Alopecia has become a growing concern since it directly affects the quality of life of the patients. It can be stimulated by various factors including stress, lifestyle changes, genetic predisposition, and aging. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the lifestyle patterns of alopecia patients, to understand alopecia´s characteristics and treatment options, and finally to assess the factors affecting the willingness to undergo treatment. An observational crosssectional study was conducted targeting 171 alopecia patients in the Lebanese adult population in 2020. A survey was administered during face-to-face interviews to collect the study data. Almost half of the participants in this study were smokers and alcohol consumers. For the majority of participants, alopecia initiated between 20 and 40 years and was associated with family history. Moreover, the willingness to use hair loss treatment is higher with age and university graduates had 5.05 higher odds to use them compared to primary and intermediate levels. The existence of family history had 3.42 higher odds to use hair loss treatment. In conclusion, patients with alopecia had specific lifestyle patterns. Pharmacists were the main source of information for alopecia treatment. Therefore, empowering their role in providing the adequate support for the patients is essential.
The biological activity of the essential oils extracted from the leaves of Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis L. growing naturally (Honaine region, Algeria), and cultivated Rosmarinus tournefortii de Noé (Tlemcen region, Algeria) was tested under laboratory conditions against the chickpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) which causes losses in the field and during storage. The essential oils were tested at three different doses 1, 3, and 5 µL/30 g of seeds, on different biological parameters: adult mortality, female fecundity, and fertility of laid eggs. Results indicated that these essential oils exert varying toxicity levels on the adults of C. maculatus, with a decrease or even inhibition of the fecundity of the females and the fertility of the laid eggs at high doses. However, the essential oils of R. officinalis were more effective than that of R. tournefortii with LD50 of 2.97 and 4.74 µL/30 g of seeds and LT50 of 2.10 and 3.14 days, respectively. Thus, the chemical composition of the major toxic components in the two essential oils, like α-pinene, camphor, β-pinene, cineole, and borneol, extracted from the two national regions is essential to make use of these products as botanical insecticides.
This research aims at optimizing eggplant cultivation by comparing hydroponic fertigation recipes in coco-peat substrate with traditional soil cultivation. The first two groups of 36 plants each are fertilized according to the recipes recommended by two companies (A and B), treatments 1 and 2 respectively. The third is fertilized according to the conventional method in the soil adopted by farmers (group C). Company A applies standard fertilizer application protocol throughout the life of the plant with a stable pH and electro conductivity of 6 and 2.8 mS / cm respectively. Company B applies an upward fertilizer scheme during the plant's production cycle with a stable pH of 5.6, but an electro conductivity that varies from 2.1 mS / cm at the vegetative phase to 2.5 mS / cm from the appearance of the 1st fruit. Despite its high investment, the two hydroponic treatments T1 and T2 showed greater plant size (127 cm and 129 cm respectively at the 12th week), more fruits (15 fruits per plant each week, compared to 8 fruits per plant in the soil), and higher yield (average mass per plant reached a maximum value at the 11th week of 1.192 g for T1 and 1,189 g for T2 compared to 499 g for the soil). The difference in revenues shows a negligible financial advantage in favor of Company B. Adopting fertilization recipe of Company A or B is not a limiting factor at the financial level hence either one of the two formulations is adequate.
Universities need to operate a transition from the common ‘traditional’ settings towards an education that contributes to a sustainable social change by preparing students to be change agents who care for others and for the well-being of society. We designed an interpretative qualitative approach using the unique case study of a Jesuit University, based on interviews with leaders of and participants to volunteering initiatives driven by that university. The objective of the study was to identify the drivers of change of the outreach model in higher education and analyze if the Jesuit way of doing things, or Jesuit tradition, is an effective tool to drive the change in universities. Five key drivers of change were identified (communication, participation, sharing, empathy and reflexivity), all in line with the characteristics of the Jesuit tradition. Both empathy and reflexivity are drivers of change, which were not cited in previous works on change management and may be considered as the study’s added value to the conceptual framework. The results of this study need to be confirmed on a larger sample of participants and would be enriched by a benchmarking work on Jesuit-led outreach bodies.
