Risk assessment of mercury and methyl mercury intake via sardine and swordfish consumption in Algeria

NO ABSTRACT AVAILABLETotal mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in the flesh of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius) fished in three Algerian coasts were determined by a direct mercury analyzer (DMA). We also assessed the risk to which the consumer was exposed to by calculating the estimated daily intakes (EDIs), target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI). The average concentrations of Hg and MeHg in the flesh of sardine were similar (0.04 mg/kg wet weight) and in swordfish were 0.61 mg/kg wet weight; 0.57 mg/kg wet weight, respectively. These concentrations have not surpassed the thresholds set by the Algerian and European regulations. The estimated daily intakes for Hg and MeHg were similar in sardine (0.0064 μg/kg/day) and were 0.098 μg/kg/day and 0.092 μg/kg/day for Hg and MeHg, respectively, in swordfish. These values did not exceed the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The target hazard quotient (THQ) and the hazard index (HI) calculated were < 1. Consequently, consumption of these fishes does not pose any risk for the adult groups of the Algerian population regarding mercury, and methylmercury studied

Investigation of Rheological and Geometric Properties Effect on Nonlinear Behaviour of Fluid Viscous Dampers

Global approval of the use of fluid viscous dampers to control the buildings response against dynamic loadings is growing. The idea behind incorporating additional dampers is that they will reduce most of the energy that is transmitted to the building during shaking event. The objective of this work is to identify and enhance the design parameters that control the nonlinear behaviour of fluid viscous damper subjected to sinusoidal excitation. For this, a numerical model of the flow inside the dissipater has been carried out based on finite volume method. A novel approach has been adopted to simulate elastic behaviour of the fluid, taking into account its compressibility by using the Murnaghan equation of state. A comparison between the calculations of the proposed model and the experimental tests was carried out. The model proved to be sufficiently accurate. A fluid flow analysis was then conducted to fully understand the internal mechanism of the damper. A parametric study was then performed by varying aspects such as dimensions, geometric relationships between components and fluid properties in order to better understand their effect on the non-linear behaviour of the device.  The results highlight the relationship between the parameters governing the shear thinning behaviour of the fluid and the non-linearity exponent of the damper. This makes it possible to better control the non-linear behaviour of the device by selecting the appropriate silicone oil and the appropriate geometric dimensions of its components

Generating multimedia presentations: from plain text to screenplay

In many Natural Language Generation (NLG) applications, the output is limited to plain text – i.e., a string of words with punctuation and paragraph breaks, but no indications for layout, or pictures, or dialogue. In several projects, we have begun to explore NLG applications in which these extra media are brought into play. This paper gives an informal account of what we have learned. For coherence, we focus on the domain of patient information leaflets, and follow an example in which the same content is expressed first in plain text, then in formatted text, then in text with pictures, and finally in a dialogue script that can be performed by two animated agents. We show how the same meaning can be mapped to realisation patterns in different media, and how the expanded options for expressing meaning are related to the perceived style and tone of the presentation. Throughout, we stress that the extra media are not simple added to plain text, but integrated with it: thus the use of formatting, or pictures, or dialogue, may require radical rewording of the text itself

Entrepreneurial intention among rural youth in Moroccan Agricultural Cooperatives: the future of rural entrepreneurship

Open Access Journal; Published online: 18 Aug 2021Rural entrepreneurship in the developing world has long been hailed as a powerful tool for promoting the socioeconomic integration of young people and the key to avoiding rural depopulation as well as ensuring these areas remain attractive places for rural youth. However, there have been no efforts to investigate the role of collective entrepreneurship in the creation and management of new businesses in Morocco. Furthermore, we build on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate and explain entrepreneurial intention among the rural youth members of agricultural cooperatives, and identify the vulnerabilities and factors that influence the choice or decision-making between permanent membership at the cooperative and an entrepreneurial career. In this case, we apply the cognitive approach to survey rural youth in the Drâa-Tafilalet region of Morocco in 2020. The binary logistic regression analysis technique has been used and applied to build the best model to explain why some rural youth members of the cooperative, but not others, choose to become entrepreneurs. We model how agricultural cooperatives may favor or inhibit the translation of entrepreneurial intention into new venture creation. A random sample size of 130 young people has been selected, from which 54 are intending to start a business and 76 have a negative intention of self-employment. The results of the analysis showed that socio-demographic variables, individual perceptions, previous experience, and the activities of the cooperative were statistically significant and reliable in building the binary logistic regression model. Findings also suggest that the risks of agribusiness and financing constraints have a negative influence on entrepreneurial intentions of the youth and women in agricultural cooperatives

Traitement peu invasif d’une breche osteo meningee associee a une hypertension intracranienne benigne

