Phytochemical screening and the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of aqueous extracts from the leaves of Salvia officinalis planted in Morocco

The aqueous extract of the leaves of Salvia officinalis planted in Morocco is analyzed using different methods in order to study the different phytochemical components (phytochemical screening) and to test in parallel the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities. The main phytochemical components of salvia officinalis are: phenolics complex 13.87±1.96 mg E.AG/g, flavonoids 7.38±1.91mg E.Q/g and tannins 0.18±0.03 μg E.Cat/g, as well as different concentrations of saponins, alkaloids and mucilage.  The antioxidant activity is achieved by four different methods: the DPPH test (IC-50 = 8.2 μg/ml higher than BHT (1.2 μg/ml)); the ß-carotene decolorization test (the inhibition of oxidation of the aqueous extract (64.2%) was greater than the negative control (13. 87%)); the reducing power test (FRAP) (detection of a low reducing power of iron for the aqueous extract compared to quercetin) and the total antioxidant capacity (CAT), this test revealed an antioxidant capacity of 103.7±5.8 mg/g. The aqueous extract of salvia officinalis leaves showed antibacterial activity against four pathogenic bacteria: E. coli 57, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, noting MIC values of 0.25mg/ml; 0.125mg/ml; 0. The extract showed antifungal activity against two yeasts (S. sereveseae (0.25 mg/mlet C. albicans 0.25 mg/ml), using the agar diffusion method and the direct contact method

The effect of using polypropylene fibers on the durability and fire resistance of concrete

In order to study the effect of polypropylene fibers on the durability of cementitious composites, several experimental tests have been carried out in the laboratory. The composite was tested with different volume fractions of polypropylene fibers (0.05%, 0.10%, 0.30% and 0.50%). All the results relating to the indicators (porosity accessible to water εb, to the oxygen permeability Kapp.gas and diffusivity Dns) indicate that the addition of polypropylene fibers in a cement matrix represents only a small effect on durability. This panel of general sustainability indicators can be supplemented by indicators more specific to each degradation process identified or envisaged depending on the environmental conditions of the structure. However, the addition of the volume fraction of polypropylene fibers (0.50%) in a cementitious composite, increases fire resistance. Such behavior gives fiber composites interesting properties which favor their use in structures exposed to fire risks

Reduce state of charge estimation errors with an extended Kalman filter algorithm

Li-ion batteries (LiBs) are accurately estimated under varying operating conditions and external influences using extended Kalman filtering (EKF). Estimating the state of charge (SOC) is essential for enhancing battery efficiency, though complexities and unpredictability present obstacles. To address this issue, the paper proposes a second-order resistance-capacitance (RC) battery model and derives the EKF algorithm from it. The EKF approach is chosen for its ability to handle complex battery behaviors. Through extensive evaluation using a Simulink MATLAB program, the proposed EKF algorithm demonstrates remarkable accuracy and robustness in SOC estimation. The root mean square error (RMSE) analysis shows that SOC estimation errors range from only 0.30% to 2.47%, indicating substantial improvement over conventional methods. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of an EKF-based approach in overcoming external influences and providing precise SOC estimations to optimize battery management. In addition to enhancing battery performance, the results of the study may lead to the development of more reliable energy storage systems in the future. This will contribute to the wider adoption of LiBs in various applications

URBAN LAND TENURE IN MOROCCO Legal and institutional dysfunctions and mitigation measures

Abstract Land is a decisive factor in the organization of urban land. Its management is not subject to global agreement. It cannot be the expression of a socio-economic optimum shared by all actors, given their diverse and divergent interests.Goal and objectives:The legal and institutional dysfunctions linked to the land question in Morocco are multiple. At the legal level, the rule of law is generally a colonial legacy of a palliative nature. It does not respond to complex and changing land issues.At the institutional level, the dysfunctions imply an incoherence of public action.Methodology:The fragmentation of the system of actors leads to inconsistent actions. The inertia of the State's action in the face of urban challenges is obvious. This implies the deficiency of urban land governance. There is a lack of an effective land policy and the pre-eminence of sectorial policies.Reforms are necessary to initiate a renewal of public action on urban land. This reflection notes elements of hope arising from certain legal texts relating in particular to the management of collective land, the land regime of territorial authorities and investment. Results:The renewal of urban land governance must be considered in a systemic framework. It is necessary to rethink the land administration, regulate the land management system and take into consideration a number of recurrent recommendations. The suggestions focus on institutional redeployment, the reorganisation of the roles of actors and the adoption of technical, legal, economic and operational tools, mechanisms and measures..Key words : Land Tenure, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Actors, Dysfunctions, Reforms