The present study aims to isolate and identify bioactive phytocompounds derived from the crude methanolic extract, an effective extract of Erythrina senegalensis DC. (Fabaceae). The chloroform extract (selective extract of the crude methanol extract) was obtained by liquidliquid extraction, then tested for its protective activity in vivo against Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model. After showing a beneficial effect, this extract underwent chromatographic (open column, HPLC) and spectroscopic (NMR) analyzes in order to isolate and characterize the phytocompounds which would be at the origin of the observed biological activities. Thus, two phycompounds of the flavonoid class: osajin and cajaflavanone, were isolated for the first time from E. senegalensis from Côte d'Ivoire.
Cloud pricing models are essential in the context of the increasing availability of cloud service providers across the Internet and the willingness of users to use high-quality and affordable services. The double-sided combinatorial auction model has been used extensively due to its inherent characteristics. This paper presents a cost-effective pricing method that considers both the forward market and spot market. Moreover, resource requests are workflow or hybrid to support scalability and improve the number of federal cloud response requests. The evaluation results indicate more profit for both buyers and vendors simultaneously. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm reduces the waiting time and the number of pending demands, increasing users' satisfaction relative to cloud services.
This study is done in the framework of CLAIM project (Cleaning Litter by developing & Applying Innovative Methods in European seas). The objective is to advance the knowledge on the current status of marine plastic pollution in the Gulf of Gabes area of the Mediterranean Sea, by quantifying and qualifying the microplastics in water and biota samples. The results obtained show a high abundance of microplastics in all marine compartments studied with an average abundance of 1.16 items/m3 ± 0.83 SD in the water sample. This concentration is relatively high compared to those reported in other Mediterranean regions. Dominance in number of fragments over other shapes of microplastics was reported in all sites. Polyethylene was the main plastic polymer for water samples (73% of the items analyzed are Polyethylene). These data underscore that the Gulf of Gabes region is a hotspot for plastic pollution, and this calls urgently for precautionary measures. Concerning the ingestion of microplastics by marine organisms, one blue plastic particle of 0.13 mm was found in 20 tested fishes. In addition, ecotoxicological tests were run in order to verify whether 1-4 and 20-25 μm polyethylene beads are likely to trigger lethal and sub-lethal responses in marine planktonic crustaceans and the results show that microplastics were accumulated in crustaceans, and may affect mortality.
Mobile commerce is a worldwide innovation. However, in Lebanon, several factors are hindering its development. Therefore, our objective is to find the factors influencing the consumer’s attitude toward the use of mobile commerce and to create a research model reflecting our findings. This research revises the basic theories of technology adoption and studies conducted in m-commerce, e-commerce, and related fields. An exploratory study of deep interviews with 14 consumers and experts was held, and a content analysis by themes was performed to show the consistent variables for our conceptual framework. New derived variables, the situational factor and digital culture tend to moderate the relations between independent and dependent variables. Service availability, self-efficacy and social-influence significantly influence the consumer’s attitude toward the use of m-commerce, while cost is negatively affected. This study has both theoretical and managerial implications, it presents a new research model compared to prior studies in online service technologies, especially in mobile commerce. In addition, results provide online businesses with many trusted recommendations for their strategic plans based on analyzed and accurate data.
Studies are done on different crops worldwide to gather data allowing on one hand policy makers to implement food loss reduction strategies, and on the other hand researchers to calculate and monitor the food loss. This article identifies and quantifies the losses in the Lebanese apples at the cold storage level in Kesrwan-Mount Lebanon and recognises the main causes of those losses. A preliminary diagnosis based on key informant interviews was followed by assessing a sample of 29 Metric Tons (MT) of apples handled by 14 traders in three cold storage facilities. The sorted apples were assessed for the type of damage and its causes. The graded apples as assessed by traders were measured. A survey was also conducted with farmers, traders, and managers of cold storage facilities. The results identified the actors, the postharvest practices, three distinct postharvest systems and cost-profit values based on the usage of cold storage and the different marketing channels. Results showed that 5% of the stored apples were lost, only grade 1 (41%) and grade 2 (26%) could get a good price while the rest (28%) could hardly cover the cost of production. Hence, improving the production and postharvest systems would lead to higher quantities of good quality apples and meet high-end markets.
