La flore médicinale traditionnelle de la région de Béni- Mellal (Maroc)

Objectif : le but de cette étude est de mener une enquête ethnobotanique des plantes médicinales utilisées en phytothérapie traditionnelle dans le district de Béni-Mellal.Méthodologie et résultats : A l’aide de 200 fiches questionnaires, une série d’enquêtes  ethnobotaniques a été menée sur le terrain en 2014 en utilisant un échantillonnage aléatoire stratifié. Ces recherches, complétées par l’identification des échantillons sur le terrain et au laboratoire, nous ont permis de faire connaissance de 69 espèces médicinales réparties en 38 familles et 63 genres avec une importance relative des familles suivantes par leur nombre d’espèces : Lamiaceae (23,07%), Apiaceae (21,05%), Fabaceae (10,52%) et Asteraceae (7,69%).Conclusion et application de la recherche : Cette étude a conduit à l'élaboration d'un catalogue de plantes médicinales contenant les informations sur les utilisations thérapeutiques pratiquées par la population locale. Par ailleurs, Cet inventaire peut constituer une source d’informations très précieuse .Il contribue par sa part à la connaissance de la flore médicinale et la sauvegarde du savoir-faire populaire local.Mots clés : plantes médicinales, ethnobotanique, Béni-Mellal, flore médicinale.Objective: The aim of this study is to conduct an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in traditional herbal medicine in Beni-Mellal district.Methods and results: Using 320 questionnaires, a series of ethnobotanical surveys was conducted in the field in 2014 using stratified random sampling techniques. This research, completed by the identification of samples in the field and in the laboratory, has allowed us to get to know 69 species belonging to 63 genera and 38 families, with a predominance of Lamiaceae (23.07%), Apiaceae (21.05%), Fabaceae (10,52%) and Asteraceae (7.69% %).Conclusion and application of research: This study has led to the development of a catalog of  medicinal plants which has the information about the therapeutic uses practiced by the local population. This inventory can be a very valuable source of information .It contributes its share to the knowledge of medicinal flora and the safeguarding of local popular expertise.Keywords: Medicinal plants, ethnobotany, Beni-Mellal, medicinal flora

Computational fluid dynamics study of dusty air flow over NACA 63415 airfoil for wind turbine applications

Gulf and South African countries have enormous potential for wind energy. However, the emergence of sand storms in this region postulates performance and reliability challenges on wind turbines. This study investigates the effects of debris flow on wind turbine blade performance. In this paper, two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the transition SST turbulence model are used to analyze the aerodynamic performance of NACA 63415 airfoil under clean and sandy conditions. The numerical simulation of the airfoil under clean surface condition is performed at Reynolds number 460×103, and the numerical results have a good consistency with the experimental data. The Discrete Phase Model has been used to investigate the role sand particles play in the aerodynamic performance degradation. The pressure and lift coefficients of the airfoil have been computed under different sand particles flow rates. The performance of the airfoil under different angle of attacks has been studied. Results showed that the blade lift coefficient can deteriorate by 28% in conditions relevant to the Gulf and South African countries sand storms. As a result, the numerical simulation method has been verified to be economically available for accurate estimation of the sand particles effect on the wind turbine blades

Screening of Mineral Elements in Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis Essential Oils and their Leaves

peer reviewedThe aim of this study was to determine the levels of mineral compounds in Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis growing in Eastern Morocco from two different regions Jerada (arid climate) and Tafoughalt (humid climate). A total of fifteen elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Zn, Al, Ca, Fe, K and Mg) has been measured by inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Their concentrations have been found to vary in leaves and their essential oils. From the results of the study, P, Al, Ca, Fe, K and Mg are highest in all the samples analysed. Cr and Pb were not detected in essential oil of Cistus libanotis from Jerada and Tafoughalt, respectively. These plants were found to contain appreciable amounts of the elements K, Ca, Fe, Mg, P, Al, Ni, Li, Zn and Cu Witch are important in many biological mechanisms. This study also provides a comprehensive survey of the concentration of elements in plants due to their wide utilisation as herbal fusion or decoction in Eastern Morocco

Organisation et fonctionnement d’un écosystème côtier du Maroc : la lagune de Khnifiss

