Maghreb Countries Research Articles

First genetic characterization of Xeroderma pigmentosum in Libya: High frequency of XP-C founder mutation.

Xeroderma pigmentosum is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a high sensitivity to UV radiations. The disease is clinically and genetically heterogeneous, thus making accurate early clinical diagnosis difficult. Although the disease is considered rare worldwide, previous studies have shown that it is more frequent in Maghreb countries. So far, no genetic study has been published on Libyan patients, except three reports limited to clinical descriptions. Our study, which represents the first genetic characterization of XP in Libya, was conducted on 14 unrelated families including 23 Libyan XP patients with a consanguinity rate of 93%. Blood samples were collected from 201 individuals including patients and their relatives. Patients were screened for founder mutations already described in Tunisia. The two founder Maghreb XP mutations, XPA p.Arg228* associated with the neurological form and XPC p.Val548Alafs*25 in patients with only cutaneous manifestations, were homozygously identified. The latter was predominant (19 of 23 patients). In addition, another XPC homozygous mutation (p.Arg220*) has been identified in only one patient. For the remaining patient, the absence of founder XPA, XPC, XPD, and XPG mutations suggests mutational heterogeneity of XP in Libya. Identification of common mutations with other Maghreb populations is in favor of a common ancestor in North-African populations.

Review of trans-Mediterranean power grid interconnection: A regional roadmap towards energy sector decarbonization

Climate change is becoming an important issue in all fields of infrastructure development. Electricity plays a core role in the decarbonized energy system’s path to a regional zero-emission pattern. A well-built trans-Mediterranean backbone grid can hedge the profound evolution of regional power generation, transmission, and consumption. To date, only Turkey and the Maghreb countries (i.e., Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) are connected with the Continental European Synchronous Area. Other south- and east-shore countries have insufficient interconnection infrastructures and synchronization difficulties that have proven to be major hurdles to the implementation of large-scale solar and wind projects and achievement of climate goals. This study analyzes the current trans-boundary grid interconnections and power and carbon emission portfolios in the Mediterranean region. To align with the recently launched new climate target ‘Fit for 55’ program and the accelerated large-scale renewables target, a holistic review of projected trans-Mediterranean grids and their market, technical, and financial obstacles of implementation was conducted. For south- and east-shore countries, major legal and regulatory barriers encompassing non-liberalized market structure, regulation gaps of taxation and transmission tariffs, and the private sector’s access rights need to be removed. Enhancement of domestic grids, substations, and harmonized grid codes and frequency, voltage, and communication technology standards among all trans- Mediterranean countries are physical prerequisites for implementing the Trans-Mediterranean Electricity Market. In addition, the mobilization of capital instruments along with private and international investments is indispensable for the realization of supranational transmission projects. As the final section of the decarbonization roadmap, the development of electric appliances, equipment, and vehicles with higher efficiency is inevitable in the decarbonized building, transportation, and industry sectors.

Road safety comparative analysis in the Maghreb

The Maghreb countries are at the crossroads of two worlds: Africa and the Mediterranean basin. At WHO level, this means that some belong to the Eastern Mediterranean region (Libya, Tunisia, Morocco) and the two others to the African region (Algeria, Mauritania). The two regions have the highest road fatality rates in the world.The Maghreb is very homogeneous in certain aspects (climate, culture, demography, level of economic development) and very heterogeneous in terms of population density. The countries of the Maghreb region collectively face considerable road safety challenges, but they have chosen to tackle them separately. However, comparative analysis can improve knowledge of the context and understanding of the road safety issues in each country. These approaches can lead to discussions, collaborations and exchanges of research experiences.

Maroko a świat arabski w okresie panowania Hasana II (1961–1999)

Relations with the Arab world formed one of the main lines of Morocco’s foreign policy in the post-independence period. In this respect, much attention was paid to relations with the Maghreb countries, especially Algeria and Mauritania. The paper’s main goal is to present and analyse relations of the Kingdom of Morocco with other Arab states during the rule of King Hasan II (1961–1999) in light of the events in the Middle East and North Africa. One of the key trends in the Moroccan foreign policy of that time was based on the aspiration to reclaim lands perceived as historical parts of the kingdom and to reinforce the sovereign statehood. Such plans were not welcome by the other states of the region and often led to disputes, such as the Western Sahara conflict. Considering the attitude of the Moroccan authorities towards the Arab-Israeli conflict, relations with Israel are also depicted in the work.

