Development of a life-cycle assessment tool for flexible pavement in-place recycling techniques and conventional methods

The worldwide interest in using recycled materials in flexible pavements as an alternative to virgin materials has increased significantly over the past few decades. Therefore, recycling has been utilized in the pavement maintenance and rehabilitation activities. Three types of in-place recycling technologies have been introduced since the late 70’s: hot-in-place recycling (HIR), cold-in-place recycling (CIR), and full-depth reclamation (FDR). The use of in-place recycling (IPR) have been evolving using new equipment trains, mix design specifications, and use of additives (e.g., engineered emulsion, lime, and cement). The advantages of using these evolving techniques include conservation of virgin materials, reduction of energy use and environmental impacts, reduction of construction time and traffic flow disruptions, reduction of number of hauling trucks, and improvement of pavement condition. The main objectives of this thesis are to develop a framework and a life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate maintenance and rehabilitation treatments, specifically in-place recycling and conventional paving methods; provide a fuel usage analysis of in-place recycling techniques during the construction stage; and develop a LCA tool utilizing Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to help local and state highway agencies to evaluate environmental benefits and tradeoffs of in-place recycling techniques as compared to conventional rehabilitation methods at each life-cycle stage from the material extraction and production to the end of life. The ultimate outcome of this study is the development of a framework and a user-friendly LCA tool assesses the environmental impact of a wide range of pavement treatments, including in-place recycling, conventional methods, and surface treatments. The tool utilizes data, simulation, and models through all the stages of the IPR stages for the pavement LCA, including materials, construction, maintenance/rehabilitation, use, and end of life stages. The developed tool provides pavement industry practitioners, consultants and agencies the opportunity to complement their projects economic and social assessment with the environmental impacts quantification. In addition, the tool presents the main factors that impact produced emissions and energy consumed at every stage of the pavement life cycle due to pavement treatment. The tool provides detailed information such as fuel usage analysis of in-place recycling techniques based on field data. It shows that fuel usage is affected by pavement hardness, pavement width, air temperature, and horsepower of the equipment used

L’impact de la gestion du risque opérationnel sur la performance des établissements de crédit marocains

While searching for sustainable value creation, banking entities have to conceive and implement performance-driven strategies. Therefore, banks have to make a double effort in seeking performance and risk managing. This work is done upstream of the managerial process, on an ongoing basis and downstream of this process. Upstream, risk management is a major determinant of operational strategies. On an ongoing basis, risk management is a permanent work that aims to indentify and correct gaps. Finally, and downstream, risk management is regarded as a performance in itself as to respecting the prudential norms and regulation. Therefore, there’s a tight dependence between performance and risk management. In order to analyse this relationship, we applied the econometrical model of panel ARDL. At the end of this work, it has been demonstrated that there is a dependency relationship between these two variables. This latter is mainely about operational risk and performance, hence the importance for banking entities to combine between the prudential approach and the operational one while designing their strategies.   JEL Classification : G21, G28, G32 Paper Type : Empirical ResearchLa recherche de la création de valeur d’une manière durable impose aux établissements de crédit la conception et la mise en œuvre des stratégies orientées performance. Cet exercice exige la conciliation entre la recherche de la performance et la gestion du risque. Ce travail de gestion des risques est situé en amont, en permanence, et en aval du processus managérial bancaire. En amont, la gestion des risques se présente comme un déterminant des stratégies opérationnelles. Tout au long du processus, la gestion du risque est considérée comme un travail permanent, ayant pour objectif d’identifier les écarts et de les corriger. En aval, la gestion des risques est considérée comme une logique de performance en termes de respect des normes prudentielles. Il ressort de cet exercice une logique de dépendance entre la performance et la gestion du risque. Afin d’analyser cette relation, on a eu recours à l’application du modèle ARDL en panel. A l’issue de ce travail, il a été démontré qu’il existe effectivement une relation de dépendance entre ces deux variables. Cette relation de dépendance concerne principalement le risque opérationnel et la performance, d’où la nécessité pour les banques d’élaborer des stratégies combinant à la fois l’approche prudentielle et l’approche opérationnelle des risques bancaires.   Classification JEL : G21, G28, G32 Type de l’article : Recherche Empirique &nbsp

Le comportement des auditeurs et des audités internes face à la crise sanitaire : quel impact ?