The pastoral sheep system in Algeria is organized on the sale, particularly to male over six months old, on the occasion of the religious festivities. For the sake of its wide emergence and enormous economic losses, Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) can put this type of animal production suffering and its sustainability may be in suspicion. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence ratio of CLA in Algeria (case of Ziban- East province). A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was undertaken (January 2021 to Mai 2021) on 33 randomly selected sheep farms conducted in extensive pastoral care. On the basis of clinical examination of 7265 sheep (1150 male and 6115 female), the farm level infection with CLA in the target area was estimated to be 87.88% [95% confidence interval (CI):71.8- 96.6 %]. The disease was significantly higher in males (7.22%) than in females (4.67%) (χ 2 test, P< 0.005). Moreover, sheep between 6 and 24 months old were significantly the more infected (14%) (F test, P< 0.01). We concluded that C. lymphadenitis infection is widely disseminated in sheep flocks in Ziban-East in Algeria and eradication programs are very necessary.
The present study was conducted in a sewage treatment plant, called "El Kouwaer", located in the department of Mascara, North-West of Algeria. Mainly, the objective of this investigation is to evaluate the relevant settling and pollution parameters and to assess the proliferation level of filamentous microbial communities during the dysfunction period to further the effectiveness of the operative treatment. Sludge parameter values were estimated such us Settling Test, Diluted Sludge Volume Index (DSVI), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) content to set up the sludge classification, the performance analysis of treatment was conducted by computing pollution indicators and removal efficiencies of organic pollution, as well as the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of dysfunction parameters. The results showed that in aeration tanks 65% of samples represented a maximum Filament Index (FI) of 6. Diluted Sludge Volume Index (DSVI) was greater than 300 mg/L in 23% of samples. A high level of filamentous bacteria biodiversity was also noted during the assessment of the (FI) including Microthrix parvicella, Bogiotae, and Sphaerotilus natans. The effluent in the biological unit was characterized by BOD5/COD ratio of 0.17 and COD removal efficiency of 53.32%. Those results demonstrated that the sewage treatment plant is frequently affected by bulking problems. This study had confirmed the importance of continuous monitoring of different process parameters like Wastewater Biodegradability Index, Dissolved Oxygen, filamentous flora, and Dilute Sludge Volume Index (DSVI) to avoid irreversible damage at the level of a wastewater treatment plant.
The Lebanese economy primarily relies on the service sector, and tourism is one of the most important economic service sectors in Lebanon, for it constitutes 20% of Lebanon’s national income. One particularly interesting aspect of tourism is rural tourism, which could represent a significant economic opportunity for Lebanon, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and amongst the Lebanese economic crisis. This article focuses on nine main factors that are believed to have an influence on the decision-making process of tourists visiting rural destination in Lebanon. These factors include tourist attraction, tourist transportation, accommodation, tourist entertainment, natural environment, hospitality environment, tourist information, marketing and safety and security. The aim of this study is to analyze the perception of Lebanese tourism stakeholders towards the mentioned nine factors that could affect the decisions of tourists, thereby aiding those stakeholders to create appropriate tourism strategies that match the needs of tourists more accurately. The main research question addressed is stated as follows: “What are the factors that have the most impact on the decision-making process of tourists visiting rural tourism destinations in Lebanon?” Tourism stakeholders targeted in this article include tourists visiting Lebanon, tour operators, the Lebanese government and local authorities such as municipalities, local residents of tourism destinations, the private sector, NGOs and others. As for the research methodology, a quantitative research approach based on a self-designed survey was applied. Primary data was collected from several rural Lebanese villages randomly selecting 354 respondents of varied profiles. These respondents were also interviewed face-to-face. Data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS 20.0; The Chi Square test (two-way contingency table) and a correlation analysis were used to analyze data and check the validity of the proposed hypotheses. Results of the study revealed that (i) transportation facilities, (ii) the natural environment, and (iii) the safety and security of a tourism destination were the most impactful factors that affected decisions of tourists. It is recommended that tourism stakeholders carefully study their target market in order to meet the corresponding tourism demands. Nevertheless, stakeholders such as the government should cooperate with other stakeholders and enroll them in tourism planning in order to optimize tourism capacity and achieve sustainable tourism development in the future. A future perspective of the subject could highlight foreign currency exchange rate and COVID-19 vaccination as additional factors that could have a remarkable impact on the decision-making process of tourists considering Lebanese rural tourism destinations.