The 'Arab Spring’ as a challenge to the Weberian analysis of Islam

The purpose of this paper is the application of some Weberian conceptual categories to the contemporary Islamic world. The reconstruction of Weberian thought on the religion of Muhammad seems to retain some heuristic capacity: although modified over time, the organization of Islam gave rise to dynasties with charismatic political leadership who constituted patrimonial-sultanistic forms of power, with their own armies and personal bureaucracy. Characteristics of this type can be traced in the Maghreb and Mashriq countries, where there was an almost exclusive monopoly of power by the state and the prevalence of personal relationships over institutions. A political form that Weber described in terms of neo-patrimonial societies, with a strong role of the charismatic figure of the leader, a society conceived as a collection of groups and not individuals, a centralization of power by the state, and a private and clientelistic management of economic resources by ruling elites. The Arab revolutions of 2010 can be read as a struggle against this neo-patrimonialist model in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria. More than a decade after the outbreak of the revolutions, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether indeed these countries have overcome those obstacles to modernization and development identified by the German sociologist in Islamic societies.

The impact of good governance indicators on government spending in the Arab Maghreb countries during the period (2002-2021).

This study aims to show the relationship between some indicators of good governance and government spending in the Arab Maghreb countries during the period (2002-2021), using Panel data models, where government spending represents GOV the dependent variable, while the opinion and accountability index VC represents the quality of organization index RQ The anti-corruption index CC, the independent variables in the model, and the study reached results, the most important of which is the presence of a direct and significant relationship between the opinion and accountability index and government spending, which is considered one of the most important indicators of good governance affecting government spending, unlike the rest of the indicators. This result indicates the effectiveness of opinion and accountability as a tool for rationalization Government spending in the Arab Maghreb countries.

The efforts of the Ottomans to support the Moriscos in Andalusia During the tenth century AH / sixteenth century AD

This study, which is titled "Ottomans Efforts in Supporting the Moriscos", aims to know the Moriscos and their conditions, especially after the fall of Granada, and the motives that led to their expulsion from Spain, in addition to stating the position of the Ottoman Empire towards the Moriscos before the final decision of their expulsion from Spain was issued. This position is represented in the preparation of military campaigns to invade the southern Spanish coasts or offer diplomatic mediation with some European countries. Afterwards comes knowing the Ottoman position towards the Moriscos after implementing the final decision of expulsion and the Ottomans' efforts in facilitating their transfer to the countries of the Islamic Maghreb. The study is concluded by explaining several points, the key of which is the failure of the Spanish policy in implementing the Christianisation decision on the Muslims of Andalusia, despite the inhumane practices committed by the Inquisition against Muslims. With the deteriorating living conditions of the Moriscos, they found in the Ottoman Empire their safe haven and their only salvation from torture and murder. The Ottomans did not disappoint the Moriscos' hopes in them, but their efforts were unsuccessful due to external conspiracies and internal intrigues that limited the State's focus on the Moorish issue.

Bulgarians in Morocco – Cultural Heritage and Sociocultural Interaction

The article focuses on migration and cultural heritage. It presents the processes of transmission and use of Bulgarian cultural heritage abroad. The study outlines the sociocultural interaction between the Bulgarian community in Morocco and the host society. The Bulgarian migrant community established in Morocco’s Kingdom mainly during the 1960s–1980s consisted mostly of professionals: hydro- and civil engineers, geologists, teachers, and architects. Their well-done work contributed to the excellent image of Bulgaria, and the Bulgarians in the receiving country are also present nowadays. At the same time, cases of Bulgarian immigration in Morocco due to mixed marriages could be observed. Although the Bulgarian community in this Maghreb country is not numerous (around 350–400 people), it is visible with a rich cultural calendar that includes sociocultural initiatives in the interaction with the host society. The Bulgarian migrants in Morocco do not have a formal organization. Meanwhile their community is proactive and consolidated around the Bulgarian Embassy. The Bulgarian school in various formats has been operating since 1986. A folk dance group was established in 2018. The paper attempts to answer why knowledge of Bulgarian traditions, folklore, history, and preservation of the Bulgarian language and cultural identity are important for the Bulgarian community in Morocco.

The nature and impact of commercial relations between the Islamic Maghreb and the Italian cities in the Almoravid era

This study involves the trade relations between the Arab Maghreb Countries and Italian cities in Almoravids Era, and learned about the depth of land and sea commercial communication between the Maghreb and Italian cities and the reflection of this commercial development on the two regions. The resulting cultural, political and cultural prosperity during Almoravids Era (448-541 Ah/1056-1147 AD) and knowledge of the most important factors helping to establish commercial communication between the two countries and commercial centers.

