Étude de l'effet du compost des déchets ménagers sur l’amélioration du rendement de Maïs et de la Laitue

La valorisation agronomique des ordures ménagères par compostage constitue la filière la plus prometteuse par comparaison avec d’autres voies d’élimination comme l’incinération. En effet, les composts  constituent de bons engrais qui permettent une augmentation des récoltes des plantes cultivées, et améliorent les propriétés physicochimiques du sol. Dans cette optique, le présent travail a pour objectif de déterminer la valeur agronomique du compost, issu d’un dispositif de fermentation installé à la faculté des sciences de Kénitra, sur deux cultures maraîchères : maïs et laitue. Le compost mur obtenu après une phase de fermentation aérobique de 6 mois est caractérisé par une humidité comprise entre 30 et 50 %, un pH de 7.8, un rapport C/N égale à 10, et une absence totale des germes indicateurs de contamination fécale : coliformes fécaux et streptocoques fécaux. Les tests agronomiques, montrent que la teneur satisfaisante en éléments nutritifs fait du compost final un amendement organique intéressant. En effet, l’amélioration des rendements des deux cultures : laitue et maïs est proportionnellement liées à la dose du compost. L’incorporation d’une dose de 75 % s’avère satisfaisante pour atteindre le meilleur rendement.Mots-clés : compost, déchets ménagers, valorisation agronomique, cultures maraichères, Kénitra, Maroc

Impact of super absorbent polymers on early age behavior of ultra-high performance concrete walls

Early age cracking, a common problem for Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), is caused by Autogenous Shrinkage (AS) and self-desiccation arising from the chemical shrinkage during the cement hydration reactions when the deformation is restrained. However, to avoid the crack development initiated by AS, several solutions can be adopted; one example is the addition of a promising material, considered as an internal curing agent, the Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) which limits the capillary depressions that can enhance the formation of the crack. In this study the main goal is to mitigate the shrinkage using SAPs in infrastructure under severe conditions. Therefore, a demonstrator wall was built simulating a typical case with high risk of cracking. With the help of fiber optic SOFO sensors embedded in the wall, real-time deformations are recorded and compared the demountable mechanical strain gauges (DEMEC) measurements to further investigate the behavior of SAPs in real scale infrastructure. The amount of extra water (in SAP) needed to mitigate shrinkage was determined by performing chemical shrinkage tests on different cement paste combinations. Tests of autogenous shrinkage were performed on mortars using corrugated tubes and showed that SAPs reduce to some extent the AS. Under restrained conditions via ring tests, SAP specimens did not crack. Therefore, SAPs were found promising towards mitigating the shrinkage and enhancing the early age behavior of concrete for a better durability

QUINOXALINE DERIVATIVES AS EFFICIENT CORROSION INHIBITORS FOR STEEL IN ACIDIC MEDIA: BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY

This review summarizes the most works undertaken on corrosion protection using quinoxaline compounds. also known as benzopyrazines. Their inhibitive performance towards the corrosion of mild steel in acid solutions was widely studied using different techniques as weight loss measurements, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and supported by surface analysis and theoretical approaches (DFT, Dynamic simulation …). Scopus database gives more than 70 papers leading to select the five most cited and also the most published authors. In this way, VOSviewer used to conduct a bibliometric study to draw quantitative analysis, and statistical results of the screened academic documents were obtained.  The presence of heteroatoms (N, O, S, P …), aromatic rings and double/triple bonds facilitates the understanding of the adsorption phenomena on the metal surface to create a barrier (physical and/or chemical) to retard the ingress of aggressive ions (H+) and dissolved oxygen, thus inhibiting the corrosion process

Investigation of the Hydrochemistry Quality of the Ouichane Groundwater (Morocco) Using Multivariate Statistical Methods and Diagram Analysis

Water pollution from mining is a major environmental concern with wide-ranging effects on ecosystems, human health, and communities. The study analyzed the hydrochemistry of the Ouichane groundwater near an abandoned iron mine in Morocco, evaluating its suitability for domestic and irrigation purposes and identifying factors that influence its chemistry. Fifteen sampling points were used, and standard techniques were employed to evaluate the water's physical and chemical attributes. Multivariate Statistical Methods were used to examine the relationships between different water parameters and samples. Additionally, Piper's, Schoeler's, and Wilcox's diagrams were employed to determine hydro-chemical classifications and assess the water quality. The study found three separate hydrochemical groups with two facies types: calcium-sulfate-type for all sources and sodium-sulfate-type for all wells attributed to the underlying geology and mining pollution. According to the Wilcox diagram, these waters are too overloaded with ions and classified from permissible to unsuitable; these waters are mineralized and may be suitable for irrigation of certain salt-tolerant species. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the hydrochemistry of the Ouichane aquifer. They will guide the development of strategies for water treatment, conservation, and protection, ensuring a clean and safe water supply for the Ouichane region's growing population while preserving the aquifer's long-term sustainability