Description L’hypertension intracrânienne bénigne (HTICB) est une augmentation anormale de la pression intracrânienne non associée à un processus occupant de l’espace intracrânien, une thrombose des veinescérébrales ou une hydrocéphalie. Caractérisée par des céphalées invalidantes, des acouphènes pulsatiles, elle peut avoir une évolution péjorative et irréversible entraînant une cécité. La survenue d’une rhinorrhée spontanée dans un contexte d’HTICB a été décrite dans la littérature mais demeure peu fréquente. Objectif et cas cliniqueNous rapportons le cas d’une femme obèse âgée de 40 ans, qui a été admise pour rhinorrhée droite spontanée. Les explorations neuroradiologiques ont permis d’évoquer une hypertension intracrânienne bénigne sur une brèche ethmoïdale antérieure. Le monitoring de la pression a confirmé le diagnostic. Elle abénéficié d’une dérivation ventriculo péritonéale. L’évolution est favorable (disparition des symptômes) avec un delai de recul de 16 mois . Conclusion L’HTICB est une pathologie avec des conséquences irréversibles si le traitement n’est pas adéquat et rapide. En cas de rhinorrhée isolée dans le cadre de l’hypertension intracrânienne bénigne la dérivation ventriculo péritonéale est une attitude thérapeutique simple mais efficace

ANEVRISMES GEANTS DE L’ARTERE HYPOGASTRIQUE : DIFFICULTES DE PRISE EN CHARGE THERAPEUTIQUE

The isolated aneurysms of internal iliac artery are rare and present several difficulties of care. Their treatment is often difficult and contains relatively high rates of morbidity and mortality. The giant character complicates the methods of assessment and surgical dissection due in the complexity of the anatomical region and the modifications of marks engendered by the aneurismal mass. Bringing back us to two observations of giants’ aneurisms of the internal iliac artery discovered incidentally on an atypical symptomatology. Both patients were surgically handled with a good evolution. We evoke the variety of the aetiologies of these aneurysms and we discuss the difficulties of their surgical treatment.Les anévrismes isolés de l’artère iliaque interne sont rares et présentent plusieurs difficultés de prise en charge. Leur traitement est souvent difficile et comportent des taux de morbidité et de mortalité relativement élevés. Leur caractère géant complique les modalités de contrôle et de dissection chirurgicale du à la complexité de la région anatomique et les modifications des repères engendrées par la masse anévrismale. Nous rapportons deux observations d’anévrismes géants de l’artère iliaque interne découverts fortuitement sur une symptomatologie atypique. Les deux malades ont été traités chirurgicalement avec une bonne évolution. Nous évoquons la diversité des étiologies de ces anévrismes et nous discutons les difficultés de leur traitement chirurgical

ANEVRISME ROMPU DE L’ARTERE GASTRODUODENALE : HEMOSTASE PAR EMBOLISATION

Aneurysms of the gastroduodenal artery are rare vascular lesions with significantly higher risk of rupture, given the predominance of inflammatory causes. Rupture is frequently the initial symptom, and intraoperative isolation and control of the aneurysm can be difficult, it worsens the prognosis and increases mortality. The endovascular approach with embolization of the aneurysm offers in these cases the possibility of a primary hemostasis and allows secondly evacuation of the hemoperitoine on a stable and a well-prepared patient.We report a 72 year-old women, having benefited of an urgent haemostasis by embolisation of a ruptured gastroduodenal artery aneurysm and a secondary evacuation of her hemopéritoine 48 hours later. It was an embolization in a ruptured digestive artery aneurysm with an anatomic variant, the hepatic artery was arising from the superior mesenteric artery, and it makes all the particularity of this observation. In this paper we recall the diagnostical and etiological aspects of gastroduodenal artery aneurysms, we discuss the difficulties of their treatment and we emphasis the advantages of embolization in management of this type of complication.Les anévrismes de l'artère gastroduodénale sont des lésions vasculaires rares, la rupture en est un risque réel, il est significativement augmenté par la nature inflammatoire dominante de leurs étiologies. La rupture est un mode de révélation fréquent et souvent inaugurale, elle rend le contrôle chirurgical de l’artère gastroduodénale difficile, aggravant ainsi le pronostic et augmentant le taux de mortalité. L’approche endovasculaire par embolisation offre la possibilité d’une hémostase primaire en urgence et permet de reporter l’évacuation de l’hemopéritoine dans un deuxième temps sur un malade stable et bien préparé.Nous rapportons l'observation d'une femme de 72 ans, ayant bénéficiée d’une hémostase par embolisation d’un anévrisme rompu de l‘artère gastroduodénale en urgence et d’une évacuation secondaire de son hemopéritoine 48 heures après. Cette observation rapporte le cas d’une embolisation sur un anévrisme rompu d’une artère digestive avec une variante anatomique réalisée par l’artère hépatique qui nait de l’artère mésentérique supérieure, cela fait toute la particularité de cette observation. Dans ce travail nous rappelons les aspects diagnostic et étiologiques des anévrismes de l’artère gastroduodénale, nous discutons les difficultés de leur prise en charge en cas de rupture et nous mettant le point sur les avantages de l’embolisation primaire à visée hémostatique