Search

High iron ore production generates substantial solid waste. Storing this waste in dams poses environmental issues and safety risks for the population. "The aim of this study is to valorize sterile waste (IOT) from an inactive iron mine in the Nador region of northeastern Morocco, as an additive in the manufacture of fired bricks made from a red clay (AJH) extracted from the Oujda region. For this, brick specimens were obtained using a mix of a 40% of AJH and 60% of IOT. Physico-chemical, geotechnical and mineralogical characterization techniques were applied to qualify raw material. IOT consisted of hematite, magnetite, pyrite, jarosite and quartz and AJH of kaolinite, chlorite, calcite, hematite, dolomite, quartz and vermiculite. After the firing specimens at 500°C, 850 °C and 1100 °C, mineralogical composition, bulk density, compressive strength and microstructure behavior of the specimens was assessed. The compressive strength of the bricks containing IOT is 1.25 MPa at T = 500°C and it varies little at 1100°C. The compressive strength of the reference sample is 2.94 MPa at 1100°C. The material has low vitrification and greater porosity compared to the reference bricks. Adding IOT brings significant changes to the color of fired bricks.

Intracranial dermoid cysts are benign tumors of congenital origin. The intradiploic forms are rare, exceptional at the pterional level. We report the case of a 10-year-old girl who presented with a cutaneous fistula in the left frontotemporal region. The blind end of the fistula was an intradiploic dermoid cyst in the rare location of the pterion confirmed by imaging and histopathology. Once this lesion is suspected, it is important to identify its location and morphology using imaging techniques and to complete excision of the cyst to avoid complications associated with infection and to mitigate the risk of subtotal resection.

Abstract Background The association of an infratentorial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) with a PICA aneurysm is very rare and the presence of associated aneurysms was an independent predictive factor of poor outcome at follow-up for posterior fossa AVMs (pfAVMs). We report the case of a 57-year-old female patient admitted to our institution with a challenging management of a pfAVM associated with multiple flow-related aneurysms of the PICA. Case presentation A 57-year-old patient with no medical past history was admitted to our emergency department with a sudden onset headache and severe neck stiffness. A cerebral CT Scan showed a cerebellar hematoma. Digital subtraction angiography demonstrates a right paramedian supero-posterior infratentorial AVM located at the posterosuperior part of the right cerebellar hemisphere with a small compact nidus supplied by branches of the right PICA and the right superior cerebellar artery. Venous drainage being toward the torcular. The AVM is associated with 3 flow-related aneurysms. We opted for surgical treatment of the 2 high-flow aneurysms on the distal branch of the right PICA. Patient was then sent for radiosurgery for the AVM. We opted for observation of the left small aneurysm. Conclusion Microsurgery for PICA aneurysms is particularly well suited because exposure through a far-lateral craniotomy is excellent. Endovascular embolization can be used to occlude the aneurysm as well as treat the AVM at the same time in certain circumstances. Clipping or coiling the aneurysm should be discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting.

The powder of treated watermelon seeds (WST), obtained through hexane extraction, has proven to be a promising adsorbent for the environmentally friendly and cost-effective removal of Basic Yellow 28 (BY28) using adsorption techniques. By optimizing conditions through Central Composite Design (CCD), focusing on key factors such as temperature, adsorbent weight, and dye concentration, we aimed to enhance the efficiency of the adsorption process. Our study assessed the accuracy of the model and regression coefficients through analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed a strong agreement between the predicted values derived from the model and the experimental values for BY28, with a coefficient of determination (R2) equal to 0.92, indicating a high level of reliability and effectiveness of the developed model in predicting the adsorption behavior of BY28 on WST. Under optimal conditions, including a temperature of 35°C, an adsorbent weight of 2.45 g/L, and a dye concentration of 50 mg/L, the adsorption process demonstrated exceptional efficiency. This study highlights the remarkable potential of treated watermelon seeds for the removal of organic pollutants, emphasizing the importance of using sustainable and readily available agricultural materials for environmental remediation, thus contributing to both environmental conservation and cost-effectiveness in wastewater treatment processes.

