1

Tunisian Republic Ministry of Higher Education and Research -----------

Carthage University -----------

National Institute of Applied Science

and Technology

Create your Future at the National Institute of

Applied Science and Technology

The Doctoral Workshop "Excellence and Innovation"

3rd May 2018

2

Welcome Address

Dear Nobel Prize, Dear Colleagues, Dear Guests, Dear students,

Welcome to the Doctoral Workshop organized by the National Institute of

Applied Science and Technology. The Doctoral Chair “Engineering Science and

Technology” at the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology is

multi-disciplinary research program including four oriented specialties research

as well as industrial-market aspects:

-Electronics;

-Industrial Informatics;

-Applied Chemistry;

- Engineering Biology.

We are very honored by the presence of the Nobel Prize of Physics, Prof. Dr.

Klaus Von Klitzing (1985, Hall Quantum Effect).

We are deeply indebted to all members of the Doctoral scientific committee

and to all Ph.D students, who have dedicated invaluable time and efforts for the

realization of this event.

On behalf of the Professors and administrative staff of the National Institute of

Applied Science and Technology, we wish you an enjoyable day.

Pr. Adnane Abdelghani Pr. Mohamed Boussaid

Director of the Doctoral Chair Director of INSAT

3

Preface

The National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (NIAST) is a Tunisian

Engineering Institute(Law of creation: N° 92-102, 2 November 1992) affiliated to

Carthage University. The admission to the Institute is very competitive and

generally students must hold a very good GPA at the national exam to be

admitted. Training licenses and engineers, it provides a post-baccalaureate

education over a period of three and five years. Starting with two mains

branches ACB (Applied-Chemistry-Biology) and MPC (Math-Physics-Computer

science) for the first year of integrated preparatory cycle, further branching to 2

tracks for ACB students, and 4 tracks for MPC students. The PFE internship (4

months) takes place at industrial partners. The number of engineer diploma

each year is about 300 with high competence acquired. Different student clubs

(IEEE, TIC, Bio, etc..) are affiliated to the INSAT for different cultural, sports,

solidarity and scientific activities.

The Ph.D programmers' were established under the “Engineering Science and

Technology” Doctoral Chair. The research activities in the institute are

developed inside four research laboratories and three research units. The

student can integrate one Ph.D programme specialty such as: Electronics,

Industrial Informatics, Applied Chemistry and Engineering Biology. Students can

enter the Ph.D programme with a Master or Engineer degrees in field of

engineering (related to the Institute specialties) or in a Pure or Applied Science.

Ph.D applicants are expected to identify a Senior Supervisor and Ph.D project

prior to admission. The minimum requirements period for the ph.D thesis are

three years (with two possible derogations) with 150 credit research work in

laboratory and with 30 credit additional hours of thesis training (technical

Writing, Innovation and Valorization, Intellectual Properties, Leadership,

Standards ISO in the Industry, English certification, etc…).

We strongly believe that the future of research relies on young talent. For this

reason, we offer scholarship and pre-doctoral contract and we collaborate with

others institute in Tunisia and in others countries. The global reach must further

extended through correspondent relationships with socio-economic

environment and renowned universities.

4

Programme

09:00: Welcome Delegation and Registration

09:45: Opening Session

10:30 :Plenary Lecture : Prof. Dr. Klaus Von Klitzing, Nobel Prize in Physics 1985:

A New International System of Units in 2019!?

“How my Nobel Prize Contributed to this Development”

14:30: Oral presentation sessions

16:00: Research laboratories visit

5

Plenary Lecture : Prof. Dr. Klaus Von Klitzing

6

A New International System of Units in 2019!?

How my Nobel Prize Contributed to this Development

Klaus v. Klitzing Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research

D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Abstract:

The International System of Units (SI units) forms the basis for all measurements. With the Meter Convention in 1875 a worldwide system of units was introduced with prototypes for the meter and kilogram kept at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in Sevres. Even today the kilogram prototype is by definition the unit of mass whereas the unit of length has been replaced in 1983 by a fixed value for the velocity of light (in combination with the well-known time unit from atomic clocks).

Long-term comparisons of the kilogram prototype with other mass standards indicate that the prototype is not stable with time so that the General Conference on Weights and Measures at his last meeting in November 2014 published a resolution with the recommendation to define the SI units in terms of invariants of nature. The new definitions will be based on fixed numerical values of the Planck constant (h), the elementary charge (e), the Boltzmann constant (k), and the Avogadro constant (NA), respectively. A prerequisite for such a change is the precise experimental realization of practical standards on the basis of natural constants. It is expected that this new system of units will be recommended by the General Conference on Weights and Measures at his next meeting in November 2018 and that this system will be implemented worldwide on 20.5.2019.

The quantized Hall resistance (Nobel Prize 1985) plays a crucial role for the realization of a new SI system since this quantum resistance can be used not only for high precision measurements of electrical standards but also for a new realization of a kilogram by comparing electrical and mechanical forces with the Watt balance.

The talk summarizes the application of the quantum Hall effect in metrology with the focus on the replacement of the kilogram by a fixed value for the Planck constant.

7

Ph.D Student Abstracts

8

Extraction and characterization of polysaccharides ulvan and cellulose obtained from green algae Ulva lactuca

BEN AMOR Cyrine1*, JMEL Mohamed Amine1, CHEVALLIER Pascale2, MANTOVANI Diégo2 ,SMAALI Issam1

1Laboratoire d’ingénierie des protéines et des molécules bioactives, Université de Carthage, INSAT- BP 676, Centre urbain nord, 1080 Cedex,Tunisia

2Laboratoire de Biomatériaux et de Bioingénierie, Université Laval, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Canada

*Corresponding author, E-mail adress: benamorcyrine@hotmail.fr

Abstract:

Many fields of application are looking for natural biopolymers bringing structural diversity and new

functionalities. L‘exploitation of green macroalgae will therefore have a huge interest in extracting

natural polysaccharides like ulvan and cellulose to produce molecules with high added value.