Corps, culture et société: une lecture de L’enfant de sable et La nuit sacrée de Tahar Ben Jelloun

This article aims to study the vision of Tahar Ben Jelloun towards the body through which the social and cultural situation of the Maghreb countries is clarified. The Moroccan author charges the body with the Arab-Muslim tradition, with male domination and culture, with the erasure of women in society. Hadj Ahmed Souleïmane, in a country that favours men, after having had seven daughters, he feels dishonoured, castrated, finally to repair this evil and rehabilitate his honour, he makes his daughter a boy, from birth, who will be the man of the family, his heir, not only of material goods but essentially of the values of masculinity and patriarchy. He manipulates both his daughter’s body and her way of thinking, teaching her how to become a man according to tradition, also inspecting her body, her reactions and her actions. The body is thus polysemous, through which we understand Ben Jelloun’s vision of gender, culture, family education, society, the male/female relationship and religion. Ben Jelloun uses the body for subversive reasons in order to deconstruct society’s vision of the body, of the values and culture that determine society. In his work, the body thus consists in condemning and denouncing.

Сельские и городские практики ношения женского головного покрывала в Магрибе RURAL AND URBAN PRACTICES OF WEARING A FEMALE HEAD COVERING IN THE MAGHREB

Статья посвящена женским практикам покрывания головы в странах Магриба (Тунисе, Алжире, Марокко). Головные покрывала являются неотъемлемой частью женского костюма в Северной Африке. В зависимости от региона и населенного пункта варьируют их название, материал изготовления, а также цвет, дизайн и способ производства, что в свою очередь делает этот предмет своеобразной визитной карточкой его обладательницы. Автор анализирует две сложившиеся к концу XIX в. вестиментарные традиции — городскую (арабскую) и сельскую (берберскую). Используя в своем костюме схожий по форме предмет, женщины из города и из сельской местности наделяют его разными символическими значениями. В XX в. в условиях процессов модернизации и деколонизации сельские и городские покрывала стали означаемыми для разных контекстов: так, городские покрывала пользовались большим престижем, нежели сельские, что в свою очередь повлияло на то, что именно они стали восприниматься как национальные символы новых североафриканских государств, а сельские покрывала сохранились на уровне персональных повседневных практик в той местности, в которой они изначально использовались. Автор ставит задачей прояснить причину формирования столь различных жизненных траекторий одного типа предметов. The article is devoted to women’s head covering practices in the Maghreb countries (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco). Head coverings are an essential part of women’s costume in North Africa. Their name, material of manufacture, color, design and method of production vary depending on the region and locality, which in turn makes this item a kind of visiting card of its owner. The author analyzes two vestimentary traditions that had developed by the end of the 19th century — urban (Arab) and rural (Berber). Despite the similar shape of veils used by women in the city and in the village, these were endowed with different symbolic meanings. In the 20th century, under the conditions of modernization and decolonization, rural and urban veils became meaningful in different contexts: for example, urban veils enjoyed greater prestige than rural ones, which resulted in them being perceived as national symbols of the new North African states, and rural veils’ use continued at the level of personal daily practices in the regions where they were originally used. The author aims to clarify the reason for such different life trajectories of the objects of one type.

Thymus hirtus Willd. ssp. algeriensis Boiss. and Reut: A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry, Bioactivities, and Health-Enhancing Effects.

Members of the Lamiaceae family are considered chief sources of bioactive therapeutic agents. They are important ornamental, medicinal, and aromatic plants, many of which are used in traditional and modern medicine and in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. In North Africa, on the Mediterranean side, there is the following particularly interesting Lamiaceous species: Thymus hirtus Willd. sp. Algeriensis Boiss. Et Reut. The populations of this endemic plant are distributed from the subhumid to the lower arid zone and are mainly employed as ethnomedicinal remedies in the following Maghreb countries: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. In fact, they have been applied as antimicrobial agents, antispasmodics, astringents, expectorants, and preservatives for several food products. The species is commonly consumed as a tea or infusion and is used against hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, respiratory ailments, heart disease, and food poisoning. These medicinal uses are related to constituents with many biological characteristics, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-ulcer, anti-diabetic, insecticidal, and anti-inflammatory activities. This review aims to present an overview of the botanical characteristics and geographical distribution of Thymus algeriensis Boiss. Et Reut and its traditional uses. This manuscript also examines the phytochemical profile and its correlation with biological activities revealed by in vitro and in vivo studies.