This study focuses on the potential of treated avocado seed to remove azoic organic dyes (basic yellow 28 and tartrazine). The treated avocado seed was characterized, and batch adsorption studies were carried out to evaluate the effects of several removal dye parameters (contact time, ionic strength, initial concentration, adsorbent dose, and temperature). The adsorption kinetics of the dyes examined showed that the adsorption mechanism on the two selected catalysts followed pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 > 0.999). The adsorption process of each dye was reported to fit using five non-linear regressions. Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms described well the adsorption of basic yellow 28, and Freundlich adsorption isotherms described well the adsorption of tartrazine on the Treated Avocado Seed. The results suggested that the maximum amount adsorbed was 49.30 mg/g for basic yellow 28 and 38.43 mg/g for tartrazine and a high removal rate of 89.93% for BY 28 and 93.22% for tartrazine and that a chemical, spontaneous and endothermic process of adsorption occurred. Boyd’s expression demonstrated a mechanism of film diffusion for adsorption. Based on the findings, we suggest the application of activated avocado seeds for the removal of azoic dyes in aqueous solutions.

This paper presents a simple design of a compact 4-port multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) microstrip antenna using polarization diversity technique. The proposed structure consists of four monopole elements operating in the fifth generation n79 band (4800–5000 MHz). To achieve good performance with a more compact design, the four identical elements are arranged orthogonally to each other. The proposed antenna is fabricated using a Rogers RT6010 substrate with a compact size of 28 × 28mm2. The measured results of the manufactured antenna in terms of S-parameters and radiation pattern are in good agreement at the operating frequency band. Moreover, the diversity performance of the proposed MIMO antenna is evaluated through the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), the diversity gain (DG), the total active reflection coefficient (TARC) and the channel capacity loss (CCL).

Monitoring and measuring pharmaceutical pollutants in environmental samples is a vital and complex task due to their potential detrimental effects on human health, even at low levels. Using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), it was possible to separate and measure three commonly used antipsychotic drugs, chlorpromazine (CPZ), haloperidol (HAL), and risperidone (RIS), in wastewater of the pharmaceutical industry. The technique of solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed and implemented as a very effective method for preparing samples prior to analysis. The settings of the capillary electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques were adjusted to obtain the most efficient separation profile for the medications being studied. The concentration of all the medicines being investigated ranged from 0.5 to 50 µg/mL. SPE was used to treat real wastewater samples after a thorough validation process that followed the rules set by ICH-Q2B. The developed assays were then effectively employed to identify the tested antipsychotic substances in the real wastewater samples. The provided methodologies may be efficiently utilized to monitor the extent of environmental contamination caused by the investigated pharmaceuticals.

A compact broadband antenna of dimensions 27 mm x 28 mm x 1.6 mm and with good impedance matching is designed for high-bandwidth radio systems with a short range. To improve the impedance matching, two rectangular slots are created on the radiating element, and the ground plane size is reduced to extend the ultra-wideband frequency band. The antenna bandwidth and radiation performance are analysed using characteristic mode theory (TCM). The performance is compared to the desired specifications, and the shape and size are modified to produce efficient radiation and dominant radiation patterns. The findings clearly demonstrate that the six modes are resonant with (λn = 0). This implies that the eigenvalues of the six modes contribute strongly to dominant electromagnetic radiation and have high modal significance values around 1 at their respective frequencies. Furthermore, the characteristic angle indicates that the antenna resonates at 180°, since the six modes intersect the axis line at 180° at their respective frequencies. Experimental results show a bandwidth of 109.7% between 5.64 and 19.34 GHz, a maximum gain of 6.3 dB, and a maximum efficiency of approximately 86.5%. These results make this antenna a versatile and effective choice for a wide variety of communications and electronics applications and easy to install in narrow spaces due to its easy design characteristics, small size, and light weight. [JJCIT 2023; 9(2.000): 107-117]

