Detection of Adulteration in Argan Oil by Using an Electronic Nose and a Voltammetric Electronic Tongue

Adulteration detection of argan oil is one of the main aspects of its quality control. Following recent fraud scandals, it is mandatory to ensure product quality and customer protection. The aim of this study is to detect the percentages of adulteration of argan oil with sunflower oil by using the combination of a voltammetric e-tongue and an e-nose based on metal oxide semiconductor sensors and pattern recognition techniques. Data analysis is performed by three pattern recognition methods: principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant factor analysis (DFA), and support vector machines (SVMs). Excellent results were obtained in the differentiation between unadulterated and adulterated argan oil with sunflower one. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to demonstrate whether the combined e-nose and e-tongue technologies could be successfully applied to the detection of adulteration of argan oil

Internet and medical student in Marrakech

No Abstract

Which approach is best for subungual glomus tumors? Transungual with microsurgical dissection of the nail bed or periungual?

Glomus tumors are rare, accounting for 1% to 5% of all hand tumors. The treatment of subungual glomus tumors consists of complete surgical excision, either by the periungual or transungual approach. Tumor recurrence and nail dystrophy are the main complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome as a function of the surgical approach used-transungual or periungual. Fifty-three patients presenting with a subungual glomus tumor underwent surgical excision through the periungual approach if the tumor was peripheral, or the transungual approach if the tumor was centrally located. These patients were followed for an average of 2. years. Pain relief was always obtained the day following surgery. Wound healing was achieved on average after 2. weeks with the periungual approach and 5. weeks with the transungual approach. Other than some longitudinal striations in 10 patients (18.9%) who had been operated through the transungual approach, there were no complications or tumor recurrence. We recommend a periungual approach for a peripheral tumor and a transungual approach for a central tumor. The latter approach, which carries some risks of nail-related sequelae-always minor in our experience-allows for better exposure if the tumor is centrally located.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Internet and medical student in Marrakech

Background: The implementation of ICT in the academic curriculum is a part of the e-reform of the undergraduate education currently ongoing at the Moroccan medical school. In order to evaluate the efficiency of such reform, the authors have conducted a survey at the Marrakech school of medicine including 200 students. Materials and Methods: A comparison between the third year medical students and sixth year medical students was performed in our university Hospital. Results: The majority of the students have a personal computer and internet access. Our study shows no significant differences between third year medical students and sixth year medical students. In both students′ groups the level of internet and computer access, the internet skills, the opinions on internet use and ICT implementation and the difficulties encountered when using internet for medical purpose were similar. This can be explained by the lack of no implementation of ICT in our university. Conclusion: The learning process is still based on traditional methods. Educational authorities have to train students to improve their internet skills.Arrière-plan: La mise en oeuvre des TIC dans le cursus universitaire est une partie de la e-réforme de l’éducation prédoctorale actuellement en cours à la faculté de médecine marocaine. Afin d’évaluer l’efficacité de cette réforme, les auteurs ont mené une enquête à l’école de Marrakech, de la médecine, y compris les 200 étudiants. Matériel et méthodes: Une comparaison entre la troisième année les étudiants en médecine et de la sixième année les étudiants en médecine a été effectuée dans notre université Hospital. Résultats: La majorité des étudiants ont un ordinateur personnel et l’internet accès. Notre étude ne montre aucune différence significative entre la troisième année les étudiants en médecine et sixième année les étudiants en médecine. Dans les deux étudiants groupes au niveau de l’accès internet et l’ordinateur, des compétences de l’internet, les avis sur l’utilisation d’internet et de la mise en oeuvre des TIC et les difficultés rencontrées lors de l’utilisation d’internet à des fins médicales. Cela peut s’expliquer par l’absence d’aucune mise en oeuvre des TIC dans notre université. Conclusion: Le processus d’apprentissage est toujours basées sur des méthodes traditionnelles. Les autorités éducatives ont former les élèves à améliorer leurs compétences internet