In Silico Investigation of Aristolochia longa Anticancer Potential against the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in the Tyrosine Kinase Domain

This study employed in silico methods to identify potential therapeutic targets for the inactive EGFR tyrosine kinase domain in complex with Erlotinib (PDB: 4HJO) which is known to cause cancer, using natural extracts from Aristolochia longa root. A library comprising five natural compounds (Luteolin, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, Kaempferol, ferulic acid, citric acid, and quinic acid) and the standard Erlotinib (control) were subjected to Lipinski's rule of five, ADMET parameter analyses, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Results revealed comparable pharmacological responses between the five compounds and the standard drug, demonstrating promising outcomes without limitations. Notably, Luteolin, Kaempferol, and quinic acid exhibited higher binding energies than the reference molecule, with binding affinities of -9.083 kcal/mol, -8.260 kcal/mol, and -5.857 kcal/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the most effective EGFR protein-ligand, displaying consistent interaction profiles, favorable molecular properties, and a stable trajectory (RMSD, RMSF). Overall, these in silico analyses highlight the potential of aromatic and medicinal plant-derived compounds to inhibit EGFR protein associated with cancer development, emphasizing the need for further in vitro and in vivo investigations to explore their therapeutic applications in cancer patients

Numerical Investigation of the Size Effects on the Creep Damage Coupling

AbstractThe service-life of concrete structures depends on the delayed strains that appear due to creep phenomenon. Few are the studies that treated the effect of the dimensions of concrete specimens on the amplitude and the kinetics of creep and the results show many contradictions. Thus, to design reliable civil engineering structures, the knowledge of the behaviour of concrete under a sustained load including size effect is necessary and performing calculations are needed. In this paper, the physical mechanisms behind the size effect on creep rate are evaluated at the mesoscopic scale. The material volume is modeled, by a Digital Concrete model which takes into account the microstructure heterogeneities and the “real” aggregate size of concrete. Calculations are performed in 2D by considering a viscoelastic damage behaviour law for the matrix and an elastic behavior for aggregates. The numerical results show that size effect is well reproduced by the meso-scale approach. The stresses under a sustained load are induced by strain incompatibilities between the components at the mesoscale. Accordingly, the evolution of the microcracked zone with the size of the bending specimens can be related to the creep rate

Investigating the Biological Activities of Moroccan Cannabis Sativa L Seed Extracts: Antimicrobial, Anti-inflammatory, and Antioxidant Effects with Molecular Docking Analysis

The present study focuses on assessing the bioactive potential of Cannabis sativa L. seed extracts, specifically the organic and aqueous extracts derived from Ketama hemp seeds harvested in Morocco. We tested the antioxidant capacities of the extracts, specifically their ability to scavenge DPPH free radicals. The ethanolic Cannabis sativa L. seed extract was particularly effective, demonstrating the lowest IC50 value of 0.36mg/mL±0.01, outperforming the reference compound ascorbic acid, which had an IC50 value of 0.68mg/mL±0.02. This suggests a significantly high antioxidant potential of the ethanolic extract against the DPPH radical. The β-carotene bleaching test further supported these findings, with the ethanolic and hexanolic extracts showing substantial antioxidant activity, inhibiting the coupled oxidation of linoleic acid and β-carotene by 36%±0.12 and 33%±0.14, respectively. We also assessed the antimicrobial potency of the seed extracts using the Muller-Hinton Agar well diffusion method. The ethanolic extract demonstrated the highest inhibition zone diameter (IZ = 23 mm) against Penicillium sp., whereas the hexane extract had the smallest IZ (07 mm) against Listeria monocytogenes. Microdilution method in a 96-well microplate was employed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the extracts. All extracts showed inhibitory effects against all tested bacterial and fungal strains, with MIC, MBC, and MFC values ranging from 0.03 to 1.25 mg/mL. Lastly, the anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was tested using the RBC method. The findings indicated that all extracts significantly inhibited heat/hypotonia-induced erythrocyte haemolysis, further exploring their potential therapeutic value