En raison des mesures strictes prises par le gouvernement, telles que le contrôle de distanciation sociale, la restriction des déplacements et bien d’autres mesures. La Fonction d’audit interne a suspendu une partie de ses activités pour certaines organisations en période du confinement. Ainsi, le ralentissement du processus d’audit interne a entrainé des changements de paradigmes pour pouvoir freiner l’impact négatif qui en découle. Les Comités d’audit interne ainsi que tous les responsables étaient amené à élaborer des ajustements de leurs plans d’AI pour être en phase avec ces changements, tout en s’alignant aux exigences réglementaires et respecter les normes de bonne pratique de la fonction. La présente contribution a pour objet d’évaluer l’impact de la crise sanitaire sur le comportement des auditeurs et des audités internes et de recenser à partir d’un échantillon de vingt individus, en adoptant une approche qualitative, les actions correctives entreprises par les organisations en termes de soutien de la FAI qui est au carrefour de la maitrise des risques organisationnels pour une continuité normale de son activité en cette période critique. &nbsp

Idiopathic encapsulating peritonitis revealed by an acute bowel occlusion in a young patient

La péritonite encapsulante est une péritonite chronique aboutissant à une membrane fibreuse épaisse, blanc nacré. C’est une affection rare dont la physiopathologie reste mal expliquée et le diagnostic est souvent porté en peropératoire ; elle peut être la cause d’une urgence chirurgicale, le caractère idiopathique est exceptionnel, retrouvé chez l’adolescent provenant des régions tropicales et subtropicales, jamais dans le Maghreb. Nous rapportons l’observation d’une jeune patiente marocaine de 18 ans, opérée pour une occlusion intestinale, chez qui le diagnostic d’une péritonite encapsulante a été posé en peropératoire.Encapsulating peritonitis is a chronic peritonitis leading to the constitution of a thick pearly-white fibrosis membrane. It is a rare affection, which physiopathology is poorly elucidated. Diagnosis is usually assessed during surgery; the idiopathic character is exceptional, occurring in teenagers coming from the tropical and subtropical countries, never in Maghreb. We report an unpublished case of an 18-year-old patient, admitted for bowel obstruction; diagnosis was made during surgery revealing an encapsulating peritonitis

Verneuil’s disease: case report (107 patients)

La maladie de Verneuil est une suppuration chronique fistulisante, sclérosante d’évolution cicatricielle. Son diagnostic est souvent méconnu et confondu avec une autre pathologie suppurative. Cette affection est caractérisée par une évolution longue, un traitement essentiellement chirurgical souvent en plusieurs temps avec un délai de cicatrisation long. C’est une maladie très invalidante au plan social et familial, pouvant entraîner un handicap réel pour le patient. À travers l’analyse de 107 observations de la maladie de Verneuil, nous avons étudié les caractéristiques épidémiologiques et cliniques de cette pathologie.Verneuil's disease is a chronic suppuration fistulizing, sclerosing and scarring. Its diagnosis is often misunderstood and therefore wrongly taken for another fistulizing disease. Verneuil's disease is characterized by its long evolution; treatment is mainly surgical sometimes requiring several operations, and a long healing time. This very invalidating disease may cause real handicap for the patient along with a familial and social impact. Through the analysis of 107 cases of Verneuil's disease, we studied the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of this disease

Effects of Once-Weekly Exenatide on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular effects of adding once-weekly treatment with exenatide to usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes are unknown. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with type 2 diabetes, with or without previous cardiovascular disease, to receive subcutaneous injections of extended-release exenatide at a dose of 2 mg or matching placebo once weekly. The primary composite outcome was the first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The coprimary hypotheses were that exenatide, administered once weekly, would be noninferior to placebo with respect to safety and superior to placebo with respect to efficacy. RESULTS: In all, 14,752 patients (of whom 10,782 [73.1%] had previous cardiovascular disease) were followed for a median of 3.2 years (interquartile range, 2.2 to 4.4). A primary composite outcome event occurred in 839 of 7356 patients (11.4%; 3.7 events per 100 person-years) in the exenatide group and in 905 of 7396 patients (12.2%; 4.0 events per 100 person-years) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 1.00), with the intention-to-treat analysis indicating that exenatide, administered once weekly, was noninferior to placebo with respect to safety (P<0.001 for noninferiority) but was not superior to placebo with respect to efficacy (P=0.06 for superiority). The rates of death from cardiovascular causes, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal or nonfatal stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, and hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, and the incidence of acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2 diabetes with or without previous cardiovascular disease, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events did not differ significantly between patients who received exenatide and those who received placebo. (Funded by Amylin Pharmaceuticals; EXSCEL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01144338 .)

