The influence of humic acids extracted from Chaouia soil on the behavior of transition metal ions and pesticides

      Humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) exist ubiquitously in environments and have a variety of functional groups, which allow them to complex with metal ions and pesticides. Furthermore, these interactions can not only alter the environmental behavior, but also influence the removal and transportation of those pollutants. The study of the interaction between Cu (II), VO (II) and Mn (II) with HAs provides environmental information on the oxidation states of paramagnetic metals and their mechanisms of binding to humic acids. Electron spin resonance (ESR) study demonstrates that VO (II) and Cu (II) ions are bound with oxygen ligands to HAs, while the Mn (II) complex occurs as [Mn(H2O)6]2+. Additionally, Cu (II) ions are more strongly bound than Mn (II) ions to soil HAs. The effect of the presence of HA on photolysis of Tribenuron-methyl (TRB) and Imazapyr (IMAZ) herbicides in water was studied by irradiation of different mixtures of HA/herbicide (0.5:1 and 1:1 by volume). The obtained results clearly demonstrate that HA substances exhibit a screening effect on the photochemical degradation of the two herbicides. The protective effect of HAs on the TRB and IMAZ degradation could be explained with an inclusion and/or adsorption of the herbicide molecules in the humic matrix

Multi-Response Optimization For Industrial Processes

Process optimization is a very important point in modern industry. There are many classical optimization methods, which can be applied when some mathematical conditions are verified. Real situations are not very simple so that classical methods may not succeed in optimizing; as in cases when the optimization has several contradictory objectives (Collette, 2002). The purpose of this work is to propose an optimization method for industrial processes with multiple inputs and multiple outputs (MIMO), for which the optimization objectives are generally contradictory and for which some objectives are not maximum or minimum but performance criteria. The first step of this method is modeling each process response by a quadratic model. After establishing the model, we use a simplified numerical optimization algorithm in order to determine values of the parameters allowing optimizing the different responses, for MIMO processes. This method will also allow finding optimum target values for multiple inputs single output processes

Study of the effect of chromium on the germination parameters of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-gracium L.) and Lens (Lens culinaris)

Received: September 21st, 2022 ; Accepted: January 2nd, 2023 ; Published: February 8th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] contamination by heavy metals is a global environmental problem. This contamination affects agricultural crops in the area concerned. In the present study, chromium, which is a heavy metal, is evaluated for its diverse effects on seed germination and lateral growth of fenugreek and lens seeds. A chromium solution was prepared at increasing concentrations: 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1, and 0.2 mg L-1 for the addition of germinating seeds in petri dishes for ten days. After two days, the germination rate is calculated. For the following days the length of radicle, stem, and number of leaves are measured. The germination rate of fenugreek varies between 100 and 73.33% for the control and 0.02 mg L-1 of chromium respectively. However, the germination rate of the lens varies between 100% for the control and 90% for the 0.02 mg L-1 . The elongation of fenugreek radicle with chromium solutions shows a significant effect. However, there is no significant difference in the lens at the different concentrations. For the growth of the fenugreek stalk, it is noticed that the concentration 0.02 shows a length of 2.83 cm compared to their control which is 2.30 cm. Consequently, chromium at 0.02 mg L-1 stimulates growth, but at 0.2 mg L-1 , it inhibits it. For lens the length of the stems shows also a significant difference compared to their control. So the effect of chromium on germination parameters depends on their concentrations, as well as on the seed response itself. For our research the response of fenugreek compared to the lens at the same concentrations is different

A Probabilistic Assessment Approach for Wind Turbine-Site Matching

This article provides a new methodology for wind turbine-site matching by using a probabilistic approach. The random behavior of the wind speed climate and the uncertainties of wind turbine characteristics are important to take into account in models used to evaluate the performance of the wind turbine. The proposed formulation of the wind turbine-site matching is derived based on the probabilistic reliability assessment approach. It was experimented using different power curve approximation models, for different random conditions, using time series of wind speed in two sites in Morocco: Dakhla and Essaouira. A comparison based on methods used in literature for the estimation of two-parameter of the Weibull function to fit the wind speed distribution is also carried out. The results revealed that the introduced performance indicators are less sensitive to the models used to approximate the wind power curves compared to the deterministic conventional indicator that leads to different rankings and problems of over-sizing or under-sizing. However, those performance indicators are more sensitive to the variation of the wind speed distribution parameter’s and can help on accurately estimate the wind power. Moreover, the proposed formulation allows a global sensitivity analysis using Sobol’s indices to observe the influence of each input parameter on the observed variances of the performance of a wind turbine. A numerical application illustrates the interpretation of sensitivity indices and shows the impact of the wind speed and the rated wind speed on the variance of the wind turbine performance. This method can help wind energy developers and manufacturers to optimally select WTGs for their future project and accurately forecast the performance of their WTGs for monitoring and maintenance scheduling under uncertainty

