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Medical and pharmaceutical waste (MPW) pose a big problem in society and at the healthcare centers because they cause a bacteriological risk in the living being and the environment. Morocco, since 1991, has developed a legal arsenal on medical and pharmaceutical waste. In order to identify pathogens at the level of hospital waste, and to assess their treatment system, this study was carried out at a Moroccan hospital center. The analysis of the samples was performed at the medical biology laboratory of the same hospital. Eleven samples were done at four care units, including two at the internal storage room before treating waste with an ECODAX T300 type mill, and two after treatment from the ground material and leachate. Before crushing 63.6% (7/11) of the samples gave positive cultures. The presence of pathogenic microorganisms such as (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas stuzerie and Pseudomonas fluorescens) have been identified and their sensitivity to antibiotics has also been determined. After the grinding cycle, the microbiological characterization of the samples on ground material and leachate revealed 100% of bacterial presence, the microorganisms (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were identified. The results show that hospital waste encloses multi-resistant pathogenic bacteria before and after their treatment, which raises a big question mark on the quality and effectiveness of the treatment of MPW.

Uterine contractions monitoring is essential during pregnancy progression for due date prediction and the screening of preterm deliveries, i.e., those related to labour contractions occurring before 37 weeks of gestation. As there are different kinds of uterine contraction, distinguishing between true labour ones and normal physiological ones during pregnancy is not trivial. Thus, early identification is necessary for the effective and efficient care of pregnant women to avoid unnecessary and costly hospitalization. In this regard, while classical clinical methods proved their limitations, real-time monitoring of uterine contractions is now possible thanks to a new technique called ElectroHysteroGraphy which measures the uterine electrical activity that is a proxy for the mechanical activity of the muscles of the uterus. An exhaustive and comprehensive literature review was conducted to retrieve and report the state-of-the-art of the methods to distinguish labour contractions from pregnancy contractions. A systematic search was run on different search engines using a search string. A snowball sampling approach was applied to the references of the retrieved articles to identify further appropriate papers. According to this, the relevant references included in the bibliography of each analysed article led to other appropriate articles. Thus, papers dealing with the methods to distinguish labour from pregnancy (normal physiological) contractions and published between 2001 and 2020 were selected. Linear and nonlinear methods have been developed for uterine contractions signals (EHG/EMG) analysis to distinguish labour from pregnancy contractions. Nonlinear methods yielded better results compared to the linear methods, but not all nonlinear methods are promising in terms of clinical application.

Over the last three decades, the world has been confronted with several respiratory syndromes epidemics as: SARS in 2002, the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 and the Ebola epidemic in 2014. They have resulted in significant direct and indirect mortality and morbidity. In this work, we analyze the strategies implemented by Morocco by highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of all the actions undertaken that have made Morocco an example in the COVID-19 pandemic management. In order to obtain convincing results, Morocco adopted the precautionary principle by taking drastic measures as soon as the first case of contamination appeared. These measures were taken considering the population, thus saving time and gradually acquiring the adequate logistical resources for the epidemic management. Among these measures which have proved their effectiveness, we find the emergence of a local sanitary equipment and devices industry necessary for the protection and care of COVID-19 (artificial respirator, masks, hydro-alcoholic gel...), the construction of the largest hospital in Africa in 15 days (700 beds) for the care of people with COVID-19, the chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine based dual therapy adoption, compensation for individuals and companies, the cultural aspect and societal practices in addition to strict progressive containment. Thus, the study of the strategies implemented by the government of the Kingdom of Morocco since the state of emergency declared on 20 March, the date of the containment beginning to its end, has highlighted the main influences on the capacity of all the players to successfully manage the socio-economic and health situation, making Morocco an example in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, as have Germany, South Korea and the Scandinavian countries, with a lethality under 200 deaths.

The most common residual viscosity correlation used in the petroleum models is JOSSI et al [1] where the residual viscosity is represented by a polynomial function of 4th degree involving the reduced density ρr ([(η-η*)ξ+10-4]1/4=Σ41=0(aiρri)). Based on this formula, it is possible to predict various uncertainties that can be accumulated and thus alter the performance of viscosity restitution which depends on several factors:The quality of the initial adjustment of the coefficients ai;The precision on the density;The accuracy with which are known the characteristics of the constituents of bases;The validity of the rule of the mixtures selected for the determination of the pseudo-critical coordinates Tcm and Pcm and the equivalent molar mass of the mixture.As far as the results are concerned, we reveal that with the new set of coefficients it is possible to obtain a more preciserepresentation compared to that of JOSSI. The method of JOSSI seems to be especially interesting for the viscosities restitution of systems containing light and close paraffins. However, for some pure substances, the opposite situation could be true. Among the four equations-of-state used, it has been found that the cubic equation-of-stateof PENG and ROBINSON should not be used since we would like to generate the density. Finally, we are not expecting a perfect systematic representation. As demonstrated in our model, if for light alkanes one can expect an average deviation ofless than 10%, for certain pure substances the deviation exceeds 20%.

