Balāgah al-Jasad al-Furjūwī baina al-Ta’bīr al-Ĥarakī wa al-Kalimah al-Manṭūqah Masraḥiyyah “Kharīf” Numūżajā

This research aims to analyze body rhetoric between motor expressions and spoken words in the play "Kharif" as a model for the work of director Asmaa Houri. This qualitative research has a case study type of research on literary appreciation in drama performances in Morocco. The research data is in body rhetoric played by several drama actors. Data collection techniques use in-depth observation and documentation. The data analysis uses data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The research results show that the body is important in constructing a drama performance. Rather, the motor elements contribute to the production of a diverse group of connotations. Several topics that shape the picture of contemporary drama in Maraco include women's movements and the duality of body and soul, men's and the duality of presence and absence, body language related to eye movements, and silence and the body in choreography

Participatory Irrigation Management : comparing theory with practice a case study of the Beni Amir irrigation scheme in Morocco

International audienceParticipatory Irrigation Management (PIM) and Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) are studied at three levels : the international literature, the policy and action taken in Morocco and field work in the Beni Amir large scale irrigation system. International literature argues that management will improve if users can take management decisions that are the outcome of local negotiations between stakeholders and based on local knowledge and normative frameworks. Since the 1980s, several governments have adopted these turnover programs, often as part of the requirements of a structural adjustment package negotiated with IMF and international development banks. This shows that in many countries the tight financial situation of governments has been important for introducing PIM/IMT. The management transfer from the State to Water Users Associations (WUAs) has been more successfully achieved in some places (Mexico, Colombia and Turkey), than in other places (India, Pakistan, Philippines). Literature provides explanations as success factors for PIM/IMT like relative strength of economy and central government, higher literacy and standard of living. These factors are largely valid for Morocco and thus raises the question about the Moroccan progress in the domain of PIM in large scale irrigation. PIM policy was introduced by the government in 1990 and specified in 1995 as a policy that should be progressively spread, selective depending on location, adapted to the physical and organizational environment, contractual with the water users as partner and finally provide financial advantages for the water users. Field research took place in the Beni Amir large-scale irrigation system in Morocco, situated 200 km south east of Casablanca, where PIM policy became an issue in 1990. In the context of disengagement of the Moroccan state, objectives of the regional government agency responsible for irrigation management in the area (named ORMVAT, Office régional de mise en valeur agricole du Tadla) are to evolve from a complete State management up to farm level, to a more participatory management.Recent field work in which a check list of management tasks performed by farmers was used, showed that, contrary to the policy objectives, WUAs in the Beni Amir system are weakly involved in decision making and hardly perform tasks in irrigation system management. We found that PIM implementation in Morocco does not comply with the theoretical models that have been developed in Mexico, Turkey, the Philippines or elsewhere. This proves the hypothesis that PIM is context-specific which requires that before attempting to implement major institutional reforms in the irrigation sector, it is necessary to understand the national as well as the local context, the opportunities it offers, and the constraints it places on successful institutional reform. Even though local conditions in Beni Amir somehow fit with some points of the theory related to PIM/IMT (i.e. water scarcity should stimulate irrigation reform, the relatively good performance of the infrastructure should permit that IMT programs take off relatively “quickly”, availability of cash money for farmers to pay water fees), PIM programs did not come off the ground in Beni Amir. Case specific reasons that could explain the hesitance of PIM/IMT implementation are i) the irrigated perimeter of Beni Amir, as it is managed nowadays by the ORMVAT, functions relatively well, ii) the society is characterised by relatively strong central rule, iii) rigid labour relations in the civil service and iv) farmers are hesitant to take over the irrigation management

Anti-platelet aggregation effects of extracts from Arbutus unedo leaves

It is well known that platelet hyperactivity is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke and myocardial infarction. This study aimed to examine the effects of extracts enriched in flavonoids obtained from Arbutus unedo leaves on platelet aggregation. Rat platelets were prepared and incubated in vitro with different doses of the tested extracts, and aggregation was trigged by physiological agonists. Platelet treatment with increasing concentrations (0.1 - 1 mg/ml) of diethyl ether extract (genins = free flavonoids) or ethyl acetate extract (hetrosidic flavonoids) inhibited platelet aggregation evoked by thrombin in a concentration-dependant manner. The IC50 values were 0.22 ± 0.03 and 0.36 ± 0.05 mg/ml for genins and heterosidic flavonoids respectively. Treatment with Arbutus unedo extracts also significantly reduced the initial rate of platelet aggregation. At 1 mg/ml, the rate inhibition was 97.8 ± 0.74 and 90.8 ± 1.55 % for genins and heterosidic flavonoids respectively. In addition, flavonoids significantly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by ADP, collagen or epinephrine. We conclude that Arbutus unedo extracts show antiaggregant effects due mainly to flavonoids. These results may partly explain the traditional use of Arbutus unedo leaves for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension

Front Psychiatry

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, older people and patients with psychiatric disorders had an increased risk of being isolated. The French National Authority for Health has recommended a reinforced follow-up of these patients. Cross-sectional studies reported an increased risk of developing anxiety and depression during pandemic. The aim of our study was to identify factors associated with higher anxiety during the pandemic in older patients with psychiatric disorders. METHODS: STERACOVID is a multicenter cohort study with 117 patients followed-up by phone in two French geriatric psychiatry units. In this work, we used cross-sectional data from a prospective follow-up conducted between January and May 2021. RESULTS: We found that coping strategies, personality, and living conditions were associated with general anxiety (GA) level during the pandemic period. Higher GA was associated with less positive thinking coping strategy, more avoidance strategies, a lower level of extraversion, a higher level of neuroticism, more time spent watching the news, a higher feeling of loneliness, and a lack of physical contact. FINDINGS: Our study identified factors associated with a poorer experience of pandemic crisis. Special attention should be paid to patients with a high level of neuroticism and a high feeling of loneliness. Support could aim to help patients use more functional strategies: reducing avoidance strategies and increasing positive thinking. Finally, reducing time watching news could also be an interesting prevention perspective. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04760795

Non-genomic effects of nuclear receptors: insights from the anucleate platelet

Nuclear receptors have the ability to elicit two different kinds of responses, genomic and non-genomic. While genomic responses control gene expression by influencing the rate of transcription, non-genomic effects occur rapidly and independently of transcriptional regulation. Due to their anucleate nature and mechanistically well-characterised and rapid responses, platelets provide a model system for the study of any non-genomic effects of the nuclear receptors. Several nuclear receptors have been found to be expressed in human platelets, and multiple nuclear receptor agonists have been shown to elicit anti-platelet effects by a variety of mechanisms. The non-genomic functions of NRs vary, including the regulation of kinase and phosphatase activity, ion channel function, intracellular calcium levels and production of second messengers. Recently, the characterisation of mechanisms and identification of novel binding partners of nuclear receptors have further strengthened the prospects of developing their ligands into potential therapeutics that offer cardio-protective properties in addition to their other defined genomic effects