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Abstract Numerous studies have indicated that Morocco’s indigenous sheep breeds are genetically homogenous, posing a risk to their survival in the challenging harsh climate conditions where they predominantly inhabit. To understand the genetic behind genetic homogeneity through the lens of runs of homozygosity (ROH), we analyzed the whole genome sequences of five indigenous sheep breeds (Beni Guil, Ouled Djellal, D’man, Sardi, Timahdite and Admixed).The results from principal component, admixture, Fst, and neighbour joining tree analyses consistently showed a homogenous genetic structure. This structure was characterized by an average length of 1.83 Mb for runs of homozygosity (ROH) segments, with a limited number of long ROH segments (24–48 Mb and > 48 Mb). The most common ROH segments were those ranging from 1–6 Mb. The most significant regions of homozygosity (ROH Islands) were mostly observed in two chromosomes, namely Chr1 and Chr5. Specifically, ROH Islands were exclusively discovered in the Ouled Djellal breed on Chr1, whereas Chr5 exhibited ROH Islands in all breeds. The analysis of ROH Island and iHS technique was employed to detect signatures of selection on Chr1 and Chr5. The results indicate that Chr5 had a high level of homogeneity, with the same genes being discovered across all breeds. In contrast, Chr1 displays some genetic variances between breeds. Genes identified on Chr5 included SLC39A1, IL23A, CAST, IL5, IL13, and IL4 which are responsible for immune response while genes identified on Chr1 include SOD1, SLAMF9, RTP4, CLDN1, and PRKAA2. ROH segment profile and effective population sizes patterns suggests that the genetic uniformity of studied breeds is the outcome of events that transpired between 250 and 300 generations ago. This research not only contributes to the understanding of ROH distribution across breeds but helps design and implement native sheep breeding and conservation strategies in Morocco. Future research, incorporating a broader sample size and utilizing the pangenome for reference, is recommended to further elucidate these breeds’ genomic landscapes and adaptive mechanisms.

In this paper, we present a comparative evaluation of state-of-the-art deep learning models for object detection in underwater environments, with a focus on marine debris detection. We investigate the performance of four prominent object detection models: Faster R-CNN, SSD, YOLOv8, and YOLOv9, using two different datasets: TrashCAN and DeepTrash. Through quantitative analysis, we evaluate the accuracy, precision, recall, and mean average precision (mAP) of each model across different object classes and environmental conditions. Our results show that YOLOv9 consistently outperforms the other models, demonstrating superior precision, recall, and mAP values on both datasets. Furthermore, we analyze the stability and convergence behavior of the models during training, highlighting the excellent stability and adaptability of YOLOv9. Our results underscore the effectiveness of deep learning-based approaches in marine debris detection and highlight the potential of YOLOv9 as a robust solution for environmental monitoring and intervention efforts in underwater ecosystems.

One technological alternative to diversifying the energy matrix and reducing reliance on conventional sources involves integrating floating photovoltaics into hydropower plants. To improve the efficiency and sustainability of electricity production, this combination harnesses the benefits of solar and hydropower, thus contributing to climate change mitigation. This study proposes an assessment of the floating photovoltaics resource in water bodies associated with the 14 most important hydropower plants in Mexico. Using ERA5 reanalysis data and the assumption of a 10% coverage of the area of the water bodies, parameters such as annual energy production, avoided greenhouse gases and water savings were estimated. This was done considering two scenarios of floating photovoltaics power density, a pessimistic 30 W/m2 and an optimistic 125 W/m2. Under the conditions proposed in this work, the results of the optimistic Scenario indicate that an annual energy production of 33.12 TWh could be achieved, avoiding the emission of 14.51 MtCO2e of greenhouse gases and the evaporation of 336.78 hm3 of water.

Abstract Histopathology plays a critical role in the diagnosis and surgical management of cancer. However, access to histopathology services, especially frozen section pathology during surgery, is limited in resource-constrained settings because preparing slides from resected tissue is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and requires expensive infrastructure. Here, we report a deep-learning-enabled microscope, named DeepDOF-SE, to rapidly scan intact tissue at cellular resolution without the need for physical sectioning. Three key features jointly make DeepDOF-SE practical. First, tissue specimens are stained directly with inexpensive vital fluorescent dyes and optically sectioned with ultra-violet excitation that localizes fluorescent emission to a thin surface layer. Second, a deep-learning algorithm extends the depth-of-field, allowing rapid acquisition of in-focus images from large areas of tissue even when the tissue surface is highly irregular. Finally, a semi-supervised generative adversarial network virtually stains DeepDOF-SE fluorescence images with hematoxylin-and-eosin appearance, facilitating image interpretation by pathologists without significant additional training. We developed the DeepDOF-SE platform using a data-driven approach and validated its performance by imaging surgical resections of suspected oral tumors. Our results show that DeepDOF-SE provides histological information of diagnostic importance, offering a rapid and affordable slide-free histology platform for intraoperative tumor margin assessment and in low-resource settings.