This paper empirically examines per capita residential natural gas demand using annual data for 29 OECD countries from 2005 to 2016. Earlier studies have focused on the effect of price and income to estimate natural gas demand elasticities, but most of them have neglected the demographic variables such as elderly population, population density and urbanization rate. The aim of this work is to include these attributes for modeling the demand function of natural gas. To address the problem of endogeneity, we use a dynamic panel system called Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator. Our study presents the following main results; First, the increase of the urbanization rate leads to more per capita consumption of natural gas in the residential sector. Second, the ageing of the population decreases the use of per capita residential natural gas in OECD countries. Third, as population density increases, per capita residential natural gas consumption decreases. Keywords: Residential Gas Demand, Generalized Method of Moments, Population Characteristics and ConsumptionJEL Classifications: Q31, Q41, Q43DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.7531

Di-tert-butyl peroxide or DTBP is a very dangerous organic peroxide, widely used as a modifier, cross-linking agent and polymerization initiator in the industry. Its widespread use pushes us to set up studies assessing the dangers of this product, since it has been at the origin of Bleve explosions producing fireballs with a very devastating power and thermal effects. The hazard studies of this product remain very minimal. Our work consists in determining the thermal effect distances of a resulting fireball during the rupture of a DTBP storage tank, based on the characteristic curves of the thermal doses deduced from the specific model of P. Blankenhagel modeling a fireball of an organic peroxide. The authors propose a new graphical method that allows to efficiently determine the hazard zones of the effects of thermal doses, and consequently, the delimitation of the safety distances in case of an accident Bleve. The adequate utilization of this method can improve the response time of first responders in disaster areas to set up safety zones and evacuate people, and at the same time improve the safety of a large number of facilities.

BACKGROUND: In low-income countries, pregnant women do not have easy access to health care, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. In this context, they can be surprised by the uterine contractions that precede childbirth and sometimes find themselves giving birth at home or on the way to the nearest health facility (located miles away from their home). In view of the development of an external uterine electrohysterogram acquisition system for labour prediction, a review of the literature on electrodes and their characteristics is necessary. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to collate information on the use of electrodes in external EHG recording and their characteristics. RESULTS: Wet electrodes based on Ag/AgCl redox chemistry are the most common type of electrodes for EHG, employed in different configurations on the pregnant woman’s abdomen. All positioning configurations are around the vertical median axis if they are not placed directly on it. Positioning below the navel seems to be the most efficient. The number of source, reference, and ground electrodes used varies from one author to another, as does the distance between the electrodes. CONCLUSION: Two well-positioned source electrodes on the vertical median axis, with ground electrode on the right side of the hip and reference one on the left side, are able to generate a good external EHG recording signal. The minimum allowed inter-electrode distance is approximately 17.5 to 25mm.

The studied predictive model of behavior viscosimetric is the model of K.A. Petersen [1]. The dominant idea of this method is to characterize the viscosity of a fluid from two models taken as a reference in passing through a reduced pressure. The method is corresponding state with two references. This study shows that this method is dependent on the choice of reference and for each of the possibilities of C10/C6H6 and C1/C10 references. The results were investigated for four different weight ratios. It shows that the introduction of an adjusted coefficient does not improve significantly compared to results without adjustment factor, which appears to be the best choice. Regarding the influence of the choice of references, generally the two couples appear suitable but we noted that the choice is not necessary. In the case of mixtures containing at least one aromatic, the results are correct, especially if one takes the ratio of adjustment and our ratio without adjustment compared to that of K. A. PETERSEN. The experimental results of the viscosity exhibit a good agreement with the calculated values. We can predict that the relative improvement is the finding that the introduction of the second body of reference (C10) from the model states corresponding to a reference (C1) of the authors.