La lagune de Khnifiss, située au sud du Maroc, est une réserve biologique d’intérêt mondial pour l’avifaune. Des études pluridisciplinaires portant sur la physico-chimie des eaux, la biologie, la sédimentologie et les courants ont été réalisées par l’INRH dans la lagune en septembre 1998 et février 2001. Les résultats du courant obtenus montrent que la circulation des eaux à l’intérieur de la lagune est gérée par un courant alternatif et bidirectionnel : les courants du jusant sont plus importants que ceux du flot et varient également en fonction du rythme de la marée vive-eau/morte-eau. Ce mode de circulation des eaux attribue à la lagune une richesse en éléments azotés et phosphatés, surtout en période de vive-eau. La biomasse chlorophyllienne, assez importante dans la lagune, est causée par la richesse du milieu en éléments nutritifs et le phénomène d’upwelling qui se manifeste en été et au printemps dans la zone sud du Maroc. Ces études ont montré que la lagune de Khnifiss est un milieu propice à la conchyliculture. Néanmoins, l’installation de tout projet aquacole dans le site devra tenir compte de sa capacité trophique et de son équilibre écologique.The Moroccan coastal marine area has several zones that are targets for exploitation but must simultaneously be protected. Lagoons are considered to be among the most productive natural systems in the world, but they are also vulnerable systems due to natural and human constraints. Lagoons can also be a target of economic expansion. This is why an understanding about the state of these ecosystems is important in order to proceed with rational use of the resource. The Khnifiss lagoon, situated on the South Atlantic coast of Morocco, is a potential site for aquaculture and tourism if planned with an ecological awareness. The large surface area and high biological production for the avifauna qualify it to be among the four protected sites by the RAMSAR convention for humid zone conservation (lagoons of Khnifiss and Moulay Bousselham, lakes of Sidi Boughaba and Afennourir). The objective of this work was to complete previous studies and to estimate the nutritive richness of the Khnifiss lagoon. To understand the spatio-temporal variability in the water currents, and the physico-chemical and biological and characteristics of this lagoon, two surveys were organized in September 1998 and February 2001.The Khnifiss lagoon (20 km long and 65 km2 surface area) is situated between Tantan and Tarfaya (28°02'54'' N, 12°13'66'' W). It opens up into the Atlantic ocean by a narrow inlet called ''Foum Agouitir'', about 100 m wide. The lagoon continues upstream beyond a salt marsh, called "Sebkha Tazra". Physical, chemical and biological variables were monitored: temperature and salinity; dissolved oxygen, nitrates and phosphates; chlorophyll a. The current (direction and intensity) and the sediment were also studied. Samples were collected four times from the surface and bottom waters during spring tide (ST), neap tide (NT), low tide (LT) and high tide (HT) during two seasons (September 1998 and February 2001). Seven hydrological stations were sampled, representing the lagoon system and one reference station in a neighbouring zone (Hréf), which represents the marine zone of the lagoon. Temperature and salinity were measured with a multi-sensor probe. The chemical analyses were carried out according to methods suggested by AMINOT & CHAUSSEPIED (1983). Thirty (30) sediment samples were also collected. Currents were measured at two fixed points by two current-meters.Based on the hydrological characteristics of the lagoon, especially temperature, salinity, water circulation and the nature of sediment, three zones were identified :1. Zone I (downstream from the lagoon) was dominated by the ocean’s influence and included the Hréf, H1 and H2 stations. Maximum depths varied from 2.5 to 6.6 m, depending on the tide and location. The concentrations of the different hydrological parameters were controlled by the plug effect of the oceanic environment. The most important current in the lagoon was recorded in this zone in the spring tide (ST: 110 cm.s-1). The sediment was coarse and important water - sediment exchange was caused by the strong current recorded in this zone.2. Zone II (middle of the lagoon) was a transition zone with an intermediate oceanic influence. It was situated between the H3 and H5 stations. The size of the inlet and the important exchanges governed by currents caused by strong tides resulted in concentrations of the various parameters being similar to those in Zone I. Depths varied from 2.64 to 8.7 m. Waters were more saline during the LT and NT periods (36-41 practical salinity unit, or psu). The current decreased relative to that is zone I (56 cm.s-1 in September 1998 and 78 cm.s-1 in February 2001). In this zone the current moved preferentially towards the right strand at high tide and toward the left strand at low tide.3. Zone III (upstream in the lagoon) covered a different biotope compared to the first two zones. The waters were less deep (2.64 to 5.3 m) and included the stations H6, H7 and the upper part of the lagoon. This zone was characterized by a very low oceanic influence. Water temperature and salinity were higher, 24-26°C and 41-44 psu respectively, during the LT and NT periods.On the basis of the hydrological zonation, the conjunction of the climate descriptors (moderate wind, rare precipitation, absence of storms, moderate air temperature) of the lagoon and the strong hydrodynamic influence in the lagoon suggest that the Knifiss lagoon is a relatively unconfined ecosystem. The hydrodynamics of this lagoon permit a fast water renewal rate and insure a good environmental quality. In addition, studies carried out on the healthiness of this lagoon demonstrated not only a healthy environment, but also healthy shellfish. This diagnosis seemed to be related to the geographical location and important rates of water exchange. However, the absence of continental freshwater sources leads to an important increase in salinity and temperature at the level of the upstream zone (zone III). Zone III therefore cannot be considered for shellfish breeding.On the basis of the biological zones: With respect to the bathymetry of the lagoon (depths varied from 2.5 to 8.7 m), shellfish, in contrast to fish, require less water depth. Therefore, it is sufficient to search for a less turbulent zone, which offers sufficient planktonic food for the shellfish growth. In the Khnifiss lagoon, the taxonomy of the phytoplankton has not been yet studied. However, BENNOUNA (1999) demonstrated that the phytoplankton community was dominated by dinoflagellates and diatoms in the Oualidia and Sidi Moussa lagoons. RHARBI (2000) found that picophytoplankton were the principal breeding food source of oysters and clams in Oualidia lagoon. The source of shellfish for breeding is located in the neighbouring upwelling marine waters. Development projects planned for the lagoon must include an awareness programme for fishermen about the role that moderate and responsible shellfish breeding programs can play in the preservation and reconstitution of the marine resource as well as in the improvement of their incomes