Abstract Objectives Here we describe a rare post-traumatic lesion and discuss its management. Background Lumbar Morel-Lavallée is a rarely reported lesion. The cause is usually post-traumatic in a polytraumatic context, and care is often focused elsewhere. This leads to misdiagnosis with a risk of chronic pain and infection. In addition, there is no consensus for the management as few cases have been reported so far. Case report A 35-year-old African woman was involved in a motor accident. Physical examination at the emergency department revealed moderate head trauma, a lumbar inflammatory mass, and a closed leg fracture. She underwent a whole-body computed tomography scan, which revealed a left frontal brain contusion and a large left paraspinal mass in favor of a lumbar Morel-Lavallée lesion. She benefited from osteosynthesis and conservative management of the cerebral and lumbar lesions. After 4 days, she complained of headaches and vomiting. Magnetic resonance imaging was requested. There was resorption of the cerebral contusion, and the lumbar mass was heterogeneous. She was discharged 10 days later without lower back pain and fully recovered from the headaches. Ultrasound of the lumbar soft tissue performed a month later showed no more collection. Conclusion More frequent in young men, lumbar Morel-Lavallée lesion is underdiagnosed. Thus, there is no consensus on its treatment. However, conservative management followed by close monitoring is advisable in the acute phase. Other therapy includes surgery with or without the use of sclerosing agents. Early diagnosis prevents infections. Although the diagnosis is clinical, magnetic resonance imaging is the critical paraclinical examination for its assessment. Our case is interesting because it occurs in a woman following polytrauma, and to the best of our knowledge, it is an extremely rare lesion, especially in women.

Thyroid tuberculosis is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, even in endemic countries such as Morocco; its precise incidence is not well-defined. The clinical presentation of thyroid tuberculosis can vary, often being asymptomatic. Consequently, the diagnosis may be overlooked or delayed. Intriguingly, thyroid tuberculosis can manifest alongside thyrotoxicosis due to Graves’ disease, an exceptional association. This article reports a distinctive case of thyroid tuberculosis coexisting with Graves’ disease, one of the autoimmune thyroid diseases. A 33-year-old female presented symptoms consistent with hyperthyroidism and bilateral exophthalmos. She was subsequently diagnosed with Graves’ disease. Despite initially managed medically, recurrences of the disease led to definitive treatment by total thyroidectomy. Histopathological examination revealed concurrent presence of thyroid tuberculosis.

Spinal epidermoid cysts are rare benign tumors. The etiology can be acquired or congenital. We present a rare case of an 18-month-old girl presented 4 months ago with spontaneous intergluteal swelling fistulized to the skin and lower limbs weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine demonstrated an intradural tumor from L3 to L5 levels, isointense on T1, hyperintense on T2-weighted images with contrast enhancement after gadolinium injection without any coexistent spinal dysraphism suggested the diagnosis of the dermal sinus. The patient underwent triple-level laminectomy for biopsy and tumor resection. A pearly white tumor was encountered, with a subsequent biopsy confirming it to be an epidermoid tumor. At 6-month follow-up, the neurologic deficit was improved. Spinal epidermoid cysts are rare tumors that evolve slowly. Complete total removal is the treatment of choice.

Background: Osteoma associated with Mucocele remains an extremely rare occurrence. Case description: A 49-year-old female with high blood pressure, under medical treatment. She presented a 7-month history of right periorbital swelling with ptosis followed by intermittent headaches and dizziness. Brain imaging revealed a right ethmoido-front-orbital bone lesion, heterogeneous condensing, and polycyclic contours, surrounded by a fluid collection with hyperdense walls. A right frontal craniotomy was retained. Both tumors, Osteoma and Mucocele were excised and confirmed by histology. A depletive lumbar puncture was done to prevent any increase in intracranial pressure. Conclusion: Osteoma and Mucocele are rare benign brain tumors. The combination of both remains rare. Early diagnosis and treatment of Osteomas might prevent surges of multiple complications, the most notable one being Mucocele.

In this paper, a novel design of compact quad-element MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna for 5G communication networks and satellites is proposed. The four similar elements of this antenna are placed perpendicularly to each other on a 40x40 mm2 FR4 substrate. Each element is fed by a CPW (coplanar waveguide) line. Two slits and an I-shaped slot are etched into the patch, and by varying their parameters; a good matching is achieved in the lower (4.9 GHz) and upper (17 GHz) frequency bands. However, 25 and 30 dB isolations are attained in the lower and upper bands, using the polarization diversity technique and adding stubs on the ground plane. A prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. Moreover, the performance of the MIMO antenna is studied in terms of ECC (envelope correlation coefficient), DG (diversity gain), TARC (total active reflection coefficient), realized gain, efficiency, and radiation pattern, validated with the measured results, and showed a good agreement.

