Facile Synthesis and Electrochemical Characterization of Polyaniline@TiO2-CuO Ternary Composite as Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications.

This research reports the facile, controlled, low-cost fabrication, and evaluation of properties of polyaniline matrix deposited on titanium dioxide and copper(II) oxide ternary-composite (PANI@TiO2-CuO)-based electrode material for supercapacitor application. The process involves the preparation of CuO in the presence of TiO2 to form TiO2-CuO by a facile method, followed by in-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer. The structural and physical properties were evaluated based on the results of FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron (TEM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and BET surface areas analysis. The results indicated that TiO2-CuO was dispersed uniformly in the PANI matrix. Owing to such dispersion of TiO2-CuO, the PANI@TiO2-CuO material exhibits dramatic improvements on thermal stability in comparison with the pure PANI. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) confirms the reversibility of PANI redox transitions for this optimized electrode material. Moreover, the results reveal that the specific capacitance of PANI@TiO2-CuO reaches 87.5% retention after 1500 cycles under 1.0 A g-1, with a better charge storage performance as compared to pure PANI and PANI@TiO2 electrodes. The preparation of PANI@TiO2-CuO with enhanced electrochemical properties provides a feasible route for promoting its applications in supercapacitors.

The Urban Development in Relation to the Occurrence of Diseases in the Casa-Settat Region of Morocco during the Emergence of SARS-CoV-2.

The Casa-Settat region is experiencing very worrying environmental and epidemiological problems and challenges, namely, population growth, the significant development of unsupervised industrial activities, road traffic, the significant weight of the spread of diseases with high epidemiological potential such as SARS-CoV-2, the increase in hospital activities, and the significant discharge of hospital effluents highly contaminated and untreated. To understand and analyze the factors influencing the high prevalence of deaths and the occurrence of diseases under surveillance, among others SARS-CoV-2, on the quantitative data recorded relating to ten regions of Morocco, and informing, on the one hand, on intrinsic data linked to the urban development, and on the other hand, on the evolution of diseases under epidemiological surveillance, a multidimensional analysis was made. The results reveal the typological framework highlighted by the factorial map F1 × F2 which showed the individualization of the region of Casablanca explained by a large number of variables and diseases that affect it. Finally, these results call for a diagnosis that will make it possible to model new approaches and implement new actions promoting the dynamics of environmental and epidemiological change in one of the most polluted and infected regions of Morocco.

Epidemiological Study of Acute Kidney Injury in Intensive Care Unit: Evolution and Prognosis.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is very common in intensive care units (ICUs). Its complications are often fatal, life-threatening, and may lead to kidney impairment. This is a multicentric, prospective, and descriptive study, spread over a period of six months, from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017, including incident cases of AKI defined according to the AKI Network criteria seen in the ICUs of Ibn Rochd University Hospital of Casablanca. Their evolution was studied during the hospital stay at three, six, 12, and 24 months. A total of 102 patients were included, 52% of whom were female. The median age was 45.2 ±0 22.93 years (10 days-87 years). Clinically, 28.4% were oligo-anuric and 54.8% had a multivisceral failure, mainly neurological and respiratory. The median creatinine level was 37.6 mg/L ± 19.82 (8-230). AKI was mainly organic and functional in 43.1% and 40.2% of cases, respectively, and the main etiologies were dehydration, sepsis, and tumor obstruction. Dialysis was required in 25.5% of cases. When discharged from the hospital, mortality occurs in 35% of cases, total recovery of renal function was observed in 22%, progression to chronicity in 38%, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 5% of cases. The progression to chronicity and ESRD increased in the 1st and 2nd year of followup after the first episode of AKI. The risk factors for progression to chronicity were as follows: age, hypertension, the presence of comorbidities, the presence of multivisceral failure and the severity of AKI. AKI is now considered a risk factor for chronic kidney disease and longterm mortality, hence the interest and importance of nephrological monitoring.