Restriction of RAP% in HMA Based on Aggregate Gradation and Binder Properties

The use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in pavement construction reduces the project cost and helps in conserving the naturally occurring aggregates. To incorporate RAP in hot mix asphalt, it is vital to know the amount and quality of the reclaimed binder. Three new asphalt binders were selected for this investigation. RAP material from one source was blended in different proportions with VG-10 and VG-30. Penetration, softening point, G */sin δ, G * sin δ and binder fatigue life Nf (from Linear Amplitude Sweep test) values of different blends were compared. The milled RAP aggregate gradation varied from source to source due to factors such as the gradation of the mix used in the existing layer, milling method and processing of RAP material. This variability controls the use of higher proportions of RAP in new mixes. To investigate the effect of RAP gradation on the proportion of RAP that can be used in the new mix, RAP sources with different gradation (three dense and two gap gradations) were selected. The proportion of RAP that can be used for preparing mixes with these gradations varied significantly with the source of RAP, and the target gradation. In most cases, it was found that allowable RAP percentages are smaller for the gap gradations compared to those permitted for dense gradations. The proportion of RAP in a mix can be increased by selecting an appropriate gradation for a RAP source or by using a suitable RAP source for a given gradation.

Descriptive study of cases of schizophrenia in the Malian population

Background Schizophrenia is a relatively common disease worldwide with a point prevalence of around 5/1000 in the population. The aim of this present work was to assess the demographic, clinical, familial, and environmental factors associated with schizophrenia in Mali. Methods This was a prospective descriptive study on a series of 164 patients aged at least 12 years who came for a follow-up consultation at the psychiatry department of the University Hospital Center (CHU) Point G in Mali between February 2019 and January 2020 for schizophrenia spectrum disorder as defined by DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Results Our results revealed that the male sex was predominant (80.5%). The 25–34 age group was more represented with 44.5%. The place of birth for the majority of our patients was the urban area (52.4%), which also represented the place of the first year of life for the majority of our patients (56.1%). We noted that the unemployed and single people accounted for 56.1 and 61% respectively. More than half of our patients 58.5% reported having reached secondary school level. With the exception of education level, there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of demographic parameters. Familial schizophrenia cases accounted for 51.7% versus 49.3% for non-familial cases. The different clinical forms were represented by the paranoid form, followed by the undifferentiated form, and the hebephrenic form with respectively 34, 28 and 17.1%. We noted that almost half (48.8%) of patients were born during the cold season. Cannabis use history was not observed in 68.7% of the patients. The proportions of patients with an out-of-school father or an out-of-school mother were 51.2 and 64.2%, respectively. Conclusion The onset of schizophrenia in the Malian population has been associated with socio-demographic, clinical, genetic and environmental characteristics.

Hybrid Encryption Model Based on Advanced Encryption Standard and Elliptic Curve Pseudo Random

Securing multimedia applications becomes a major challenge with the violation of the information increasing currently. In this paper, a novel method for color image encryption is proposed. The procedure of encryption is performed using cooperation between Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with CTR (Counter) mode. In the cryptographic system, we have proposed to take advantage of the Elliptic Curve Random Generator to generate a sequence of arbitrary numbers based on the curve. The random generation step is founded on the public key sharing and a changing point G. Then, the AES-CTR is performed to these sequences using arbitrary keys for image encryption. The use of the AES alongside greatly distributed random results an interesting encryption method. Security analysis is successfully performed and our experiments prove that the suggested technique provides the basis of cryptography with more simplicity and correctness.

Descriptive Study of Cases of Schizophrenia in the Malian Population

Background. Schizophrenia is a relatively common disease worldwide with a point prevalence of around 5/1000 in the population. The aim of this present work was to assess the demographic, clinical, familial, and environmental factors associated with schizophrenia in Mali. Methods. This was a prospective descriptive study on a series of 164 patients aged at least 12 years who came for a follow-up consultation at the psychiatry department of the University Hospital Center (CHU) Point G in Mali between February 2019 and January 2020 for schizophrenia spectrum disorder as defined by DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Results. Our results revealed that the male sex was predominant (80.5%). The 25–34 age group was more represented with 44.5%. The place of birth of the majority of our patients was the urban area (52.4%). The urban area also represented mainly the place of the first year of life of our patients (56.1%). The unemployed were more numerous with 56.1%. The number of singles represented 61%. Patients with secondary education were more frequent (58.5%). With the exception of education level, there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of demographic parameters. Familial schizophrenia cases were observed in 51.7% against 49.3% for non-familial cases. The most common clinical manifestation of schizophrenia was the paranoid form (34.1%), followed by the Undifferentiated form (28.7%), and the Hebephrenia form (17.1%). Most of the schizophrenic patients were born during the cold season with 48.8% of cases. Most schizophrenic patients did not use cannabis (68.7%). The majority of schizophrenic patients came from families in which the father (51.2%) and mother (64.2%) did not attend school. Conclusions. The onset of schizophrenia in the Malian population has been associated with socio-demographic, clinical, genetic and environmental characteristics.

Évaluation des pratiques d'hygiène et de prévention de la maladie à coronavirus en milieu hospitalier : Cas des centres d'isolement et de traitement du covid19 au Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire du Point G (CHU-PG) au Mali

But : Ce travail vise à contribuer à l'évaluation des pratiques d'hygiène et de prevention de la maladie à coronavirus covid 19 dans les centres d'isolement et de traitement du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Point G (CHU-PG) au Mali. Matériel et méthodes : Il s'agit d'une étude transversale descriptive qui s'est déroulée d'avril à juin 2020. Elle a concerné les centres d'isolement et de traitement de la covid 19. Résultats : Au total 63 agents des deux centres d'isolement et de traitement du covid19 de l'hôpital ont été enquêtés. Il s'agit des médecins spécialistes (3,2%), des médecins généralistes (30,2%), des médecins en cours de spécialisation (DES) 3,2%, des techniciens supérieurs de santé 3,2%, et des infirmiers 60,3%. Parmi ce personnel, 66,7% ont suivi une formation sur le lavage des mains et la prévention des infections liées aux soins, tandis que seulement 30,2 l'ont été sur la préparation de la solution hydro alcoolique. Certaines insuffisances ont été constatées dans la pratique du lavage des mains, l'observation des gestes barrières. Par endroit, le déficit dans le port des équipements de protection individuelle et la mauvaise qualité du matériel de nettoyage ont été rappelés. La gestion des déchets demeure problématique du fait de la qualité du personnel et du non-respect des procédures. Conclusion, le respect des mesures d'hygiène et de prevention de la covid 19 pose un problème à l'hôpital du point G et fait ressortir des manquements liés à la formation, l'utilisation des dispositifs de protection et de prevention, l'organisation des services, la gestion des déchets. Nous recommandons à la direction de l'hôpital, la mise en place d'un service d'hygiène hospitalière doté de compétences et de moyens, le renforcement de la formation du personnel. Le comité d'hygiène et de salubrité doit constituer une sorte de veille des pratiques d'hygiène et de prevention.