Background. Until the advent of new exploration techniques: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and surgical protocols such as exeresis in awake mode, the functional recovery potential of postoperative deficits was limited by conventional tumor surgery. The use of these methods simultaneously improves the quality of life and survival medians, mainly for removing low-grade gliomas massively infiltrating subcortical networks in eloquent regions where surgery is historically not associated with high functional recovery rates. Accordingly, the results from the awake brain surgery literature motivate us to establish a new baseline on the relationship between electrical stimulation mapping (ESM) threshold, the extent of resection (EOR), neuroplastic typology, and functional recovery after intraoperative crises or postoperative care deficits using induced neuroplasticity. Materials and patients. This is a retrospective analytical study of 35 brain tumor cases of gliomas, operated by common craniotomy in awake conditions from September 2016 to July 2022. Before entering awake resection mode, all patients underwent brain mapping (ESM) by direct electrical stimulation (DES) according to standard conditions and Helsinki ethical guidelines. Analysis according to ESM was done for two groups (group 1 and group 2) of different intensities of DES. Outcomes. The ESM by threshold intensity expressed in mean ± deviation standard was: 2,45 ± 0.125 mA for sensorimotor functions against 1.35 ± 0.175 mA for cognitive mapping. These stimulation currents were optimum thresholds which allowed us during control mapping to overcome all boundary conditions, mostly false negative results. The functional recovery time (FRT) following stimulation-induced seizures was varied from 2 s to 6.26 s, marking the intraoperative neuroplasticity operated mainly by synaptic remodeling during the functional reactivation. The EOR was better for group 1 with 82.35 % gross total resection (GTR) with only 8.75% of the occurrence of transient seizures against 45.7% for group 2 and only 2.86% suffered from neurological permanent deficits in group 1 against 11.42% in group 2. Conclusions. ESM in the range of [2.35 - 2.45 mA] improved DES sensitivity without false negatives. We had a compromise of improved results between these stimulation thresholds, the duration of the craniotomy, the functional recovery time, the EOR and overall the occurrence of neurological deficits, which explain the processes involved in the success of awake surgery.

Abstract The early detection of symptoms and rapid testing are the basis of an efficient screening strategy to control COVID-19 transmission. The olfactory dysfunction is one of the most prevalent symptom and in many cases is the first symptom. This study aims to develop a machine learning COVID-19 predictive tool based on symptoms and a simple olfactory test, which consists of identifying the smell of an aromatized hydroalcoholic gel. A multi-centre population-based prospective study was carried out in the city of Reus (Catalonia, Spain). The study included consecutive patients undergoing a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test for presenting symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 or for being close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case. A total of 519 patients were included, 386 (74.4%) had at least one symptom and 133 (25.6%) were asymptomatic. A classification tree model including sex, age, relevant symptoms and the olfactory test results obtained a sensitivity of 0.97 (95% CI 0.91–0.99), a specificity of 0.39 (95% CI 0.34–0.44) and an AUC of 0.87 (95% CI 0.83–0.92). This shows that this machine learning predictive model is a promising mass screening for COVID-19.