This work aims to extract natural polysaccharides from Ulva Lactuca algae, to optimize this extraction and to characterize ulvan and cellulose. An optimization of the extraction of ulvan was carried out: A series of extractions were performed to determine the type of solvent, the quantity of alga used, the duration of extraction, the amount of added oxalic acid, the duration of lipid and chlorophyll removal by soxhlet, the extraction time (min). The best yield was of the order of 8% using Soxhlet as a first step for lipid and chlorophyll removal and a duration of two hours of extraction and 5% oxalic acid.

The extracted ulvan was physicochimacally characterized. At the spectroscopic level, the comparison of the different IR spectra respectively of Ulva SP alga, ulvan and cellulose showed the effect of the different extraction steps on the composition obtained. An X-ray spectrometry (XPS) analysis has allowed us to detect the level of sulphate on the surface in ulvan which is of the order of 1.9%, this quantity is much lower in the cellulose of the order of 0.5%. On the other hand, a Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) showed the purity of the extracted polysaccharide as well as the monitoring of its thermal degradation as a function of temperature.

The characterization of polysaccharides extracted from ulvan lactuca algae shows encouraging results for their exploitation by synthesizing a biocomposite which will have applications in the medical field.

9

Processes elaboration for the production of bio-energy by micro-algae

Emna MHEDHBI1*, Nadia KHELIFI1, Sarra AYADI1, Mustapha GUELLAOUI2,Issam SMAALI1

1 LIP-MB Laboratory (LR11ES24), INSAT-University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia, 2 Environment Services, El-Mazraa, Tunisie

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress:Emna.baka@gmail.com Abstract: Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are devices generating electrical current from a wide range of organic substrates. Integrations of MFCs into wastewater treatment plants seem to be the most likely application of this technology.

In this favor, the algae strain Nanochloropsis with an ability to reduce phosphate and nitrates has been tested for the treatment of industrial and urban wastewater, this species has been studied in the breasts of Photosynthetic Microbial Fuel Cell (PMFC).

In addition to the treatment of water, small amounts of oxygen at the cathode provided by the microalgae have resulted in the PMFC generating a significant current intensity was detected. Working with a single PMFC chamber, for two types of wastewater (urban and industrial), this allowed us to produce different current intensity across the electrodes (cathodes and anodes) with a voltage of an average of 80mV which for industrial waste water remains important to that of urban water of the order of 30mV. The current production varies depending on the nature of the wastewater and the presence of bacteria that indicates a difference in voltage in the range of 20-30 mV between sterilized and non-sterilized wastewater.

10

Association of HNF1A gene variants with metabolic syndrome: a case/control study in the Tunisian population

Dallali Hamza1,3*, Hechmi Meriem1,3, Elouej Sahar1,4,Jmel Haifa1,3, Ben Halima Yossra1,2, Nagara majdi1,4, Chargui Mariem1,2, Kamoun Ines5, Turki Zinet5, Abid Abdelmajid1,5,

JamoussiHenda1,5, Abdelhak Sonia1,2, Kefi Rym1,2

1Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, BP 74, 13 Place Pasteur, Tunis 1002, Tunisia.

2University of Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar I Tunis, Tunisia. 3University of Carthage, National Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Tunis, Tunisia 4Current address : Aix Marseille University, Faculty of Medicine La Timone, INSERM, GMGF,

27 bd Jean Moulin 13385 Marseille, FRANCE Marseille, France. 5National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, 11 rue Jebel Lakhdar, Bab Saadoun,

1007 Tunis, Tunisia. *Correspondingauthor, E-mail adress: hamza.dallali@yahoo.fr

Abstract: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by the clustering of risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes (T2D). These risk factors include central obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and altered lipid profile. Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genetic loci associated with MetS and/or its components including the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1A) gene. Variants in this gene were mainly associated with lipoproteins levels and T2D. However, the association of HNF1A variants with MetS in the Middle East and North Africa region is largely unknown. This study aims to examine their association with MetS and its components in the Tunisian population. A total of 594 Tunisian individuals (295 cases/299 controls) were genotyped for two variants (rs1169288 and rs2464196) located in the HNF1A gene using KASPar technology. Statistical association analyses were performed with the R software. Our results showed no association between HNF1A variants and MetS. However, a significant association was observed between the variant rs2464196 and both waist circumference and high density lipoproteins (HDL).The investigation of the interaction gene/sex highlighted a significant association between the variant rs1169288 and high cholesterol levels after Bonferroni correction only in the group of women. Our findings exclude the implication of HNF1A gene variants (rs1169288 and rs2464196) in the susceptibility to MetS in our studied Tunisian population but they emphasize the role of these variants in the metabolism of lipids with gender-specific differences. The genotyping of a third variant located in HNF1A gene will allow us to perform a haplotypic analysis.