This paper provides an overview of the curricula in translation programs at the undergraduate level in Lebanon and the need to update these curricula in alignment with the continuously evolving market. Globalization is very common in both the translation market and the educational sector, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has imposed the need to update these curricula and investigate to which extent the courses offered in some Lebanese universities equip students with what is needed in the changing translation ecosystem, taking into account the new competence-based training trends in the translation market. Surveys and interviews were conducted with students, teachers, and owners of translation companies to shed light on the obstacles novice translators face when they first embark on their professional journey. What does the market expect from novice translators? What is missing in translation curricula? And to what extent does this curriculum answer the needs of the translation changing market? It is found that there is a need for some Lebanese universities to reconsider their curricula, mainly focusing on technology and aligning curriculum content with market needs
In this paper, the mathematical modeling of a new bio-inspired evolutionary search algorithm called Ecological Systems Algorithm (ESA) is presented. ESA imitates ecological rules to find iteratively the optimum of a given function through interaction between predator and prey search species. ESA is then compared to the well-known Genetic Algorithm which is a powerful bio-inspired stochastic search/optimization algorithm used for decades. Simulation results of the two algorithms optimizing ten different benchmark functions are used to investigate and compare both algorithms based on their speed, performance, reliability, and efficiency.
The objective of our study is to compare the effect of agricultural soil preparation on the physicomechanical properties of the soil and the consequences on the root system of wheat. To achieve these goals, three technical tillage chains (chain 1: deep tillage, chain 2: agronomic tillage, chain 3: no-tillage), were compared in the same pedoclimatic and historical situations. The experiment was carried out on silty clay soil in the experimental station of the National Higher School of Agronomy (Algiers). The results show that the techniques affect soil’s proprieties and the root system differently. The agronomic tillage has the best favorable effect on soil humidity, Bulk density, and soil Penetration resistance (11,1%; 50%; 0.6 MPa) (p-value :0,0001). Concerning the roots, the density, the diameter, and length were better when the soil is deeply tilled, non-tilled, or agronomical tilled, respectively (CH1:3.37 g/dm³; CH3:1.38 mm; CH2:12.23 cm). Examining all the results of this study has shown how tillage is reflected in and contributes to the farmer's orientation towards the right choice to optimize and conserve soil and water at the same time. Thus, under this study's experimental conditions, the technical itinerary of tillage with agronomic ploughing seems to be an alternative to conventional ploughing. This method of tillage is easily feasible from a technical point of view. Besides, it can generate economic gains compared to ploughing. However, its impacts on the soil and crop yields need to be studied in the longer term.
Soil contamination by trace elements (TE) causes health and environmental risks. This work focused on arable lands of Central Bekaa of Lebanon, East Mediterranean. The spatial distribution of TEs in the cultivated soils was mapped. Results showed accumulation of Cr and Ni, in the soil-plant interface layer, exceeding the multifunctional land use (soil threshold I <50 and <40 mg kg-1 , respectively) and controlled land use (soil threshold II-100 mg kg-1 ). The index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) showed no hazards from Zn with moderate to strong contamination from Pb and moderate hazard from Ni, Cu, Cd and Cr. A cross sectional soil sampling from the Litani river to the eastern hill of Terbol showed accumulation of TEs at foot slopes and at river’s banks. Human activities within the plain contribute to further soil contamination with risk of pollutants transfer to food chain. Additional sampling of plant and corresponding soil in hot spots showed TE content in the plant leaves to be mostly within or slightly above the permissible values in wheat and potato. Considering the soil quality regarding chemical pollution is a necessary factor in land use planning for the elaboration of adapted to local soil conditions thresholds of TEs content in the soil for suitable land use, either in agriculture or alternative uses.