Résumé Introduction- Les effets indésirables (EI) observés au cours des essais cliniques de bévacizumab ne sont pas applicables à la pratique clinique, car certains patients ne répondent pas à leurs critères d'inclusion. L’objectif de cette étude était de rapporter la prévalence des effets indésirables notifiés par l'utilisation du bévacizumab et leur gestion dans la prise en charge des cancéreux à l’Établissement Publique Hospitalier de Chlef. Matériels et Méthodes- Il s’agissait d’une étude rétrospective du 01 mars au 31 mai 2022, portant sur les patients traités par le bévacizumab seul ou en association avec la chimiothérapie. Le critère de jugement principal est la prévalence des EI liés à l’utilisation des posologies normales ou d’un surdosage du bévacizumab. Les données sont collectées à partir des dossiers de patients et analysées par un logiciel. Résultats- Au total, 40 patients sont inclus dont 29 femmes, d’âge moyen de 55,87 ± 12,54 ans et 168 EI étaient déclarés, soit une moyenne de 4,20 EI par patient. Une prédominance des effets gastro-intestinaux (n=37) et l’hypertension (n=04) et la protéinurie (n=02) ont été les EI les plus graves. L’arrêt temporaire du bévacizumab était chez 22,50 % dont deux cas à cause d’une hypertension et deux cas à cause d’une protéinurie élevée. Quatre-vingt sept et demi pourcent recevaient un traitement palliatif aux EI ainsi qu’une surveillance de l’hypertension et de la protéinurie. Conclusion- La prévalence des EI notifiés est élevée. Presque un quart des patients ont bénéficié d'un arrêt temporaire du bévacizumab dont quatre à cause de l’hypertension et de la protéinurie, ceci est nécessaire afin d'optimiser l’adhésion thérapeutique. Abstract Objective- Adverse effects (AEs) observed during clinical trials of bevacizumab are not applicable to clinical practice, as some patients do not meet their inclusion criteria. The objective of this study was to report the prevalence of adverse effects reported by bevacizumab and use their management in cancer patient’s care at Chlef Public Hospital. Materials & Methods- This was a retrospective study from March 1 to May 31, 2022 on patients treated with bevacizumab alone or in combination with chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of AEs related to the use of normal dosages or an overdose of bevacizumab. Data were collected from patient records and analyzed using software. Results-40 patients were enrolled, including 29 women, with a mean age of 55.87 ± 12.54 years, and 168 AEs were declared, i.e. an average of 4.20 AEs per patient. A predominance of gastrointestinal effects (n=37) and hypertension (n=04) and proteinuria (n=02) were the most serious AEs. The temporary discontinuation of bevacizumab was in 22.50%, two cases of them because of hypertension and two cases because of high proteinuria. Eighty seven & half percent received palliative treatment for AEs as well as monitoring of hypertension and proteinuria. Conclusion- The prevalence of reported AEs is high. Almost a quarter of the patients benefited from a temporary cessation of bevacizumab, four of them because of hypertension and proteinuria, this is necessary in order to optimize therapeutic adherence.

At present, there are few reports about the proteomics changes provoked by butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) supplementation on cryopreserved semen in mammals. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of BHT on goat sperm and to investigate the proteomics changes of adding BHT to cryopreserved goat (Capra hircus) sperm. Firstly, semen samples were collected from four goats, and frozen in the basic extenders containing different concentrations of BHT (0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, 2.0 mM) and a control without BHT, respectively. After thawing, the protective effects of dose-dependent replenished BHT to the freezing medium on post-thaw sperm motility, integrities of plasma membrane and acrosome, reactive oxygen species levels were confirmed, with 0.5 mM BHT being the best (B group) as compared to the control (without BHT, C group). Afterwards, TMT-based quantitative proteomic technique was performed to profile proteome of the goat sperm between C group and B group. Parallel reaction monitoring was used to confirm reliability of the data. Overall, 2,476 proteins were identified and quantified via this approach. Comparing the C and B groups directly (C vs. B), there were 17 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) po-tentially associated with sperm characteristics and functions were identified, wherein three were upregulated and 14 were downregulated, respectively. GO annotation analysis demonstrated the potential involvement of the identified DAPs in metabolic process, multi-organism process, reproduction, reproductive process, and cellular process. KEGG enrichment analysis further indicated their potential roles in renin-angiotensin system and glutathione metabolism pathways. Together, this novel study clearly shows that BHT can effectively improve quality parameters and fertility potential of post-thawed goat sperm at the optimal concentration, and its cryoprotection may be realized through regulation of sperm metabolism and antioxidative capability from the perspective of sperm proteomic modification.

Shot peening is generally used to improve the fatigue performance of mechanical components. However, identifying the geometrical and mechanical characteristics of the shots that improve fatigue strength is still a challenging task, as there are many variables involved in the shot peening process. The present work addresses the effect of different shot media on the fatigue behaviour of an aluminium alloy 6082 T6. Four different shot types were used: silica microspheres, alumina shots, aluminium cut wire and zinc cut wire. Axial fatigue tests were carried out to obtain the Wöhler curves corresponding to each shot peening treatment. The surface properties of the shot-peened specimens, such as grain size, hardness, residual stress and roughness were measured to determine their effect on the fatigue results. The fatigue results revealed that silica and zinc shots increased significantly the fatigue life of the alloy, whereas alumina and aluminium shots reduced its fatigue strength. Almen intensities have shown to correlate well with grain refinement and strain hardening. However, better fatigue results were obtained with the shots that generated higher surface compressive residual stresses. It is believed that small and smooth shots are preferable to sharp and irregular ones, regardless of the Almen intensity or surface hardness attained with the latter.