11

Biochemical characterization of three microalgae strains with potential utility for food application

Sheyma KHEMIRI1*, NadiaBERREJEB1,Issam SMAALI1,Nadia KHELIFI1,2

1LIP-MB Laboratory (LR11ES24), INSAT-University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia, 2 Higher Institute of Fishing and Aquaculture of Bizerte

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress :khemirisheyma@gmail.com

Abstract:

Microalgae are able to enhance the nutritional content of conventional foods and affecting positively human health, due to their original chemical composition, which is known to vary with the culture conditions. In this context, the aim of this study was first to evaluate the effect of four culture media on the biochemical composition of two species of microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris (Ch1), Nano chlorepsisgaditana (N2) anda local commercial Arthrospiraplatensis obtained fromGatrana society (Tunisia). Secondly,to improve the nutritional properties of traditional foods, a fresh ricotta enriched with different amounts of microalgae biomass (Chlorella vulgaris and arthrospiraplatensis) was prepared. The results showed that theses microalgae strains contained between 6 and 38.9% of lipids and the culture medium f / 2 showed the best yields. In the other hand, the highest total sugar levels for Ch1 and N2 were obtained in the same medium (34%, 44% respectively). For the determination of the phenolic compounds, Ch1 showed the best rate 45.52 mg EAG / g DW. Similarly for the carotenoids content, Chlorella vulgaris (Ch1) showed the highest retention (2.45 mg / g ME) in the BG11 medium. In the same medium, the methanolic extracts of N2 and Ch1 showed interesting inhibition against the free radical DPPH. The IC50 values varied between 0.69 mg / ml and 2.14 mg / ml. The preliminary evaluation of sensory parameters of the new product "Ricottalgue" gave encouraging results, therefore the carrying out of in-depth analyzes is required to facilitate its commercialization.

12

Development of new bioactive packaging materials: Study of physico-chemical and mechanical properties

Rim GHERIBI and Khaoula KHWALDIA*

Laboratoire des Substances Naturelles (LSN, LR10 INRAP02), Institut National de Recherche et d'Analyse Physico-chimique (INRAP), Pôle Technologique de Sidi-Thabet, 2020 Sidi-Thabet,

Tunisia. * Corresponding author, E-mail adress : khaoula_khwaldia@yahoo.fr

Abstract:

Nowadays, plastic materials are invading our environment. Tons of plastic wastes are dumped in the

environment every year which highly affect human and animal health.For these reasons, the

substitution of plastics by new biodegradable and ecofriendly materials become a challenging goal. In

this context, our research aims to develop new biomaterials based on biopolymers extracted from

Tunisian agricultural wastes. In fact, cactus cladodes are a wild spread and low cost byproducts that

constitute avaluable source of functional biopolymers and active compounds. A polysaccharidic

polymer was extracted by a simple and safe method. The characterization of this carbohydrate by

NMR, FTIR and HPLC-RID demonstrated that it is a branched arabinogalactan biopolymer with good

functional and thermal properties. The extracted polysaccharide was lately used to develop edible

films by solvent casting. The obtained films, when plasticized with different polyol plasticizers,

showed good water vapor barrier, mechanical and thermal properties. The obtained results prove

that the developed biomaterials constitute an interesting and promising alternative to plastic

materials and several food packaging applications may be conceived.

13

Anaerobic biological treatment of saline tuna fish wastewater in continuous mode: Reactor performance and analysis of the microbial community

structure and abundance

Mariem Jeddi*, Fatma Karray, Slim Loukil, Najla Mhiri, Manel Ben Abdallah, Sami Sayadi Laboratory of Environmental Bioprocess LMI COSYS-Med, Centre of biotechnology of Sfax,

B.P “1177”, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia *Corresponding author: Email: mariemjeddi12@gmail.com

Abstract:

The purpose of the present work is to treat saline Tuna fish wastewater, with salt concentration of 43 g/L and TOC of 8.3 g/L, using an anaerobic fixed bed reactor during 150 days involving halophilic or halotolerant microorganisms [1].The performance of the system evaluated under different operating conditions shows an optimum volatile solids removal efficiency of 84.1% for the organic loading rate of 1.04 g TOC/L.d and the lowest salinity concentration of 14.6 g NaCl/L. Then, an optimum biogas production of 0.8 L/d for a working volume of 4L and an organic loading rate of 2.07 g TOC/L.d. It correlates with the decrease of VFA content and the improvement of methanogens activities. The phylogenetic analysis of the bacterial community show the action of hydrolytic, acidogenic, halotolerant sulfate reducing and halophilic fermentative bacterium during the processing time. A stable archaeal and methanogenic community’s diversity including hydrogenotrophic methanogens were demonstrated. The highest bacterial population abundance was detected in OLR2 and the important methanogenic community abundance in OLR4 may be related to the highest biogas production in this charge for an effluent salinity of 27.7 g NaCl/L.

References:

[1] bou-elela, S.I., Kamel, M.M., Fawzy, M.E., 2010. Biological treatment of saline wastewater using a

salt-tolerant microorganism. DES 250, 1–5. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2009.03.022

14

Performance enhancement of Fuel Cell: Thermodynamic modeling and optimization

Imen Fouzai* , Maher Raddaoui Research Unit Physics, Computer Science and Mathematics UR13ES83

* Coresponding author, E-mail adress: fouzaii@yahoo.fr

Abstract:

Fuel cells systems are more and more recognized as promising subtitutes to the conventional power systems, however, these systems still suffer from low reliability and short lifetime [1]. The main objective of this thesis is to improve the performance of fuel cells and to put the laws of control through a thermodynamic analysis. In this context, mathematical models are considered as a valuable tool for understanding, predicting and improving the behavior of fuel cell systems. Here we have developed a detailed thermodynamic model of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) in cell and system levels. This model is Implemented in ANSYS code to simulate the performance of the cells and systems studied.

A comparative study based on performance parameters, such as SOFC power and inlet temperature, is used to select the better configuration.

References:

[1] Thorud B., Dynamic modeling and characterization of a solid oxide fuel cell integrated in a gas turbine cycle. Doctoral Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology, Department of Energy and Process Engineering; 2005.