Contribution à l’étude de la salinisation de la nappe côtière de sahel El Haouzia région d’El Jadida au Maroc

La nappe côtière du Sahel d’El Haouzia circulent soit dans les calcaires fissurés du Cénomanien (partie amont), soit dans les formations détritiques du Plioquaternaire (partie avale). Ce sont des formations perméables favorisant le transit des eaux d’infiltration à forte charge saline, vers la nappe d’eau souterraine, circulant généralement à de faibles de la surface. La conductivité électrique moyenne des eaux souterraines étudiées montre des variations importantes, de 1,7 mS/cm (zone interne) à 7 mS/cm. En effet, elle accuse des valeurs de plus en plus importantes en direction de la mer, avec un gradient d’augmentation important dans les premiers kilomètres du rivage. La minéralisation totale est déterminée principalement par les ions chlorures et sodium qui montrent une corrélation positive avec la conductivité électrique. La combinaison des outils, géologiques, hydrogéologiques, piézométriques et hydrochimiques a montré que les fortes salinités des eaux souterraines sont liées au phénomène d’intrusion marine (dans les premiers kilomètres de la côte), à celui du lessivage de la roche réservoir et de l’infiltration des eaux de retour. Ces méthodes d’étude ont montré une meilleure adaptation avec notre système aquifère côtier.Mots-clés : Nappe côtière, salinité, intrusion marine, hydrochimie, Sahel ElHaouzia, Maroc

Phytochemical screening and the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of aqueous extracts from the leaves of Lippia triphylla planted in Morocco

The principal objective of the present study is the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of phytochemical compounds, as well as the antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of the aqueous extract of Lippia triphylla planted in Morocco. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids and alkaloids with different concentrations as well as tannins with a higher content (0.27±0.02mg. Cat/ g extract). The antioxidant activity is carried out by the following methods: the DPPH test (IC-50 = 9.4 µg/ml higher than BHT (0.12 µg/ml)); the ß-carotene decoloration test (the inhibition of oxidation of the aqueous extract (66.17%) was important than the negative control (13. 87%)); the reducing power test (FRAP) (detection of a low iron reducing power for the aqueous extract compared to Quercetin) and the total antioxidant capacity (CAT) (this test revealed an antioxidant capacity of 935.1±6.7 mg/g). On the other hand, the crude aqueous extract from the leaves of Lippia tiphylla showed varying degrees of antimicrobial and antifungal activity against four pathogenic bacteria and two yeasts by the agar diffusion method and the direct contact method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for E. coli 57, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. sereveseae and C. albicans were 50.71±5.42, 50.23±7.247, 50±2.04 12.5±0.517, 25±0.25 and 12.5±0.25 mg/ml respectively. Antimicrobial activity related to standard antibiotics was determined as a positive control

Continual Conscious Active Fine-Tuning to Robustify Online Machine Learning Models Against Data Distribution Shifts

Unlike their offline traditional counterpart, online machine learning models are capable of handling data distribution shifts while serving at the test time. However, they have limitations in addressing this phenomenon. They are either expensive or unreliable. We propose augmenting an online learning approach called test-time adaptation with a continual conscious active fine-tuning layer to develop an enhanced variation that can handle drastic data distribution shifts reliably and cost-effectively. The proposed augmentation incorporates the following aspects: a continual aspect to confront the ever-ending data distribution shifts, a conscious aspect to imply that fine-tuning is a distribution-shift-aware process that occurs at the appropriate time to address the recently detected data distribution shifts, and an active aspect to indicate employing human-machine collaboration for the relabeling to be cost-effective and practical for diverse applications. Our empirical results show that the enhanced test-time adaptation variation outperforms the traditional variation by a factor of two