Evaluation of water sensitivity and the impact of thermal cycles on asphalt mixtures with different aggregates and hydrated lime as additive: Experimental study

This experimental study aims to assess the water sensitivity and fracture toughness of asphalt Mixtures subjected to thermal cycling, using different types of aggregates and incorporating hydrated lime as an additive. To achieve this, two types of aggregates were used: limestone and schist aggregates, each with distinct characteristics. These aggregates were mixed with pure grade 35–50 bitumen to create two asphalt Mixtures. In addition, 2 % hydrated lime was added to both Mixtures as a filler to assess its impact on asphalt mixture properties.The water sensitivity of the asphalt Mixtures was assessed using the water resistance test, in accordance with NM EN 12697-12, method B. A total of 40 samples were tested, divided into ''dry specimens'' and ''humid specimens''. The former were kept under controlled conditions (temperature 18 °C and 50 % humidity) for 7 days, while the latter were subjected to a water saturation process beforehand, then kept immersed in water at a temperature of 18 °C for the same period. Water resistance was calculated by comparing the compressive strength of the two types of specimens.To evaluate the specimens' fracture toughness, the Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) test was employed. Cracks were introduced into the center of each semicircular specimen to measure their resistance to crack propagation. This test was carried out after the samples had been subjected to a water-saturated degassing process and the application of thermal cycles.Thermal cycles were applied using temperatures based on Moroccan climatic conditions to simulate actual road conditions. Three conditioning methods were used: freeze-thaw cycles (-5–20 °C), heating-cooling cycles (20–40 °C) and a combination of both. SCB samples were tested at a temperature of 20 °C after a number of thermal cycles, ranging from 15 to 120. A total of 160 SCB samples were tested for resistance to temperature-induced cracking.The results showed that asphalt Mixtures based on schist were generally more sensitive to thermal cycling than those based on limestone. However, the inclusion of hydrated lime as an additive has proved to be beneficial for both types of asphalt mixtures, particularly for those based on schist by attenuating the decrease in their strength and sensitivity to water. The primary goal is to enhance the durability of Moroccan roads while minimizing maintenance costs

L’audit interne des partenariats public-privé au Maroc : difficultés et solutions

Les partenariats public-privé (PPP) fondés sur le financement privé, sont populaires dans le monde entier, avec un regain d'intérêt au Maroc, leur performance reste contestée et leur contrôle et audit représente quelques difficultés. Nommés également 3P ils substituent à la sous- traitance et l’externalisation. Cet article explore la signification des PPP, le cadre juridique qui assoie leur application ainsi que les difficultés envisagées par les auditeurs internes pour assurer l’audit des PPP, en termes de délai, d’attentes des parlementaires et du public, de la taille et l’envergure des projets tout en proposant des solutions à adopter pour pallier aux problèmes rencontrés

Évaluation de la Transparence budgétaire au Maroc : Une Analyse au Prisme du Cadre PEFA (Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability)

&lt;p&gt;La transparence budgétaire est essentielle pour renforcer la gestion des finances publiques au Maroc. Au cours de la dernière décennie, le pays a pris diverses mesures pour promouvoir la transparence budgétaire, en mettant l'accent sur la Loi Organique de la Loi des Finances (LOF).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cet article analyse ces mesures, en se concentrant sur la LOF, qui accorde une importance particulière à la transparence. Nous utilisons les résultats de l'évaluation PEFA-Maroc en 2016 pour évaluer l'état actuel de la transparence budgétaire. De plus, nous simulons une évaluation prédictive pour 2022, en nous focalisant sur la "transparence des finances publiques" et en intégrant les nouvelles dispositions de la LOF.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;La comparaison entre les évaluations de 2016 et 2022 montre une tendance globalement positive en matière de transparence des finances publiques, bien que des progrès inégaux subsistent dans certaines sous-composantes. Toutefois, certaines lacunes persistent, notamment en ce qui concerne la qualité de la documentation budgétaire et le mécanisme de transfert de fonds aux collectivités territoriales.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ces résultats soulignent l'importance de continuer à renforcer la transparence budgétaire au Maroc, en mettant l'accent sur la résolution des lacunes identifiées pour une gestion financière publique plus efficace et responsable.&lt;/p&gt