International audience; Crosstalk is considered as an undesirable phenomenon disturbing the electromechanical behavior of the ultrasonic transducer arrays used in medical imaging applications. Indeed, when one element of a transducer array is excited, it generates parasitic voltages and/or displacement fields on the adjacent passive elements. Consequently, these interactions between elements decrease the array's electroacoustic performance, which affects the obtained image quality. To overcome the crosstalk's problem, several research works propose active cancellation techniques. In this case, the correction voltages are determined by considering the array's elements grounded, contrary to the conventional crosstalk's definition which considers the array elements in Open-Circuit. The novelty of this paper is in one hand the study of the electrical limit conditions' effects on the physical behavior of a piezoelectric transducer array radiating in a fluid medium (water). On the other hand, a displacement method is proposed to evaluate the crosstalk level when the array elements are grounded. The limitations of the proposed method are also discussed. For this purpose, a piezoelectric transducer array is firstly modeled using a Two-dimensional Finite Elements Method (FEM), when the array elements are not grounded (open-circuit). Then, the results are compared to those obtained when the neighboring elements are grounded (as in the case of the crosstalk's active cancellation techniques). Finally, measurements are realized on a fabricated transducer array vibrating in air medium and are successfully compared to the results predicted using FEM.

Backgound : For centuries, Moroccan herbalists have been using traditional plant-based medicines; however, most of these traditional healers misuse their use because of the limited information about harmful side effects. The traditional healers prescribe recipes that do not comply with any quality standards. Materials and methods : This study was designed and initiated in an effort to classify and shortlist the most reported medicinal plants used by traditional healers in the northern part of Morocco and identify their associated toxicities. Data from this work was obtained by collecting semi-interviews and direct questionnaires from local traditional healers and guided fieldtrips with herbalists. Results : A total of 40 of the identified plant species belonged to 34 genera and 21 botanical families. The most represented were Lamiaceace (13 species) followed by Asteraceace (6 species) and Cupressaceae (3 species). The most frequently cited and used species were Mentha pulegium (22.5%) and Rosmarinus officinalis (15%). In addition, our survey revealed 11 recipes prepared from 40 species. Leaves were the most used parts with a percentage of 30.52% and the main preparation method was infusion (63%). It shows that these recipes are generally administered orally during seven, fifteen or even thirty days with an average of one to three cups a day. Some of these recipes are used to treat diseases of the digestive and nervous system. The local population, whose purchasing power is very low, uses the plants harvested directly in the study area causing the disappearance of the most vulnerable species. Conclusions : This study shows that traditional medicine is still used and constituted a very rich heritage in northern Morocco. Further investigation of the benefits and risks of these plants will be needed to guide ancestral knowledge during self-medication that causes negative effects on human health and will be needs planned exploitation. Keywords: Medicinal plants; Aromatic plants; Pharmacopoeia; Ethnopharmacology; Morocco

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the environmental policy on residential natural gas use (RNGU) incorporating the role of economic, demographic and environmental factors in the context of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. To this end, the study applies the Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lags (CS-ARDL) approach to analyse panel time-series data ranging from 1980 to 2016. The analysis demonstrates the environmental policy is an effective tool in reducing RNGU. This study also finds that energy price and income negatively and positively influence RNGU respectively in the long run. Demographic factors e.g. population, population density and elderly population ratio augment RNGU in the long run. A rise in temperature is inversely associated with RNGU in the long run. Based on the empirical evidence this study emphasizes on the proper implementation of the undertaken environmental policies towards the sustainable development agendas.

Even with the emerging modern medicine, traditional pharmacopoeia still has a great significance in primary health care in the Mediterranean countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate the provenance effect on the chemical profile and evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils (EO) of Laurus nobilis (LN) harvested in two different forest regions in Morocco (Moulay Abdessalam/North of Morocco and Beni Mellal ‘Tagzirt’/Middle Atlas forests). The chemical analysis of the composition was performed using GC and GC-MS techniques. The antioxidant effects of the EOs were analyzed using 2,2-di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (ABTS). Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of the EOs was carried out against four wood-rot fungi, three molds, and four bacterial strains. The best EO yield of the aerial part of LN was obtained from Tagzirt forest. GC and GC-MS analysis identified the 1,8-cineole, linalool, myrtenal, γ-terpineol, sabinene, eugenol, α-pinene and β-pinene as major compounds. In addition, the EO from LN of Tagzirt forest was found to have high antioxidant potential: 67.41±7.27 mg TE/g EO, 3.15±0.14 mg AAE/g EO and 126.13±10.69 mg TE/g EO for DPPH, FRAP and ABTS, respectively. Moreover, the EO from LN of Moulay Abdessalam forest showed 24.96 ± 2.41 mg TE/g EO for DPPH, 2.35±0.44 mg TE/g EO for FRAP, and 101.76±1.02 mg TE/g EO for ABTS. Also our study demonstrated that, the EO extracted from the laurel plant of the Tagzirt in Beni Mellal region was the most effective against the selected microorganisms. Our study showed promising antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the EOs from LN. These findings will have potential impact in treating bacterial infections and prevent oxidative stress associated with several diseases if validated in vivo.