The impact of urban form on urban heat island variation in a Mediterranean cities

Učinak urbanih toplinskih otoka (UTO) povećao se s urbanizacijom i klimatskim promjenama, što je dovelo do još veće izraženosti nepovoljnih učinaka toga problema, osobito u gradovima sa sušnom klimom. Cilj ove studije jest razumjeti utjecaj urbanih oblika na stvaranje urbanih toplinskih otoka istraživanjem sedam lokacija u sklopu studije slučaja u sjevernome Alžiru, odnosno u gradu Mostaganemu koji se nalazi na obali Mediterana. Za prikupljanje toplinskih podataka s odabranih lokacija (od S1 do S7) korištena je meteorološka postaja uz infracrveni termometar. Situacija S1 modelirana je i simulirana softverom ENVI-MET za procjenu učinka UTO-a na otvorenom prostoru omeđenom građevinama. Zatim su simulacijski podaci potvrđeni podacima prikupljenima u stvarnom vremenu na konkretnoj lokaciji. Nakon toga evidentirano je i modelirano ukupno sedam konfiguracija urbanih oblika na istome mjestu (S1) te je potom kreirana simulacija koja odražava njihove pojedinačne utjecaje. Rezultati simulacije uspoređeni su s obzirom na temperaturu zraka, brzinu vjetra i temperaturu površine tla te je utjecaj različitih urbanih oblika pridonio učinku UTO-a na tome omeđenom području. Uočeno je to da su poluzatvorene konfiguracije urbanih oblika koje su bile zaštićene od izravnoga Sunčeva zračenja zabilježile najniže temperature zraka i tla, dok je temperaturna razlika na lokaciji u najtoplijim satima dana bila veća za 2°C.The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has increased with the increase in urbanisation and climate change, especially in cities with arid climates. This study aims to understand the influence of urban forms on creating UHIs by assessing seven sites in a case study in Mostaganem city, which is located on the Mediterranean coast in northern Algeria. A weather station and an infrared thermometer were used to collect the thermal data from the selected sites (S1 to S7). Site S1 was modelled and simulated using ENVI-met software to evaluate the UHI effect on the open area bounded by the surrounding buildings. The simulation data was then validated by the real time data collected from the actual site. Thereafter, seven common urban form configurations were identified and modelled around the same site (S1), and simulated for their individual impacts, one by one. The simulation results were compared in terms of air temperature, wind speed, and ground surface temperature, not to mention that the influence of the different urban forms contributed to the UHI effect in the bounded area. Semi-enclosed configurations of the urban forms that were protected from direct solar radiation recorded the lowest air and ground temperatures, while the difference between temperatures on the site rose to 2 °C in the hottest hours of the day

The psychological properties of the Arabic BDI-II and the psychological state of the general Moroccan population during the mandatory quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The main objective of this work is to study the psychological impact (stress and depression) of the mandatory quarantine applied on the Moroccan population in order to limit the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), then the study of the psychometric properties of the Arab BDI-II in the general Moroccan population. 263 respondents were asked to respond to a BDI-II and PSS-10 socio-demographic questionnaire conducted during the first month of quarantine. 55.9% of the respondents were in a normal state of stress and 36.1% in a moderate state. However, 38.4% and 27.8% exhibited minimal and severe depression respectively. The results of factor analysis with the varimax rotation method revealed three factors predicting 55.56% of the total variance of BDI-II, while two factors predicting 60.97% of the total variance of PSS-10. Cronbach's alpha values for BDI and PSS-10 were α = 0.93 and α = 0.58 respectively. In conclusion, the BDI-II is a reliable and valid assessment for measuring symptoms of depression in the general Moroccan population and also very important to pay more attention to the side effects of mandatory quarantine