzustands in Echtzeit erreicht, Störungsursachen identifiziert und den Zustand technischer Komponenten bewertet. Auf Basis dieser Informationen können anschließend im Rahmen der Instandhaltungsplanung verschiedene Instandhaltungsmaßnahmen angestoßen werden. Der Einsatz der CEP-Technologie setzt die Entwicklung neuer Informationslandschaften, basierend auf ereignisgesteuerten Architekturen, voraus. Innerhalb dieser Arbeit wird in diesem Sinne unter anderem die Forschungsfrage bearbeitet, wie das Zustandsüberwachungssystem im Hinblick auf seine Struktur entworfen werden muss, damit ein erfolgreicher Einsatz des CEP-Ansatzes realisiert werden kann. Dies erfolgt mittels eines Referenzmodells. Zudem adressiert die Arbeit die Forschungsfrage, wie das System konfiguriert werden muss, damit Sensordaten verschiedener Komponenten in Echtzeit zueinander in Beziehung gesetzt werden können, um globale Bedingungen richtig einschätzen zu können. Dies wird in dieser Arbeit als Konfigurationsmethodik adressiert.

The increasing use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a sanitary measure against the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant source of many environmental risks. The majority of the governments enforce the use of PPE in public areas, such as beaches. Thus, the use and disposal of PPE have compromised most solid waste management strategies, ultimately leading to the occurrence of PPE polluting the marine environment. The present study aimed to monitor the PPE pollution associated with COVID-19 along the coastline of Agadir, Morocco. In parallel, the influence of the activities carried out in each sampled beach before and after the lockdown break was reported. Overall, a total number of 689 PPE items were identified, with a mean density of 1.13 × 10−5 PPE m−2 (0–1.21 × 10−4 PPE m−2). The majority of the PPE items found were face masks (96.81%), out of which 98.4% were surgical masks and 1.6% were reusable cloth masks. The most polluted sites were the beaches with recreational activities, followed by surfing, and fishing as the main activity. Importantly, PPE density increased significantly after lockdown measures. Additionally, the discarded PPE sampled in the supralittoral zone was higher than PPE recorded in the intertidal zone. This confirms that PPE items are driven by the beachgoers during their visit. PPE items are a source of microplastic and chemical pollutants, a substrate to invasive species colonization, and a potential threat of entanglement, ingestion, and/or infection among apex predators. In the specific case of Agadir beaches, significant efforts are required to work on the lack of environmental awareness and education. It is recommended to improve beach cleaning strategies and to penalize incorrect PPE disposal. Additional alternatives may be adopted, as the involvement of biodegradable materials in PPE manufacturing, recycling through pyrolysis, and encouraging reusable and washable masks., Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image