15

Synthesis and biological valorisation of metallo phthalocyanines and poly heterocyclic compounds from thiocoumarin derivatives and their applications

in the environmental field

Naceur Hamdi*, Ichraf Slimani Department of chemstry,Borj Cedria Higher institute of Sciences and Technology of

Environment Ecopark of Borj Cedria Touristic road of Soliman,Hammam-Lif, BP 95,2050 Tunis,Tunisia

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress: naceur.hamdi@isste.rnu.tn

Abstract:

Thiones, incorporating coumarins, have remained little studied for a long time. Therefore, we will

count ourselves on the subject to develop methodologies for the synthesis of thes heterocyclic

compounds so coveted for their particular biological and pharmaceutical properties. In this context

we will be interested in the first part of this PhD project to study the reactivity of 4-mercapto-2H-

chromene-2-thione, prepared from 4-hydroxycoumarine, Compared with the binucleophiles type 1,4

μ o-phenylenediamine, o-aminophenol and o-aminothiophenol in order to acess new coumarinic

heterocycles.

The objectif of this work is the preparation of a new generation of metallophthlocyanine materials

whose synthetic intermediates, namely coumarin derivatives, have interesting pharmacological

activities [1,2].

References:

[1] N. Hamdi, Carmen Puerta and Pedro Valerga, Eur J. Med Chem. 43 (2008) 2541. [2] N. Hamdi, Mustapha Saoud and Antonio Romerosa, J. Het. Chem. 45 (2008) 1835.

16

Extraction of cactus (opuntia ficus indica) diatery fibers, structural and microtructural properties

Marwa Cheikh Rouhou1,2*, Souhir Abdelmoumen1,2, Hamadi Attia2, Thomas Sabu3, Dorra Ghorbel1,2

1University of Carthage (INSAT), Tunis, Tunisia. 2University de Sfax (ENIS, LAVASA), Sfax, Tunisia.

3Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. * Corresponding author, E-mail adress:marwa.cheikhrouhou@yahoo.fr

Abstract:

The importance of dietary fiber in the human diet is increasingly demonstrated. Next to their prebiotic effect, beneficial effects on reducing cholesterol, the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity prevention, etc… have been proven (1). Nowadays, there is a tendency to find new sources of dietary fibers, such as the undervalued plant products like the cactus raquet. These rackets were collected, washed, spined, cuted, dried and crushed. The powder obtained was analyzed chemically (dry matter contents, ash, minerals, protein, fat, reducing sugars, total sugars and fiber). The results obtained showed that the raw material présent a wealth compound recoverable. The second part of this work was interested to compare some fibers extraction protocols: extraction with water, ethanol and steam explosion by varying the time of the experiment for each. The extracts obtained were characterized by determining the fiber content and the nature of

chemical bonds by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). For the rest of the work, samples

with the highest fiber content have been chosen. In fact the concentrates of fibers were analyzed by

X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to

pick up the effectiveness of different extraction protocols. The XRD results were obtained after

comparing of the differences between the XRD spectra with and without treatement. These results

reveal an increase in the crystallinity index after treatment. But long-time treatments can affect the

degree of crystallinity of the fibers obtained. Which is not the case for the steam traitemnet. Indeed,

the degree of crystallinity of cellulose is higher in these samples due to the reduction of the

hemicelluloses in the treatment then the improvement of the order of crystallites. These results are

in agreement with those obtained by SEM and AFM. In fact, the untreated sample reveals an

irregular outer surface and heterogeneous structure, after treatment with water and etanol, the

surface present some fibrous structures. However, the morphology and the structure of the

extracted fibers with steam explosion were clearer than the other treatments.

References:

[1] Medellin, M. L. C., Salvidar, S. O. S., & De la Garza, J. V. (1998). Effect of raw and cooked nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) ingestion on growth and total cholesterol, lipoproteins and blood glucose in rats. Archivos Latinoamericanos Nutricion, 48(4), 316–323.

17

Investigations on carlina involucrata bioactive properties

RIAHI Ikram1*, AZAIEZ Ghalia2, RIAHI Hamadi3, KSOURI Riadh4 and HAYOUNI Akrem4

1National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Centre Urbain Nord BP 676 - 1080 Tunis Cedex- TUNISIA

2Faculty of Sciences of Tunisia, Campus Universitaire 2092 – EL MANAR, Tunis, TUNISIA

3Technical Center of Chemistry, 4 Rue de l’artisana, Z.I Charguia 2, 2035 Tunis-Carthage, TUNISIA

4Biotechnology Research Center, Technopole de Borj Cedria, route touristique de Borj Cedria, TUNISIA

*Corresponding author, E-mail adress: ikram.riahi1@gmail.com

Abstract:

In order to deepen investigations on the ethnobotany use of Carlina involucrata for infantile therapeutic purpose, samples of the species have been collected during march 2018 from wild vegetation that grow natively on a rocky calcareous soil in Djebel Mansour located 80 km southern the capital of Tunisia. Roots have been washed, cut in small pieces then dried outdoors and finished in stove at 60 °C. Dried roots were crushed into powder and analysis carried out to asses total polyphenols content, total flavonoids and antioxydant activity. In vitro antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract was tested in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydracyl (DPPH) assay .The measured IC50 equal to 54,1991 which is considerably higher than the BHT’s IC50 value (11,5179).