This paper presents a 3D non-linear numerical model, developed to predict the mechanical behaviour of simply supported steel-concrete composite beams under three-point bending stress. Using on Abaqus software a 3D model is created, which takes into account all the elements of the steel-concrete composite beam. The concrete slab, steel beam, and studs are modeled using solid elements, reinforcing bars are neglected. The geometrical and mechanical characteristics are based on beams tested in previous studies. The non-linear behaviour of steel-concrete materials is considered and the interaction between the different surfaces is taken into account. The deflection and slip results at the interface of slab and steel sections showed good agreement with experimental and analytical results. The maximum load value is close to that obtained by a plastic analysis of the composite section according to the Eurocode (1994) rules, with a relative deviation of 10%. Furthermore, the behaviour of increasing the reinforcing plate thickness on the composite beam gives an increase in maximum load and a decrease in the slip at the steel-concrete interface.
Several studies examined the factors associated with self-rated health (SRH), but few studied the relationship between cognitive decline and SRH. The aim of this study was to explore the association between cognitive decline and SRH of Lebanese older adults. This is a secondary analysis of data collected for a cross-sectional study conducted in 2013 to assess prevalence of dementia among a selected representative sample of community older adults aged 65 years and above living in two governorates, Beirut and Mount Lebanon. 419 older adults with no dementia who answered the SRH question and had data on cognitive decline were included in this study. Cognitive decline was measured using the Arabic validated Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the elderly (IQCODE). Results show that around 43% reported moderate/bad SRH and 8.8% suffered from cognitive decline. Adjusting for nine confounders, our results showed that the odds of reporting moderate/bad SRH among older adults with cognitive decline was 2.91 times than that of those with no cognitive decline (p-value=0.016). As a conclusion, this study findings suggest that SRH is strongly correlated with cognitive decline. Health care providers in primary care centers, neurologists, and geriatricians can use the SRH question as a preliminary screen of older adults’ cognitive functions.
The cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a fire-adapted species due to the protection of dormant buds located under its cork bark. Post-fire resprouting in trees from these buds is an efficient means of plant adaptation. In this study, we examined the different types of the response of 644 trees, one year after a wildfire occurred in summer 2012 in the Tlemcen area. Furthermore, we determined the variables influencing the vitality likelihood of trees using multiple logistic regression. The dominant response is crown resprouting (67.7%), followed by tree death (23.9%) and basal resprouting (8.4%). The probability of tree vitality decreased with increasing fire intensity which associated with the importance of trunk injuries, decreasing bark thickness and tree height. This model is an interesting tool for diagnosing tree mortality or survival to assess the ecological and economic restoration actions for the forest.
This work aims to develop and simulate a novel process based on sterilizing natural air by heating at high temperatures followed by rapid cooling. The new sustainable process is called “Air Rapid Heating Rapid Cooling Sterilization” (ARHRCS). Thus, it can be used in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in hospitals to produce safe air, free of pathogenic airborne microbes including bacteria and viruses such as tuberculosis (TB) and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). A crown fixed on the head of the medical staff may be connected to the HVAC system to produce a constant flow of clean laminar air. Hence, this crown is capable of keeping airborne microorganisms at a safe distance from Health Care Workers (HCWs), avoiding any potential microbial infection. Accordingly, HCWs will be able to work in more suitable and safe conditions, especially in high infection risk areas. Depending on its need, the newly developed process may be implemented in different other locations such as laboratories, malls, planes, buildings, and other crowded spaces. Further applications of this method may arise including its usage in the sterilization of recirculated air in biosafety cabinets and the development of a portable air sterilizing unit.