Coupling future climate and land‐use projections reveals where to strengthen the protection of Mediterranean Key Biodiversity Areas

AbstractIdentifying sites that are both important for biodiversity and likely to be heavily affected by anthropogenic pressures in the future is crucial to settle priorities in the implementation of conservation measures, such as the designation of new protected areas. Although assessing the exposure of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas to global change would support such identification, it has never been performed to our knowledge. In addition, previous exposure assessments have been limited to few metrics of climate change and have not considered other global change components. Here, we assess the extent to which terrestrial (including inland water) Key Biodiversity Areas are exposed to future climate change and land‐use modifications in 29 countries of the Mediterranean region, and identify countries where additional protection efforts are most needed. To this end, we calculated two local and two regional exposure metrics using projections of climate and land‐use for late 21st century under four scenarios that were used in the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (SSP1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5). These four exposure metrics were subsequently combined into an exposure index ranking sites from least to most exposed to climate and land‐use changes. We highlight that the most exposed non‐protected Key Biodiversity Areas are located in countries where the protection of this network is lowest (i.e., high number and percentage of non‐protected sites). We also found that Key Biodiversity Areas were overall more exposed than the rest of the study zone and that the sites most in need of conservation actions were similar across future scenarios. Our study reinforces the pressing necessity to strengthen and extend conservation measures in Mediterranean Key Biodiversity Areas, especially in Middle‐East and Maghreb countries whose Key Biodiversity Areas are both at risk to be strongly affected by anthropogenic pressures and insufficiently protected.

Energy, economic analysis and mathematical modelling of mixed-mode solar drying of potato slices with thermal storage loaded V-groove collector: Application to Maghreb region

This research aims to study the thermodynamic and economic feasibility of a mixed-type solar dryer of potato chips equipped with a V-corrugated solar collector and loaded with a heat storage system in the Maghreb region of North Africa. The thermodynamic, economic assessment and environmental impact of deploying the solar dryer were investigated. For, this reason a mix-mode solar dryer with V- groove collector loaded with granite bed as thermal storage was developed at the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Tangier, Morocco. Drying of the potato chips took 4.5 h at a collector efficiency of 60.08%. Solar radiation heat contributed 78.18% of energy utilization while the granite bed thermal storage contributed 21.82%. The effectiveness of energy utilization embodied in specific energy consumption was determined as 6.109 kWh/kg and the specific moisture extraction rate was deduced as 0.1637kg/kWh. Wang/Singh and Midilli/Kucuk models presented the best kinetic models for predicting the potato drying kinetic in the mixed-type dryer and open sun drying, respectively. Using the solar dryer in the Maghreb country of Morocco can save $69.58 to $698.5 on running costs with a payback period of 0.179–1.744 years at a usage rate of 10–100%. Environmental impact assessment showed the dryer can limit up to 163 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere at the current usage.

An Analytical Study of Development of Financial Inclusion Indicators in Some Countries of the Maghreb and the Arab Gulf during the Period (2004-2020)

This study aims to analyse the development of indicators of financial inclusion in a group of Gulf and Maghreb countries during the period from 2004-2020, as the goal behind this analysis is to investigate the reality of financial inclusion in the economies of Arab countries and also to highlight the most important challenges hindering the promotion of financial inclusion at the level of these Arab countries.. Besides, the study concluded that the rates of financial inclusion recorded within the partial indicators in the Arab Gulfcountries are relatively high and acceptable to the same extent, and some of the rates recorded even in some developed countries are commercial, this is in contrast to the rates recorded in the Arab Maghreb countries, including Algeria.

Open government data initiatives in the Maghreb countries: An empirical analysis

This article explores the practices followed in preserving and sharing data in open data portals in the Maghreb countries, and assesses whether their structure and organization are consistent with the objectives of these portals. A set of characteristics that must be available in open data portals was developed and then used as a framework for analysing the structure and organization of open data portals in the Maghreb countries. The study adopted a content analysis approach to analyse the content of five open data portals (in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania). The findings indicate that open data portals in the Maghreb countries provide data from different ministries, local communities and organizations. The findings also indicate that the open government data portals in Algeria and Morocco lack translation of content into English, which affects non-Arabic-language speakers. Moreover, the adoption of open data policies is still in its early stages. The study’s originality lies in the fact that it is the first study that focuses on the countries of the Arab Maghreb and the extent of their progress in adopting and making open data available.