18

Integrated biohydrogen process by combining dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion and microbial electrolysis cell: Investigation and

mathematical modeling

MounaYahya1,2, Samir Ismaili2,Achraf Ghorbal3 1National Institute of Applied Science sand Technologies Tunis, University Carthage,Tunisia 2Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Gabes, University of Gabes, Tunisia

3 Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Gabes, University of Gabes, Tunisia

Abstract:

The exhaustion of reserves of fossil fuels and their environmental impacts are leading to a research for novel renewable energy technologies. Bio-hydrogen production from organic wastes by microbial fermentation has proven to be an excellent potential alternative. [1]This study aims to improve the productivity andproduction yield of hydrogen by combining anaerobic digestion(AD) and microbial electrolysis cell(MEC).The first step consists of a dark fermentation(DF) reactor which ensures a partial degradation of complexes organic matter of several raw materials such as food wastes, palm oil and by products of olive oil into hydrogen and simple molecules. The effluent of the first reactor will be then sent to a MEC whereelectroactivebiofilms convert completely organic matter into hydrogen and carbon dioxide.The first aim of this thesis is the development of an integrated bioprocess so as to understand the assessment and the feasibility of the process. A screening will be performed to interpret the main parameters affecting the process(pH, Total Solids, Volatil Solids, COD,...). A further contribution of this thesis is the development of AD and MEC mathematical models describing the dynamic of substrate consumption, microorganism’s growth by using ordinary differential equations to describe biomass growth and substrate consumption in the bioreactor. An AD model will be developed first by simplifying the well-known Anaerobic Digestor Model No1 (ADM1), which is based on mass balance equations and physico-chemical equilibrium expressions.A MEC model will be then implemented according to existing models. This modelis based on material balance with the integration of bio-electrochemical reactions describing the steady-state behavior of biomass growth, consumption of substrates, hydrogen production, and the effect of applied voltage on the performance of the MEC fed-batch reactor. Numerical simulations will be presented to demonstrate the dynamic behavior of model solutions.

References:

[1] Marone, A. et al. Coupling dark fermentation and microbial electrolysis to enhance bio-hydrogen production from agro-industrial wastewaters and by-products in a bio-refinery framework. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 42, 1609–1621 (2017). [2] Mardanpour, M. M. & Yaghmaei, S. Dynamical Analysis of Microfluidic Microbial Electrolysis Cell via Integrated Experimental Investigation and Mathematical Modeling. Electrochimica Acta 227, 317–329 (2017). [3]Recio-Garrido, D., Perrier, M. & Tartakovsky, B. Modeling, optimization and control of bioelectrochemical systems. Chemical Engineering Journal 289, 180–190 (2016).

19

Magnesium orthosilicate synthesis and application

on waste oil purification

Fairouz GHARIANI AMRAOUI1,2*, Radouanne FEZEI2, Ahmed Hichem HAMZAOUI2

1 National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (INSAT), Tunisia 2Valorization Laboratory of Useful Materials,National Center of Material Science Research,

Technological Pole Borj Cedria, B.P.73 – 8027 Soliman, Tunisia *Corresponding author, e-mail : gharianifairouz@yahoo.fr

Abstract:

Waste frying oil purification was conducted using three magnesium silicates (MS5, MS7, MS9) according the adsorption, the neutralization and the combined neutralization-adsorption processes. The purified oil samples were evaluated for free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide values, color and minerals. The three MS powders were effective in adsorbing FFA and peroxides from unpurified oil. The best decrease of FFA (0.39 mg KOH/g oil) and peroxides (0.9 mmol/kg oil) was obtained after 90 minutes of treatment with MS9. The combined process was more efficient than the neutralization or the adsorption process alone primarily for minerals elimination. Indeed, free fatty acids of the neutralized oil (0.79 mg KOH/g oil) were reduced to 0.3 mg KOH/g oil after 90 minutes of treatment with MS9. More than 46% of peroxides were also removed using the combined process. The removal of Ca, Fe, Si, P, Mn, K and Zn exceeded 99.5%. Regarding its color, the purified oil was lighter and more yellowish as a result of contaminant elimination.Regeneration and reuse of the magnesium silicate have also been proven in this work which minimizes the purification cost and ensures the process profitability.

References:

[1] Berrios, M., Martín, M.A., Chica, A.F., Martín, A., 2010. Study of esterification and transesterification in biodiesel production from used frying oils in a closed system. Chemical Engineering Journal. 160, 473–479. [2] Da Silva, M., Guabiroba, R. C., Meireles, R., César, A., 2016. Value chain analysis of waste cooking oil for biodiesel production: Study case of one oil collection company in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production. 142, 3928–3937.

20

Novel benzimidazole derivatives through electrosynthesis

Rihab Guedouara, Maali Abidia, Najoua Derbelb, Madiha Mhiri Kammounc and Salma Besbes-Hentatia*

aLaboratoire de Chimie des Matériaux, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, 7021 Zarzouna, Bizerte, Tunisie.

bLaboratoire de Spectroscopie Atomique Moléculaire et Applications (LSAMA), Faculté des Science de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisie.

cDepartment of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Dammam, KSA and Water Treatment Laboratory, Water Technology Centre, Soliman, 8027, Tunisia

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress: salma.hentati@fsb.rnu.tn

Abstract:

Benzimidazoles are five-membered heteroaromatic rings, widely used in High technology,

agrochemical and medicinal chemistry. They have applications as corrosion inhibitors, antibacterial

agents and dyes.

Our aim in this thesis concerns the anodic oxidation of N-(2-benzimidazolyl) imidate and its

electrochemical conversion at a fixed potential on a platinum electrode, to obtain new benzimidazole

compounds, such as its corresponding dimer and functionalized derivatives, mainly in the presence

of para tert butyl anisole or para tert butyl phenol. By means of Cyclic voltammetry study, it is

possible to characterize our compound electrochemically and to identify its potential of oxidation,

allowing the optimization of the potentiostatic study.