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil, various organic extracts of Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis growing in Eastern Morocco

In the present work, we studied the chemical composition of the essential oil of Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis growing in Eastern Morocco. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and their chemical composition was analysed using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Camphene, borneol, cyclohexanol-2, 2, 6 tremethyl, terpineol-4 and α-pinene were the main constituents of the essential oil of C. ladanifer, while in the essential oil of C. libanotis we obtained terpineol-4, γ-terpinene, camphene, sabinene, α-terpinene and α-pinene. The antioxidant potential of various extracts (water, ethanol, ethanol: water (50:50), methanol, methanol: water (50:50), acetonitrile) and essential oils of C. ladanifer and C. libanotis were carried out by the method of 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylhydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined. The result show that C. ladanifer of the leaves of methanol: water (50:50) extract had the highest value of total phenolic content and the lowest was present in ethanol: water (50:50) extract of the stem and acetonitrile extract of the flowers of C. libanotis. From our experimental results, the extract of flowers, fruit, stem and leaves of those plants showed highest potential as free radical scavengers.Keywords: Antioxidant, phenolics, flavonoids, essential oil, extracts, gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC–MS).African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(34), pp. 5314-532

An investigation into the design of a device to treat haemorrhagic stroke

In this study, we present the design considerations of a device to assist in the potential treatment of hemorrhagic stroke with the aim of stopping blood from flowing out into brain tissue. We present and model three designs for the clinical scenarios when saccular aneurysms rupture in the middle cerebral artery in the brain. We evaluate and model these three designs using computer aided design software, SolidWorks, which allows the devices to be tested using finite element analysis and also enables us to justify that the materials chosen were suitable for potential use. Computational fluid dynamics modelling were used to demonstrate and analyse the flow of blood through the artery under conditions of normal and ruptured states. We conclude that our device could potentially be useful in the treatment of hemorrhagic stroke, and the modelling process is useful in assisting in determining the performance of our devices

In-Line Microwave Nondestructive Evaluation of Packaged Food Products via the Support Vector Machine Algorithm

This paper presents a novel approach based on electromagnetic waves (EM) to classify food packages that hold water as one of the main ingredients from the inside into contaminated or uncontaminated products. A non-destructive technique that can handle a real-time food production line is proposed to achieve this goal. This technique combines the operation of a microwave sensing system (MW) with a machine learning (ML) classifier. An accuracy of 100% has been obtained from training the aforementioned ML tool on a dataset constructed from the retrieved scattering parameters of about 500 measuring samples

