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Mutual banking institutions engage in a diverse array of banking activities aim to achieve economic and social development. These institutions are predicated on a cooperative principle, which fundamentally differentiates them from their commercial banking counterparts. Such a cooperative ethos closely aligns mutual banks with Islamic financial institutions. Nonetheless, their failure to incorporate Sharia as the foundational basis for their transactions, coupled with the absence of Sharia supervisory board compliance, categorically excludes them from the Islamic financial sector.

Femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement d’Assia Djebar est un recueil de nouvelles qui entretient un rapport dialogique avec la peinture puisqu’il emprunte son titre aux tableaux de Delacroix et de Picasso et qu’il s’en inspire pour élaborer un parcours narratif racontant l’histoire des femmes d’Alger. C’est la rencontre entre la peinture et l’écriture, la nature, le fonctionnement et les conséquences d’un tel échange qu’analyse cet article, et ce, plus précisément à travers la première longue nouvelle du recueil, récit éponyme composé en 1978 qui présente une réécriture au féminin des Femmes d’Alger romantiques et cubistes de l’histoire de l’art. En lisant les tableaux et en déchiffrant les codes picturaux qu’ils mettent en oeuvre, Djebar se les approprie et les médiatise dans le cadre de sa nouvelle à même deux espaces diégétiques, celui du rêve et celui de la mémoire, au sein desquels les Femmes d’Alger prennent vie, parole et se dévoilent. Ce projet entraîne, de ce fait, l’exercice et le déploiement de procédés d’écriture particuliers, à la croisée du texte et de l’image.

In the Casablanca-Mohammedia corridor (Morocco), flooding episodes have happened frequently over the past 20 years, damaging coastal settlements through overtopping and overflowing processes. In this context, a realistic assessment of the flood risk on this coastline is required. For this, the marine water level variations were computed by combining the involved variables (astronomical tide, storm surge, wave run-up, and sea level rise) during energetic events. They were compared with the seafront altitude to delineate the maximum spatial extent of flooded areas for the current and future (2100) time horizons. These variables were obtained through numerical and empirical modeling using topobathymetry, tide gauge, wind, and reanalysis data for wave and atmospheric pressure. Statistical methods were used to determine trends and distributions, including linear regression and the GEV model. Our approach was validated by comparing the estimated results of the total water level with the observations made in situ during previous events. Results show that flooding occurs mainly at high tides. The run-up is the largest contributor to total water level during energetic events (45–60% in structure defense areas against ~ 35% in natural areas). Currently, the floodable area for all of Casablanca-Mohammedia's coastline (109 km2) is estimated to be ~ 23.5 km2, of which ~ 13.9 km2 is urban. This area would grow by 10.87% and 20.9% by 2100, respectively. The most vulnerable zones are Mohammedia, Ain Sbâa, and Merzeg quarters, as well as Tamaris beaches. The touristic quarters of Ain Diab and the promenades on either side of the Hassan II Mosque are also vulnerable and can be dangerous for pedestrians. This study is crowned by the proposal of numerous necessary protection and adaptation measures, considering the specificities of the sections characterizing this coastline.

The present study aims to use Wood’s model to determine the parameters of individual lactation curves in a local goat population and their factors of variation under a pastoral system. A total of 137,927 records from 432 local goats were collected to assess the impact of litter size, year and month of kidding, herd and the age of the dam on lactation curve parameters. Wood’s model parameters were estimated using non-linear regression, and individual curves were fitted. The characteristics of the lactation curves were computed. The initial yield (A), rate of increase (B) and rate of decline (C) parameters in Wood’s model for local goats were 730 g, 0.26 and 0.09 respectively. The values of peak milk production (PP), peak date (PD) and persistency (PC) were 931.88 g/d, 23.39 days and 91.50%, respectively. Persistence was higher in goats with simple births, while peak production increased by around 0.3 kg for each additional kid. The curve parameters “A” and “C” differed according to the herd and month of kidding (p < 0.05); the age of the dam only had an impact on parameter “A” (p < 0.01). Parameter “B” was not significantly influenced by any of the factors considered (p > 0.05). Correlation coefficients among lactation curve characteristics were ranged from −0.20 to 0.89. Due to a significant negative correlation, selecting for parameter “A” may have an adverse effect on parameter “B”, resulting in a shorter time to reach peak production and less persistency, but an increase in peak production among goats. The curves derived from Wood’s model suggest that the shape of the curve may serve as a basis for herd management planning and to improve local population potentialities.

Medicinal plants possess the potential to yield bioactive compounds that offer significant health benefits; positioning them as valuable and promising sources for the development of innovative pharmaceutical products. This study aims to comprehensively assess the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects of the aqueous extract of the plant Atractylis aristata (AEAA) as well as assessments of its phytochemical composition. UPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis of AEAA revealed a variety of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic acids. In antioxidant assays, AEAA demonstrated considerable activity, with IC50 values of 0.269±0.05 mg/mL for DPPH scavenging and 0.0376±0.003 mg/mL for hydrogen peroxide radical inhibition. AEAA exhibited strong anti‐inflammatory activity in vitro, with an IC50 value of 2.563 mg/mL in the BSA denaturation test. In vivo, AEAA reduced carrageenan‐induced paw edema by 56.51 %, in comparison to an 83.58 % reduction with Ibuprofen®. Antibacterial testing showed AEAA′s broad‐spectrum activity, with the highest inhibition against Bacillus subtilis (34 mm zone of inhibition). Additionally, AEAA induced significant sedative effects, reducing locomotor activity by 48.98 %. These findings underscore the diverse pharmacological potential in addressing oxidative stress, inflammation, microbial infections, and anxiety of A. aristata, which can be attributed to its rich phytochemical profile. This study evaluates the pharmacological properties of the aqueous extract of Atractylis aristata, focusing on its antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antibacterial, and sedative activities. Phytochemical analysis identifies bioactive compounds, while in vitro and in vivo tests demonstrate its therapeutic potential in addressing oxidative stress, inflammation, microbial infections, and anxiety, offering a promising natural remedy for various health conditions.