The elaborated oxidation products will be characterized by RMN, FTIR and LCMS and Cyclic

voltammetry. They will be screened as inhibitor of corrosion and antioxidant agents as well as

antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer materials [1,2,3].

References:

[1] Kucukbay H, Durmaz R, Orhan E , Gunal S (2003) II Farmaco. 58, 431-437 [2] Lu HL, Lee YH, Huang ST, Su C, Yang TCK (2011) Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 95: 158-162 [3] Xue Gi, Ding J, Wu P, Ji G (1989) J. Electroanal. Chem. and Interfacial Electrochem 270: 163-173

21

Comparative study of cellulose/PANI conductive composites from different

celluloses

O. Hajlaoui, H.Essaddam, N.H Batis

Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (INSAT), University of Carthage, Tunisia

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress: hajlaouioumayma@gmail.com

Abstract:

Different celluloses are used, in this work. Cellulose extracted from sawdaws, cotton and

microcrystalline cellulose were used to synthesize composites of cellulose/ polyaniline (PANI). The

same reaction protocols and conditions were applied to prepare all the composites. The composites

of cellulose/PANI have been synthesized via in situ polymerization. The objective is to maximize the

electrical conductivity yield reach and the highest degree of substitution (DS) of the cellulose. The

structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy

(FTIR) is used to confirm the surface modification. The thermal stability was controlled by

thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and morphology of different composites was observed by

scanning electron microscope (SEM). This characterization demonstrates that the highest DS as well

as yield are associated to the cellulose type I with cotton cellulose because of its structure mainly its

reactivity and metastability.

References:

[1] Yu, H., Chen, P., Chen, W., & Liu, Y. (2014). Effect of cellulose nanofibers on induced polymerization of aniline and formation of nanostructured conducting composite. Cellulose, 21(3), 1757-1767. [2] Zhang, S., Sun, G., He, Y., Fu, R., Gu, Y., & Chen, S. (2017). Preparation, Characterization, and Electrochromic Properties of Nanocellulose-Based Polyaniline Nanocomposite Films. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 9(19), 16426-16434.

22

Swimming imprinted micro-motors for highly selective biosensing

Fatma Moncer1,2, Nafaâ Adhoum2, Lotfi Monser1,2

1 Laboratory of Electro Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Carthage University, Tunisia

2 Laboratory of Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Materials, Kairouan University, Tunisia

Abstract :

Mimicking natural biological process was considered as the most fascinating challenge in Nanomedicine due to obvious benefits especially in the field of biosensing and drug delivery. Since current cancer treatments like radiation therapy and chemotherapy often end up destroying more healthy cells than cancerous ones, developing artificial microscale medical containers [1] seems to be a very promising solution. These imprinted small microengines could propel directly to the infected area in the body for rapid and highly selective biosensing which is achieved by catalytic motion [2]. In this context, chemically propelled tubular micromotors driven by catalytic fuel source was investigated based on the template electrochemical deposition method for in-vivo application. The SEM images have shown 13 µm length tubular structures proving their microscale design. The high-speed of microjets (460 nm/s) highlights the promising applicability of these tiny machines in the human body for a very fast screening test of several biomarkers in the human body.

References :

[1] O. Akhavan et al., Nano Lett, 2016, 16, 5619-5630. [2] M. Medina-Sanchez et al., Nature, 2017, 545, 406-408.

23

Decision support system for the performance of an environmental

management system

Rim Kanoun*, Mohamed Taieb Ben Romdhan, Ahmed Badreddine LISI, INSAT, Tunisia

Corresponding author, E-mail adress: kanounmarwa@gmail.com

Abstract:

We are interested in environmental management systems with a view to pollution prevention with

the minimization of potentially negative aspects and impacts and assurance of the environmental

performance of organizations by targeting areas of progress in the context of the profitable

environment.The scientific literature in this area describes the difficulties and problems inherent in

the generic nature of these standards. The latter impose requirements without clarifying the manner

and methodology to be followed to comply with them. These problems include:

-The adequacy and coherence between environmental management systems (EMS) vis-à-vis the

contexts of organizations.

-The lack of consideration of the life cycle of products in the treatment of environmental aspects and

impacts significantly contributes to the transfer of pollution through different parts of this life cycle

- A methodological deficiency to treat data very often uncertain and imprecise.

With the publication of the ISO14001 standard in its 2015 version, a HLS (High Level Structure)

structure was introduced for the implementation of EMS. Particular emphasis is given to

management based on Risk, PDCA (Continuous Improvement) and process approaches. From this

issue, we propose the development and implementation of an intelligent environmental

management system that adapts to its context, which ensures environmental performance and

minimizes impacts in the different phases of the life cycle some products.

References:

[1] Joseph Alcamo, “Evaluating the impacts of global environmental assessments”, Environmental Science and Policy, 2017 [2]Hamza Sellak, Brahim Ouhbia, Bouchra Frikh, Iván Palomares, “Towards next-generation energy planning decision-making: An expertbased framework for intelligent decision support”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 80, 2017. [3]N. Bonneuil, R. Boucekkine, “Optimal transition to renewable energy with threshold of irreversible pollution”, European Journal of Operational Research, 2015.