Internet and medical student in Marrakech

Background: The implementation of ICT in the academic curriculum is a part of the e-reform of the undergraduate education currently ongoing at the Moroccan medical school. In order to evaluate the efficiency of such reform, the authors have conducted a survey at the Marrakech school of medicine including 200 students. Materials and Methods: A comparison between the third year medical students and sixth year medical students was performed in our university Hospital. Results: The majority of the students have a personal computer and internet access. Our study shows no significant differences between third year medical students and sixth year medical students. In both students\u2032 groups the level of internet and computer access, the internet skills, the opinions on internet use and ICT implementation and the difficulties encountered when using internet for medical purpose were similar. This can be explained by the lack of no implementation of ICT in our university. Conclusion: The learning process is still based on traditional methods. Educational authorities have to train students to improve their internet skills.Arri\ue8re-plan: La mise en oeuvre des TIC dans le cursus universitaire est une partie de la e-r\ue9forme de l\u2019\ue9ducation pr\ue9doctorale actuellement en cours \ue0 la facult\ue9 de m\ue9decine marocaine. Afin d\u2019\ue9valuer l\u2019efficacit\ue9 de cette r\ue9forme, les auteurs ont men\ue9 une enqu\ueate \ue0 l\u2019\ue9cole de Marrakech, de la m\ue9decine, y compris les 200 \ue9tudiants. Mat\ue9riel et m\ue9thodes: Une comparaison entre la troisi\ue8me ann\ue9e les \ue9tudiants en m\ue9decine et de la sixi\ue8me ann\ue9e les \ue9tudiants en m\ue9decine a \ue9t\ue9 effectu\ue9e dans notre universit\ue9 Hospital. R\ue9sultats: La majorit\ue9 des \ue9tudiants ont un ordinateur personnel et l\u2019internet acc\ue8s. Notre \ue9tude ne montre aucune diff\ue9rence significative entre la troisi\ue8me ann\ue9e les \ue9tudiants en m\ue9decine et sixi\ue8me ann\ue9e les \ue9tudiants en m\ue9decine. Dans les deux \ue9tudiants groupes au niveau de l\u2019acc\ue8s internet et l\u2019ordinateur, des comp\ue9tences de l\u2019internet, les avis sur l\u2019utilisation d\u2019internet et de la mise en oeuvre des TIC et les difficult\ue9s rencontr\ue9es lors de l\u2019utilisation d\u2019internet \ue0 des fins m\ue9dicales. Cela peut s\u2019expliquer par l\u2019absence d\u2019aucune mise en oeuvre des TIC dans notre universit\ue9. Conclusion: Le processus d\u2019apprentissage est toujours bas\ue9es sur des m\ue9thodes traditionnelles. Les autorit\ue9s \ue9ducatives ont former les \ue9l\ue8ves \ue0 am\ue9liorer leurs comp\ue9tences internet

Formaldehyde detection with chemical gas sensors based on WO3 nanowires decorated with metal nanoparticles under dark conditions and UV light irradiation

We report results of formaldehyde gas (CH2O) detection under dark conditions and UV light irradiation with pristine tungsten trioxide nanowires (WO3 NWs) and metal nanoparticles decorated WO3 NWs gas sensing layers. The resistive layers were deposited by one step aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) on commercial alumina substrates with 10-pair interdigitated platinum electrodes. The elaborated gas sensors, based on pristine WO3 and on WO3 decorated with Au, Pt, Au/Pt, Ni and Fe nanoparticles, were investigated towards three concentrations of formaldehyde gas (5, 10 and 15 ppm) under dark conditions and under UV light irradiation at the wavelength of 394 nm. Two main effects were observed: firstly, under UV light irradiation the response time for CH2O desorption was significantly reduced with the exception of the nanomaterial with Fe NPs dopant; secondly, the gas induced baseline shift was reduced under UV light irradiation conditions. These results can be explained by the additional energy induced by the UV light, accelerating the adsorption-desorption processes. The results obtained confirmed that both the decoration of WO3 NWs with selected metal nano particles as well as sensors operation under UV light irradiation are a practical and affordable way to enhance gas sensing towards formaldehyde detection, although both strategies applied together did not introduce an amplified synergetic effect

Evaluation of the GPM-IMERG Precipitation Product for Flood Modeling in a Semi-Arid Mountainous Basin in Morocco

International audienceA new precipitation dataset is provided since 2014 by the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite constellation measurements combined in the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) algorithm. This recent GPM-IMERG dataset provides potentially useful precipitation data for regions with a low density of rain gauges. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of the near real-time product (IMERG-E) compared to observed rainfall and its suitability for hydrological modeling over a mountainous watershed in Morocco, the Ghdat located upstream the city of Marrakech. Several statistical indices have been computed and a hydrological model has been driven with IMERG-E rainfall to estimate its suitability to simulate floods during the period from 2011 to 2018. The following results were obtained: (1) Compared to the rain gauge data, satellite precipitation data overestimates rainfall amounts with a relative bias of +35.61% (2) In terms of the precipitation detection capability, the IMERG-E performs better at reproducing the different precipitation statistics at the catchment scale, rather than at the pixel scale (3) The flood events can be simulated with the hydrological model using both the observed and the IMERG-E satellite precipitation data with a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient of 0.58 and 0.71, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the GPM-IMERG-E precipitation estimates can be used for flood modeling in semi-arid regions such as Morocco and provide a valuable alternative to ground-based precipitation measurements