Governance’s Role in Business Environment of Visegrad Group / Maghreb Countries

This paper focuses on identifying, conceptualizing, and explaining good governance in Visegrád Group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Maghreb countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). In addition, the research is an attempt to investigate the relationship between the good governance and the business environment in these zones by creating a Pearson correlation between the six indicators of good governance and the score of ease of doing business. This research aims to examine the importance of the indicators of rule of law, political stability, control of corruption, voice and accountability, regulatory quality, and government effectiveness to implement an attractive business environment in these two regions using a regression analysis. The empirical data were collected from the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) (1996–2020) and Doing Business Report (2015 – 2020), World Bank. This paper represent an argument for the relevance of governance indicators on the business environment which was justified by a strong correlation near to 1 for all the indicators. As a general perception, an attractive business environment will be one of the most important results of the existence of good governance. The second objective is to prove the relevance of governance quality for the ease of doing business in order to achieve the development for both regions.

The Mediterranean as a Context and Concept in the Art of Modernism

The “imperious presence” of the region (Fernand Braudel’s words about the Mediterranean from the preface in his work The Mediterranean Sea and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip) has been clearly seen in the art of European modernist artists since the beginning of the 20th century. Braudel created his work not only following the methodology of the Annales school but also in the context of the pan-European historiosophical interest of his contemporaries, including artists, in the "region". However, in artists and writers’ understanding, it was Friedrich Nietzsche who marked the initial milestone, the special, significant role of the "Mediterranean" for the European culture of the 20th century. The main plots and names of the first direction, Fauvism, which appeared in the 20th century, with its attacking energy of primary colours, saturated with Mediterranean impressions made under the influence of Picasso's experiments with form, and shown in Daniel Kahnweiler’s gallery in 1908, caused a mocking name - cubism, serving as a starting point for this glorious art direction. Not only the corners of the northern coast but also the Maghreb countries impressed European artists with the "special" light of the Mediterranean. Also, through the prism of understanding, the article examines the role of the Mediterranean in the "call to order" movement and in the context of the antinomy of Nordicism and Greco-Latin civilisation. Examples from the works of representatives of Fauvism (Braque, Derain, Matisse), cubism, Maillol, Picasso, de Chirico, Dali, Klee are given, confirming this postulate. Many artists have chosen the Mediterranean coast as their home for many years, which is reflected in their creative work. Examples that make it possible to assert that the theme of the Mediterranean is firmly rooted in the semantic and formal concepts of modernism are provided. Reflected in works of art, they, in turn, become part of the overall picture of cultural syncretism in the unique environment of the region.

An Improved Solar Cooling System for Date Safety and Storage under Climate of the Maghreb

As a freely available energy source for managing long-term issues in energy crisis, solar energy (SE) will have to grow more to meet world’s energy demands. Maghreb countries have launched international tenders for large-scale solar power projects, confirming north African countries’ goals to become green-power leaders, by enforcing renewable energy development policies. This work is aimed at simulating and designing a SE cooler to safely store quality and tasty dates. By optimizing the storage parameters and cooling gas with less energy consumption, R152a has been confirmed as a reliable refrigerant to own high critical temperature, sufficient specific heat capacity, and potential cost-effectiveness of compression. Safe packaging in Tolga-Algeria-Dates food company can be achieved by safe cooling systems that is aimed at wide variation of energy storage and delivery requirements of the manufacturing process. The performance ratio ( P R ) and energy losses have been analyzed by using the PVsyst software. The paper is also aimed at studying load requirements of an SE cooler of dates, designing/installing a standalone solar PV system, and modeling the refrigerant gas of the SE cooler, done with INTARCON software and SOLKANE refrigerant software program. P R and loss analysis has been done using PVsyst. Total amounts of yearly energy injected into grid and nominal PV array energy are estimated to be, respectively, 84.536 and 85.861 MWh, while total yearly losses of the system are estimated to be 15.5 MWh. It reveals that the PV system efficiency set from ~10% in winter to 11.3% in summer, while P R rises from a 77.5% in July to 89.3% in December. Future research will design of energy consumption monitoring of the PV system, favoring SE cooling of dates. Via PVsyst concrete realities of PV performance and insights for better operational monitoring were well understood.

Mapping the Agricultural Research Systems in the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia)

This article reports on the profiles of the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in the three Maghreb countries: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, through their research policies, human resources, governance, funding and scientific production. A bibliometric study was carried out for the three selected countries based on the Scopus database covering the period between 2005 and 2019. The research shows the distinctive case of Tunisian growth of scientific production compared to the other two countries; it also stresses the universities’ emergence as a major research actor, thus challenging the predominance of the public mission-oriented institutions dedicated to agriculture and veterinary sciences. Finally, it indicates significant differences between the three countries concerning governance and funding, and human resources. Overall, the NARS in the three countries are still very fragile, and a need for significant changes in the research policy making is certainly required to overcome these shortcomings.