24

Design of a parallel mechanism as an assistance tool for blind orientation

Rihab JERIDI1*, Jawher GHOMMAM2

1National Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Tunisia 2Departement of Electrical and Computer Engineering,

College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University * Corresponding author, E-mail adress: jeridirihab@gmail.com

Jawhar.ghommam@gmail.com

Abstract:

According to the World Health Organization, vision impairment presents the combination of

moderate vision impairment, severe vision impairment, and blindness. Due to several demographic

reasons as the aging populations and low middle income of most of the affected countries, the

number of visually impaired is increasing permanently [1]. In fact, recent estimates affirm that by

2050 there will be 588 million people living with moderate or severe vision impairment and 115

million with blindness [2,3]. The vision impairment impacts not only the ability to proceed a

productive life but it has also a huge impact on the psychology of the deficient. In fact, most of the

impaired people are at risk for either depression, loss of confidence or stress due to their inability to

conduct usual activities without others’ help. In this context, several robotic assistance tools were

developed by the mean of new technical assistance supports and innovative approaches to monitor

and guide visually impaired people in order to better integrate them in the daily life and to adapt

their lifestyle. Indeed, these devices improve the way people think and live regardless of their age or

disability since they have been able to safely and effectively assist needy people while enhancing

their own trust in and the dependence. Our research work aims at designing and developing four

degrees of freedom parallel mechanism in order to divert obstacles and adapt to the human trunk

capabilities by wearing an autonomous and motorized belt. In fact, the idea is designed to help

people with impaired people get better at avoiding obstacles on their own using an autonomous

control system. So, the proposed prototype is the combination of a strapped mechanical mechanism

to the wearer’s upper body and an implemented camera on glasses, providing controlled torques to

the human trunk to modify its posture by a well-defined angle according to a visual scanning of the

environment.

References:

[1] S. R. Flaxman et al., “Global causes of blindness and distance vision impairment 1990–2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” Lancet Glob. Heal., vol. 5, no. 12, (2017), pp: 1221–1234. [2] D. Kaphle and S. Lewallen, “Magnitude and Determinants of the Ratio between Prevalence of Low Vision and Blindness in Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness Surveys,” Ophthalmic Epidemiol., vol. 24, no. 5, (2017), pp: 287-293. [3] J. L. Fontenot et al., “Vision Rehabilitation Preferred Practice Pattern®,” Ophthalmology, vol. 125, no. 1, (2018), pp: 228–278.

25

Control and monitoring of muscle activity using acoustic myography

Ines Masmoudi*, Slim Yacoub INSAT, Tunisia

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress: ines.masmoudi91@gmail.com

Abstract:

By contracting, the muscles emit very low frequency sounds. The frequency of its sounds is between

2 Hz and 100 Hz [1]. The recording of his emitted sounds is acoustic myography. This technique

makes it possible to follow the way in which a group of muscles is solicited during an effort whatever

its duration.

The acquisition of the AMG signals is performed by an experimental device composed of a sensor for

the measurement of muscle vibration, preamplifier, amplification and low noise filters. The time and

frequency characteristics of the AMG signals are obtained by proposing different signal processing

techniques such as the Fast Filled Transform (FFT), the autoregressive model (AR), transformed into

a wavelet ... The characteristic vector thus obtained will be used as input to a neural network

classification algorithm. The results obtained must show, according to the studied muscle, an

intestinal or pulmonary problem or, in general, an abnormal fatigue of a given muscle.

References:

[1] C. Orizio, “Muscle sound: bases for the introduction of a mechanomyographic signal in muscle studies.” Critical reviews in biomedical engineering, vol. 21, no. 3. pp. 201–243, 1993

26

Modalities fusion for a better identification of the prostate tumor

Zeineb Chaouch1,2*, Olfa Charfi Marrakchi1 1University of Carthage (INSAT), Tunis, Tunisia.

2Laboratory of materials molecules and applications, Tunisia. * Corresponding author E-mail address: zeineb.chaouch@hotmail.fr

Abstract: The detection of cancerous lesions is mostly diagnosed using Positron Emission Tomography (PET-scan) or scintigraphy. Both modalities present a risk to the health of patients because of the use of radioactive tracers. To avoid this type of harmful examination, physicians use as alternative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) modalities for tumor localization and characterization, such as: the T2-weighted image, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), proton density and T2-mapping images. In the framework of this theoretical study, which is yet in the implementation stage and which will focus on the feasibility of integrating the modalities into a classifier for prostate tumor identification, several databases extracted from the literature are analyzed in order to determine the appropriate weights, or attribute images, from which the mean and variance will be calculated to develop descriptors which characterize texture and used by Support Vector Machine (SVM) networks for mapping the pathology of the prostate and perform a diagnosis comparable to that obtained by the PET Technique. SVM classifier is not yet implemented. In this study we have shown the performances of IRM modalities to develop descriptors from a vast literature research. As part of this thesis, we have synthesized methodologies using MRI modalities to overcome the use of scintigraphy to identify cancerous regions. In this context we have established a choice of a weighting basis or attribute images, among those cited in the literature [1], according to its specificities, capable, through descriptors calculated on this basis, of characterizing tumor tissue located in the prostate. This base will be used later for the identification of the prostate tumor by SVM classifiers. Also, we were able to show the complex mode of simultaneous acquisition of all the T2W, DP weightings and theT2 and ADC maps existing in MRI imaging, on a patient presenting a case of cancer pathology. In addition to the choice of weights, we have opted, according to the bibliographic study, for the use of a segmented T1-weighted image according to the instructions of a radiologist specialist doctor for the validation of the classification results by SVM. It is possible, according to the results obtained, that we will be called to introduce modifications at the level of descriptors used and to complete the base of images of attributes chosen by considering inverted morphological sequences in grayscale (Pet-like).

References:

[1] Ian Chan, William Wells III, Robert V. Mulkern, Steven Haker, Jianqing Zhang, Kelly H. Zou, Stephan E. Maier et Clare M. C. Tempany: «Detection of prostate cancer by integration of line-scan diffusion, T2-mapping and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging; a multichannel statistical classifier», Medical Physics, Vol.30, No. 9, pp: 2390 – 2398, Septembre 2003.