Assessment of Electronic Sensing Techniques for the Rapid Identification of Alveolar Echinococcosis through Exhaled Breath Analysis

Here we present a proof-of-concept study showing the potential of a chemical gas sensors system to identify the patients with alveolar echinococcosis disease through exhaled breath analysis. The sensors system employed comprised an array of three commercial gas sensors and a custom gas sensor based on WO3 nanowires doped with gold nanoparticles, optimized for the measurement of common breath volatile organic compounds. The measurement setup was designed for the concomitant measurement of both sensors DC resistance and AC fluctuations during breath samples exposure. Discriminant Function Analysis classification models were built with features extracted from sensors responses, and the discrimination of alveolar echinococcosis was estimated through bootstrap validation. The commercial sensor that detects gases such as alkane derivatives and ethanol, associated with lipid peroxidation and intestinal gut flora, provided the best classification (63.4% success rate, 66.3% sensitivity and 54.6% specificity) when sensors’ responses were individually analyzed, while the model built with the AC features extracted from the responses of the cross-reactive sensors array yielded 90.2% classification success rate, 93.6% sensitivity and 79.4% specificity. This result paves the way for the development of a noninvasive, easy to use, fast and inexpensive diagnostic test for alveolar echinococcosis diagnosis at an early stage, when curative treatment can be applied to the patients

Analysis of the Chemical Composition and Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Anticoagulant, and Antidiabetic Properties of <i>Pistacia lentiscus</i> from Boulemane as a Natural Nutraceutical Preservative

Pistacia lentiscus L. has traditionally been employed as a diuretic and stimulant in the treatment of hypertension. Our interest centered on analyzing the chemical profile of the plant’s leaves and its in vitro, in vivo, and in silico antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and antidiabetic effects in order to valorize this species and prepare new high-value products that can be used in the agro-food and pharmaceutical industries. When this species’ essential oil was hydrodistilled and subjected to GC-MS analysis, the results showed that the principal components were germacrene D (17.54%), spathulenol (17.38%), bicyclogermacrene (12.52%), and terpinen-4-ol (9.95%). The extraction of phenolic compounds was carried out by decoction and Soxhlet. The determination of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins of aqueous and organic extracts by spectrophotometric methods demonstrated the richness of this species in phenolic compounds. Chromatographic analysis by HPLC/UV-ESI-MS of the aqueous extract of P. lentiscus revealed the presence of 3,5-di-O-galloyl quinic acid, gallic acid, and 3,4,5-tri-O-galloyl quinic acid specific to this species. The study of antioxidant activity by three methods (DPPH, FRAP, and Total Antioxidant Capacity) revealed that P. lentiscus is a very promising source of natural antioxidants. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and aqueous extract (E0) was studied by microdilution on the microplate. The results revealed the effectiveness of the aqueous extract compared to the essential oil against Gram-negative bacteria (K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, E. aerogenes, E. cloacae, P. fluorescence, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., and Y. enterolitica) and candidoses (C. krusei and C. albicans). The measurements of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) of the aqueous extract (E0) can significantly prolong these tests from concentrations of 2.875 and 5.750 mg/mL, respectively. The antihyperglycemic effect of the aqueous extract (E0) showed a strong in vitro inhibitory activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase compared to acarbose. Thus, it significantly inhibited postprandial hyperglycemia in Wistar albino rats. The in-silico study of the major compounds of the essential oil and extract (E0) carried out using PASS, SwissADME, pkCSM, and molecular docking tools confirmed our in vitro and in vivo results. The studied compounds showed a strong ability to be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and to passively diffuse through the blood-brain barrier, a similarity to drugs, and water solubility. Molecular docking experiments deduced the probable mode of action of the identified compounds on their respective target proteins, such as NADPH oxidase, thrombin, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. Furthermore, given the demonstrated antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and antidiabetic effects, we can affirm the richness of P. lentiscus in bioactive molecules and its use in traditional medicine as a source of preservative agent