ACT; International audience; The studied predictive model of behavior viscosimetric is the model of K.A. Petersen [1]. The dominant idea of this method is to characterize the viscosity of a fluid from two models taken as a reference in passing through a reduced pressure. The method is corresponding state with two references. This study shows that this method is dependent on the choice of reference and for each of the possibilities of C10/C6H6 and C1/C10 references . The results were investigated for four different weight ratios. It shows that the introduction of an adjusted coefficient does not improve significantly compared to results without adjustment factor, which appears to be the best choice. Regarding the influence of the choice of references, generally the two couples appear suitable but we noted that the choice is not necessary. In the case of mixtures containing at least one aromatic, the results are correct, especially if one takes the ratio of adjustment and our ratio without adjustment compared to that of K. A. PETERSEN[1]. The experimental results of the viscosity exhibit a good agreement with the calculated values. We can predict that the relative improvement is the finding that the introduction of the second body of reference (C10) from the model states corresponding to a reference (C1) of the authors. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Thermophysical properties of building materials such as thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are mandatory in any study of thermal performance of buildings. In this work, measurements of these two thermophysical properties were performed on four circular samples prepared by mixing gypsum plaster with different mass proportions of expanded clay granules. The water ratio was kept constant in all mixtures. Then the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity were determined using the flash method and the hot plate respectively. Results show that the addition of the expanded clay granules to the gypsum plaster has a negative impact on the thermal properties. This was due to absorption of the mix water and plaster by the clay granulates at the earlier operation of samples preparation.

A critical study of some representative models has been conducted with the experimental determinations of the viscosity of ten pure substances and three binary systems measured as a function of temperatureT (25°C, 40°C, 60°C, 80°C, 90°C) and pressureP(≤ 100 MPa). The pure substances were: toluene, p-xylene, m-xylene, o-xylene, methylcyclohexane, methylnaphtalene, decahydronaphtalene, phenyldodecane, heptamethylnonane and tetramethylpentadecane (pristane). The three binaries were: toluene + tetramethylpentadecane, toluene + methylnaphtalene and toluene + heptamethylnonane, for molar fractions x of toluene ranging between 0 and 1. The three binaries are highly “contrasted” systems, i.e. systems in which the viscosities of the pure components are very different for eachP, T pair. In all, 547 experimental determinations were carried out, the 279 experimental data for viscosity of the pure substances and 268 data concerning the mixtures (x ≠ 0 and 1) were used to make a critical analysis of the various representative models, These included an empirical representation of variations of versus T on each isobar, a self-referencing model developed in our laboratory, a corresponding states model with one reference, various mixing rules with or without adjustable parameters, a combination of the self-referencing model and mixing rules, a method based on the Bloomfield and Dewan excess viscosity, and a group contribution method, comparison of the results showed the self-referencing method to be of particular interest, Moreover when coupled with mixing rules without adjustable parameters it was able to account satisfactorily for the variations η(P, T, x) of the mixtures, on the simple basis of knowledge if the viscosity of the components of the system, at 25°C and at atmospheric pressure, For all the binaries an average absolute deviation of 9.5% was observed. Finally it appears that the introduction of the pressure parameter does not alter the usual performance of each of the models tested, although they were not al equivalent as regard their performances.

The dynamic viscosityη and densityρ of 10 pure substances and three binary systems were measured as a function of temperatureT (298.15, 313.15, 333.15, 353.15, and 363.15 K.) and pressureP (⩽100 MPa). The pure substances were toluene,p-xylene,m-xylene,o-xylene, methylcyclohexane, methylnaphthalene, decahydronaphthalene, phenyldodecane, heptamethylnonane, and tetramethylpentadecane (pristane). The three binaries were toluene + tetramethylpentadecane, toluene + methylnaphthalene, and toluene + heptamethylnonane, for molar fractionsx of toluene ranging between 0 and 1. The three binaries are highly “contrasted” systems, i.e., systems in which the viscosities of the pure components are very different for eachP, T pair. In all, 547 experimental determinations were carried out (279 experimental data for viscosity of the pure substances and 268 data concerning the mixtures: x⊋0 and 1).