This paper evaluates the impact of congestion on transmission lines when the operation cost is minimized using economic dispatch (ED), comparing the results obtained with the Nash–Cournot Equilibrium (NCE). A methodology is developed for the optimal power flow solution through the NCE, considering the network topology (upper and lower generation limits, upper and lower limits of the transmission lines, and power balance) for a nine-node system without and considering two bilateral power transactions. The results show that the operation cost is higher when the NCE is implemented than ED. However, the problem of congestion in the transmission lines is reduced due to the equilibrium obtained in the power dispatch against minimizing the operation cost in the dispatch; the transmission lines with the most significant participation tend to become congested when additional bilateral transactions occur. Finally, the above is verified by obtaining the mean and median of the transmission line percentages used in the two simulations.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease, caused by the new coronavirus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and exhibits diverse clinical outcomes and symptoms in infected individuals, emphasizing the need to investigate how human genetic diversity influences the virus’s impact. This study aims to employ in silico methods to identify epitopes capable of eliciting an immune response, focusing on the most prevalent HLA-I and HLA-II alleles in the Moroccan population. Methods Our research consisted in predicting peptide-binding affinities between the most prevalent HLA Class I and Class II alleles in the Moroccan population and SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S protein) peptides of variants isolated from strains of Moroccan patients. We performed the same analyses for SARS-CoV-2 wild type S protein to assess the ability of these HLA alleles to interact with peptides in the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 mutations. Results In a broader sense, 12 distinct HLA Class I and Class II alleles in the Moroccan population have been identified as possibly interacting with 19 epitopes in the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Findings of this study must be validated in both in vitro and in vivo models. Conclusions These data may help clarify the issue of host cell susceptibility and the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and may guide further research to uncover potential targets for the vaccination strategy.

Background Post-induction anaesthesia often promotes intraoperative hypotension (IOH) that can worsen postoperative outcomes. This study aims to assess the benefit of norepinephrine versus ephedrine at the induction of anaesthesia to prevent postoperative complications following major abdominal surgery by preventing IOH.Methods and analysis The EPON STUDY is a prospective single-centre randomised controlled trial with the planned inclusion of 500 patients scheduled for major abdominal surgery at the Amiens University Hospital. The inclusion criteria are patients aged over 50 years weighing more than 50 kg with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score of ≥2 undergoing major abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia. Patients are allocated either to the intervention group (n=250) or the standard group (n=250). In the intervention group, the prevention of post-induction IOH is performed with norepinephrine (dilution to 0.016 mg/mL) using an electric syringe pump at a rate of 0.48 mg/h (30 mL/h) from the start of anaesthesia and then titrated to achieve the haemodynamic target. In the control group, the prevention of post-induction IOH is performed with manual titration of ephedrine, with a maximal dose of 30 mg, followed by perfusion with norepinephrine. In both groups, the haemodynamic target to maintain is a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 65 mm Hg or 70 mm Hg for patients with a medical history of hypertension. An intention-to-treat analysis will be performed. The primary outcome is the Clavien–Dindo score assessed up to 30 days postoperatively. The secondary endpoints are the length of hospital stay and length of stay in an intensive care unit/postoperative care unit; postoperative renal function; postoperative cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, haematological and infectious complications at 1 month; and volume of intraoperative vascular filling and mortality at 1 month.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the committee of protection of the persons of Ile de France in May 2021 (number 21 05 41). The authors will be involved in disseminating the research findings (through attending conferences and co-authoring papers). The results of the study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences.Trial registration number NCT05276596.

Abstract Fetal biometry and amniotic fluid volume assessments are two essential yet repetitive tasks in fetal ultrasound screening scans, aiding in the detection of potentially life-threatening conditions. However, these assessment methods can occasionally yield unreliable results. Advances in deep learning have opened up new avenues for automated measurements in fetal ultrasound, demonstrating human-level performance in various fetal ultrasound tasks. Nevertheless, the majority of these studies are retrospective in silico studies, with a limited number including African patients in their datasets. In this study we developed and prospectively assessed the performance of deep learning models for end-to-end automation of fetal biometry and amniotic fluid volume measurements. These models were trained using a newly constructed database of 172,293 de-identified Moroccan fetal ultrasound images, supplemented with publicly available datasets. the models were then tested on prospectively acquired video clips from 172 pregnant people forming a consecutive series gathered at four healthcare centers in Morocco. Our results demonstrate that the 95% limits of agreement between the models and practitioners for the studied measurements were narrower than the reported intra- and inter-observer variability among expert human sonographers for all the parameters under study. This means that these models could be deployed in clinical conditions, to alleviate time-consuming, repetitive tasks, and make fetal ultrasound more accessible in limited-resource environments.