A Bayesian Regularized Artificial Neural Network for Up-Scaling Wind Speed Profile

Maximizing gains from wind energy potential is the principle objective of the wind power sector. Consequently, wind tower size is radically increasing. However, choosing an appropriate wind turbine for a selected site requires having an accurate estimation of vertical wind profile. This is also imperative from the cost and maintenance strategy point of view. Installing tall towers or other expensive devices such as LIDAR or SODAR raises the costs of a wind power project. In this work, we aim to investigate the ability of a Neural Network trained using the Bayesian Regularization technique to estimate wind speed profile up to a height of 100m based on knowledge of wind speed at lower heights. Results show that the proposed approach can achieve satisfactory predictions and prove the suitability of the proposed method for generating wind speed profile and probability distributions based on knowledge of wind speed at lower heights

Histopathology of prostate tissue after vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy for localized prostate cancer

Low-risk prostate adenocarcinoma is classically managed either with active surveillance or radical therapy (such as external radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy), but both have significant side effects. Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) is a focal therapy proposed as an alternative approach for localized, low-volume, and low-Gleason score (≤6) carcinomas. We report histological modifications observed in prostate biopsies of 56 patients, performed 6 months after VTP using the photosensitizer TOOKAD® Soluble (WST11) and low-energy laser administered in the tumor area transperineally by optic fibers. In 53 patients, we observed sharply demarcated hyaline fibrotic scars, with or without rare atrophic glands, sometimes reduced to corpora amylacea surrounded by giant multinuclear macrophages. Mild chronic inflammation, hemosiderin, and coagulative necrosis were also observed. When residual cancer was present in a treated lobe (17 patients), it was always located outside the scar, most often close to the prostate capsule, and it showed no therapy-related modification. Histopathological interpretation of post-WST11 VTP prostate biopsies was straightforward, in contrast with that of prostate biopsies after radio or hormonal therapy, which introduces lesions difficult to interpret. VTP resulted in complete ablation of cancer in the targeted area

Mesalazine: A Novel Etiology For Drug-Induced Urinary Calculi

We report the case of a 23-year-old woman treated by mesalazine for ulcerative colitis and who subsequently presented recurrent renal colic due to mesalazine urinary stones. This is the second case described in the literature.Mesalazine stones are soft, friable and have an orange-beige color. They are not visible on non-contrast computed tomography (CT). Their diagnosis is based on morpho-constitutional analysis and CT-urography. Patients treatedby mesalazine who present renal colic should undergo CT-urography in order to make the diagnosis

Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation: 2 years follow-up outcomes in the management of anticholinergic refractory overactive bladder

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term use, efficacy and tolerability of transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) in the treatment of refractory overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study and included all patients treated in a single center for OAB persisting after first-line anticholinergic treatment, with ≥ 24 months follow-up. The protocol consisted of daily stimulation at home. The primary outcome was treatment persistence. Amelioration was defined as an improvement in urinary symptom profile (USP) score. RESULTS: We assessed 84 consecutive patients. After a mean follow-up of 39.3 months and a mean treatment use of 8.3 months, almost two-thirds of patients (71.8%) had discontinued TTNS. Treatment continuation was > 12 months for 28 patients (33.3%) and > 18 months for 16 patients (19%). TTNS was successful following 3 months of treatment in 60 (71%) patients. Mean USP score stayed significantly lower than baseline until 12 months of treatment, but was not significant anymore after 18 months. Discontinuation therapy reasons were a lack of sufficient symptom relief for 59 (70%) patients, compliance difficulty for 5 (6%) patients and becoming asymptomatic for 6 (8%) patients. No serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms the utility of TTNS as a treatment option for patients with resistant OAB. In the long-term use, few patients continued with therapy, mostly because of a decreased effectiveness with time

Rectal metastasis of prostate cancer: about a case

Prostate adenocarcinomas present a high risk of metastasis. We report a case of an atypical prostate cancer metastasis. A male patient presented a prostatic adenocarcinoma treated by surgery. A biological recurrence was discovered during the follow-up by an increased rate of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and was treated by hormonotherapy. Several months later, there was a re-increase of the PSA rate. The CT scan showed a radiation proctitis aspect. An intermittent hormonotherapy was decided. Six months later, he presented abdominal pain. Examinations were performed and showed a rectal carcinosarcoma with prostate origins. A surgical management was realised. The outcomes were an early recurrence. A symptomatic treatment was decided. There are not any rectal localisations reported in the literature. Only loco-regional invasions of the rectum are described and no histological modification of metastasis compared to the primitive tumor has been reported. So, we report a metastasis of a prostate adenocarcinoma which transformed into a carcinosarcoma. KEYWORDS: Adenocarcinoma; Carcinosarcoma; Metastasis; Prostate; Rectal neoplasm