Contribution à la dépollution d’un rejet textile par adsorption sur un coagulant à base du mélange fer/aluminium préparé par électrocoagulation

L’industrie textile consomme une grande quantité d’eau, générant ainsi des rejets liquides à charge élevée en divers types de polluants. Ces derniers produisent des effets nocifs sur l’environnement. Ce travail s’intéresse à la dépollution d’un rejet d’une industrie textile, par addition d’un coagulant synthétique à base de fer et d’aluminium, préparé par le procédé d’électrocoagulation. Les résultats ont montré que le traitement de ce rejet par ce coagulant, a permis d’atteindre un rendement d’élimination des matières colorantes de 83.37% en terme de demande chimique en oxygène (DCO).Mots clés: traitement, hydroxyde, coagulation, demande chimique en oxygèn

Contribution à la dépollution des eaux usées de textile par électrocoagulation et par adsorption sur des composés à base de fer et d’aluminium

Les ressources hydriques au monde sont rares et la demande en eau connaît une croissance continue en liaison avec l’évolution démographique et les activités consommatrices en eau, notamment les industries de textiles se voient dans l’obligation de recycler les eaux résiduaires et en particulier celles colorées. Dans ce travail, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’étude de l’élimination des matières organiques et colorantes de deux rejets provenant des industries de textile, un de teinture du tissu de polyester à pH acide et l’autre de teinture du tissu de coton à pH basique. Ces rejets ont été traités de deux manières. La première est par électrocoagulation en utilisant des plaques de fer et/ou d’aluminium. La deuxième est par adsorption sur des composés synthétiques à base de fer et d’aluminium préparés par électrocoagulation. Dans le cas du traitement par le procédé d’électrocoagulation, nous avons constaté que le rendement d’élimination en demande chimique en oxygène (DCO) du rejet de polyester atteint un rendement de DCO de 60% pour un temps de 7 min de réaction. Pour le rejet de coton, le rendement d’élimination, par les plaques de fer/aluminium et l’élimination des matières colorantes, atteint une valeur de 45% en terme de DCO, et ceci en utilisant des plaques d’aluminium seul et de fer/aluminium pour un temps de 12 et 15 min respectivement. Dans le cas du traitement par ajout des coagulants synthétiques préparés au laboratoire, nous pouvons observer que le meilleur rendement d’élimination en DCO du rejet de polyester est obtenu pour une valeur de 48%, pour la faible granulométrie avec une concentration de 5 g/l du composé à base de fer /aluminium. Le rendement d’élimination en DCO du rejet de coton augmente jusqu'à une valeur de 60% avec une concentration de 5 g/l de coagulants appliqués à base d’aluminium seul. Les résultats de la dépollution de ces rejets, ont montré que le rendement d'élimination des matières organiques et colorantes par le procédé d'électrocoagulation est important, et la durée de traitement est courte, mais l'inconvénient de ce procédé c'est la saleté des plaques après chaque utilisation et la fabrication d'une grande quantité des boues par rapport à l’adsorption sur des composés à base de fer /aluminium où on utilise des poudres peu solubles et stables avec un bon rendement d’élimination et faibles quantités de fer et d'aluminium dans le surnageant traité.Keywords: Colorant textile, électrocoagulation, adsorption, dépollution, fer, aluminiu

Seasonal Variation (Winter vs. Summer) Crustacean Fauna of the Oualidia Lagoon, Morocco

The Oualidia lagoon on the Atlantic coast of Morocco provides important ecosystem services such as aquaculture, fisheries, tourism and high ecological and biological productivity. This is the first study to describe the spatio-temporal distribution of the crustacean community and potential controlling factors in the coastal waters of the Oualidia lagoon. Crustaceans were sampled with a Van Veen grab during two surveys in winter and summer 2013, and taxonomic composition and diversity were determined at 43 sampling sites. Of the eighteen crustacean taxa recorded, fifteen were new to Oualidia Lagoon. Sphaeroma serratum was the most abundant species in both seasons. Organic matter and chlorophyll a content were higher, temperature and salinity were lower in winter than in summer. The structure of the crustacean assemblages was characterised by the formation of two main clusters, organised according to a downstream gradient. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that granulometry, organic matter and salinity strongly influenced the distribution pattern of crustaceans in the lagoon