Introduction Oligodendroglioma is a rare form of glioma developing in oligodendrocytes which are glial cells. Oligodendrogliomas are divided into two types; benign oligodendrogliomas and anaplastic oligodendrogliomas; the malignant form. Objectives The aim of our study is to detect the cognitive troubles caused by a frontal anaplasic oligodendroglioma in a man admitted to the neurosurgery department at the Specialties Hospital, Rabat, Morocco. Methods A case study was realized among a man aged of 46 years , suffering from frontal right anaplasic oligodendroglioma, with no medical and surgical history and who presented since two months headaches and forgetfulness, and presented two hours ago a fortuitous epileptic seizure followed by notion of amnesia for 5 min. At the admission, the patient was conscious, the glasgow score was of 15 and did not present a motor deficit. Cognitively, the patient was confused. We decided then to make him pass the MOCA test to evaluate his cognitive state as soon as he was admitted to our service and before the surgical act . Results After passing the MOCA Test, our patient had a score of 4/30. The results in detail gave 0/5 in the visuospatial/executive part, 3/3 in the naming part, 0/6 in the attention part, 1/3 in the language part, 0/2 in the abstraction part, 0/5 in the memory part and 0/6 in the orientation part. The score of 4/30 is less than 10/30 and shows a severe cognitive impairment. According to his wife, his cognitive state was normal before the epileptic seizure and had a normal life. Conclusions The frontal anaplastic oligodendroglioma in this patient case deteriorated his cognitive state rapidly. 13 days after surgery and excision of this tumor, the patient’s cognitive state improved, the Moca score became 12/30, which is in the area of moderate cognitive impairment. The patient is currently continuing his treatment in an oncology department. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Mining dumps, particularly inactive or abandoned mines located near makeshift mining towns, have significant environmental and social impacts. The Touissit-Boubker lead mine, operated for years by the Touissit Mining Company (CMT) and abandoned without rehabilitation, is an example of this socio-economic and environmental collapse. Large quantities of harmful solid waste containing clayey aggregates rich in lead sulphide have been dumped in dykes on the edge of the village of Touissit. These mining wastes were rewashed to extract galena causing a depletion of lead sulphide. The objective of this study is to evaluate the possibility of using washed mining waste as sandy aggregate for the manufacture of masonry mortar. Cylindrical mortar tests, made with various proportions of sand and mine waste were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and mechanical analysis by uni-axial compressive strength after curing for 3, 14, 28 and 60 days. The results obtained revealed that the mining waste consists of dolomite, quartz and clay. The dehydration rate of the mortar specimens is strongly affected by the amount of the waste added and the grain size. The mechanical strength of the mortar specimens mostly depends on the grain-size of the aggregates than on the amount of mine waste added. The microstructure of the mortar did not change when sand was replaced by mine waste of the same grain size.

In Rwanda, commercialized bottled water comes mainly from aquifers located in Rwanda and in neighboring countries. In this study, we compare geochemical parameters of bottled water from the great lakes region and seek to correlate mineralization, hydrochemistry and geological facies of the water reservoir. Based on the results obtained from major ions, trace elements and stable isotopes, 15 bottled waters were analyzed. Bottled waters show low mineralization and various chemical facies, with mainly the dominance of sodium due to the occurrence of alkaline granites in the East Africa region. Bottled water quality was evaluated using various classification systems. All bottled waters show low mineralization attributed to low rock-water interaction with granite, and to unconfined aquifer close to the surface fed by direct infiltration and possibly with high transit fractured circulation. In this region, the very high population density with high agricultural activities lead to strong anthropogenic conditions, but most of the bottled waters do not show any evidence of influence. However, this does not prevent regular control of water quality. Stable water isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) highlighted the altitude of aquifers and waters origin of the bottled waters, which is linked to direct rainfall infiltration. HIGHLIGHTS Adequacy between water quality and its origin.; Water bottles are good samples for studying aquifers.; Heavy isotope tools to confirm aquifer recharge.; Good quality of bottled water in the neighboring countries of the great African lake.;

La Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI) accélère sa transformation numérique. La mise en place d’une gestion moderne de l’information, utilisant des technologies innovantes, devenait sa priorité stratégique. Elle s’appuie sur le digital pour gagner en productivité, performance et innovation. Or, la réussite de la transformation digitale passe par l’humain avant la tech. D’où notre question de recherche : comment l’acculturation digitale des pratiques informationnelles des professionnels des impôts devient-elle une nécessité absolue dans ces nouveaux environnements digitaux ? Notre objectif est de diagnostiquer le niveau d’appropriation de la veille sur Internet comme composante principale de l’intelligence économique. La méthodologie adoptée est exploratoire, interprétative, et qualitative. Des entretiens semi-directifs sont menés auprès de 70 hauts cadres exerçant dans les activités cœur de métier : gestion fiscale, recouvrement, et contrôle des insuffisances. Parmi les plus saillants résultats, on estime le taux moyen de besoin en acculturation à 85,55%.