Typhoid fever is a significant public health concern in many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries with poor sanitation and hygiene conditions. In July 2016, an outbreak of typhoid fever occurred in Ghannouche, located in the south of Tunisia. This paper reports the results of a field investigation undertaken to identify possible transmission pathways and risk factors in order to propose control and preventive measures. A retrospective cohort study including a passive and active case finding, as well as an environmental and bacteriological investigation was conducted from July to September 2016. A case was defined as a person residing or having stayed in Ghannouche and having presented from the beginning of June clinical signs suggestive of typhoid fever, with, for a confirmed case, laboratory isolation of S.Tyhi, and for a probable case, an epidemiological link with a confirmed case. Attack rates were determined, and risk ratios were estimated with respect to exposures. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios were estimated using binary logistic regression. Among the 628 subjects investigated, 102 cases of typhoid fever were identified (74 confirmed and 28 probable) with an overall attack rate of 16.24%. Over 56% of cases were male and those under 10 years old were most affected (38.2%% of cases) with a median age of 12 years (interquartile range 5 to 25 years). The main clinical signs were fever (95%) and diarrhea (57%). Young age (adjusted OR = 0.95 and 95% CI = 0.93–0.97), low level of education (adjusted OR = 4.76 and 95% CI = 1.34–16.81), and the habitat type Arab or rudimentary house (adjusted OR = 4.93 and 95% CI = 2.61–8.27) were the socio-demographic factors independently associated with typhoid fever. Typhoid fever was found to be associated with drinking softened water (adjusted OR = 2.64 and 95% CI = 1.16–4.82), eating raw fruit and vegetables from family gardens (adjusted OR = 6.13 and 95% CI = 3.66–11.06), and using uncontrolled waste disposal (adjusted OR = 3.52 and 95% CI = 2.03–6.94). A total of 110 drinking water samples were analyzed; out of the 38 samples of softened water, 12 were non-compliant and 5 were positive for Salmonella. The screening activity identified two asymptomatic carriers, one of whom was a softened water seller. We concluded that drinking softened water from informal or unauthorized sale units, consuming fruit and vegetables from family gardens, uncontrolled dumping of household waste, and poor socio-economic conditions increase the risk of typhoid fever in this region. Many recommendations were implemented to stop this outbreak and to prevent further episodes.

The objectives of this study were to estimate the national prevalence of hepatitis B infection in Tunisia using data from a nationwide survey, to compare results with those obtained in 1996 survey and to evaluate the impact of vaccination twenty years after its introduction. A National household-based cross sectional and serological survey was undertaken in 2015 from randomly selected districts using two-stage sampling. Data collection was performed using standardized and pretested questionnaires and collected blood samples were tested for markers of hepatitis B virus infection. National point prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen was 1.7% (95% CI [1.6–1.9%]). The highest prevalence was found in the Center and South regions with respectively 2.3% (95% CI [2.0–2.7%]) and 2.2% (95% CI [1.8–2.8%]). Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 88.6% (95% CI [81.5–93.0%]) and was higher among population aged less than 20 years 96.1% (95% CI [70.1–99.5%]) than those aged more than 20 years 59.0% (95% CI [32.0–75.3%]). VE was 85.6% (95% CI [65.8–93.9%]) is hyper-endemic areas and 89.1% (95% CI [80.3–94.0%]) in meso-endemic and hypo-endemic areas. The prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen decreased compared to previous estimations and classify Tunisia as a low endemic country as result to the introduction of vaccination since 1995.

Atypical fetal chromosomal anomalies are more frequent than previously recognized and can affect fetal development. We propose a screening strategy for a genome-wide non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) to detect these atypical chromosomal anomalies (ACAs). Two sample cohorts were tested. Assay performances were determined using Cohort A, which consisted of 192 biobanked plasma samples—42 with ACAs, and 150 without. The rate of additional invasive diagnostic procedures was determined using Cohort B, which consisted of 3097 pregnant women referred for routine NIPT. Of the 192 samples in Cohort A, there were four initial test failures and six discordant calls; overall sensitivity was 88.1% (37/42; CI 75.00–94.81) and specificity was 99.3% (145/146; CI 96.22–99.88). In Cohort B, there were 90 first-pass failures (2.9%). The rate of positive results indicating an anomaly was 1.2% (36/3007) and 0.57% (17/3007) when limited to significant unbalanced chromosomal anomalies and trisomies 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 22. These results show that genome-wide NIPT can screen for ACAs with an acceptable sensitivity and a small increase in invasive testing, particularly for women with increased risk following maternal serum screening and by limiting screening to structural anomalies and the most clinically meaningful trisomies.