27

Study, design and realization of a Ge/GeP structure for radiometric measurements between 900 and 1800nm

Ibtihel Chaabane*, Oualid Touayar, Sylvaing Cloutier Research team « Metrology of Optical and Thermal Radiations » of the Materials,

Measurements and Applications laboratory, MMA of theNational Institut of Applied Sciences and Technology, Tunisia

CANADA Research Chair, Nano-engineered Optoelectronic Materials and Advanced Devices of the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), CANADA

* Corresponding author, E-mail adress: ibtihel.chaabane.1@etsmtl.net Abstract: Photodiodes commercialized nowadays and used in research laboratories for radiometric measurements between 900nm and 1800nm are bulk Germanium based. Hense, the need to make these devices more efficient in point of view sensitivity to incident optical radiation. This sensitivity is defined as the ratio between the output current and the incident light power. It can also be expressed as a function of the External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) η and the reflectance ρ. This EQE is expressed itself, among others, as a function of the reflectance ρ. One can conclude that the sensitivity is mainly function of the reflectance what leads to the objective of this work which is “decrease the reflectance to increase the sensitivity”. One of the solutions proposed to decrease the surface reflection is to increase the surface to air ratio by etching. To do so, we first established an original method of etching to create a shallow V-shaped nanotextured Pit Arrays in the surface of Germanium. Indeed, this method has been subject of a journal paper published in MDPI materials. In this work, we study the morphology, topography, crystallography and chemistry of the surface and we finally study the broadband near-infrared reflectance that confirm a significant reduction using this simple wet etching protocol. Then, we design and realize Germanium PN junction-based photodiodes. On the surface of some of these devices, we have added this nanotexture by etching in order to study the impact of this layer on the electrical characteristics. Indeed, this part of the project has been subject of an oral presentation in the CAFMET 2018 conference and the corresponding conference paper is under consideration for publication in the IJMQE journal. In this work, we developed the realization steps of a PN junction photodiode and we comment the quality of the obtained junction. We also quantify electrical parameters recorded on photodiodes produced exactly in the same way, except for the etching step. Finally, we have demonstrated that a brief etching with respect to the junction depth, improves all the studied electrical parameters which are: the voltages (Vs, Voc), the resistances (Rs, Rsh) and the currents (Isc, Isat). It is important to mention that, as the reflectance is proportional to pores depth and the pores depth is limited by the junction, better results can be achieved with deeper junction and deeper pores.

28

Comparative study between three feed forward neural networks used for

ECG arrhythmia classification

Hela LASSOUED*,Raouf ketata National Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Centre Urbain Nord, Charguia Cedex,

Tunisia * Corresponding author, E-mail : laswed.hela@gmail.com

Abstract:

Currently, in order to improve the quality and the speed of medical services, the use of a Decision Support System ( DSS) becomes a necessity, especially when the analysis requires a carefully inspection of a long physiological recordings. However, the DSS demands the selection of a machine learning approach which is the more appropriate to analyze the input data. In fact, several artificial intelligent algorithms have been developed for this topic, such as the Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Unfortunately, among several ANN architectures, finding the appropriate one and its configuration need structural and parametric studies. In this work, a DSS, based on ANN classifier, is investigated as a diagnostic system to classify ElectroCardioGram (ECG) recordings into certain cardiac arrhythmias. Indeed, to select the optimal ANN architecture, three feedforward ANNs, which are the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), the Radial Basic Function Network (RBF) and the Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN), are evaluated according to structural and parametric studies. In fact, forty eight (48) ECG signals, of one minute recording, were selected from the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database. These input signals were extracted into two feature sets which are based on ECG morphology and Discrete Wavelet Transformer (DWT) coefficients. Then, each ANN is applied for the classification and the selected architecture was chosen with the highest accuracy (ACC), the lowest Mean Square Error (MSE) and the fast response. After that, a comparative study between the selected networks (MLP, RBF and PNN) is reached. Consequently, we have obtained that the RBF was retained as the most accurate network, the PNN as the rapidest network in the training stage and the MLP is the rapidest network in testing stage.

29

Development of denoise methods on X- ray images acquired using flat detector

Naouel Guezmir1,2*, Olfa Marrakchi Charfi1. 1University of Carthage (INSAT), Tunis, Tunisia.

2Laboratory of materials molecules and applications, Tunisia. * Corresponding author E-mail adress: guezmirnaouel@gmail.com

Abstract:

In large doses, radiation can cause serious tissue damage and increase a person’s risk of later

developing cancer. Thus, many techniques were used by radiologists to create lower dose with the

manipulation of parameters that can be optimized to reduce patient radiation dose, including tube

current (mAs) or tube potential (kV), etc... however, image quality is also important because of the need

to provide the necessary information in a radiograph in order to make an accurate diagnosis. Thus, there

are tradeoffs to be considered between image quality and radiation dose: In fact reducing radiation

dose through the manipulation of these parameters increases image noise. For this reason, the search

for efficient image denoising methods still is a valid challenge, which is the main topic of our work.The

aim of our work is to develop a novel procedure to reduce noise in X-ray images in order to expose

patient at the lowest X-ray in general radiography acquisition. The method is based on the analysis of

two X-ray images of Pro-Digi phantom acquired using two different X-Ray doses. Acquisition was done

using general X-ray machine with flat detector, Multix Fusion (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). The high

dose image is considered as reference-standard image and the lower X-ray dose is used as noisy image.Our

method called DWTTM consist on using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) [1] and thresholding methods

(TM) [2].By using the developed denoising algorithm, we have shown that the noise is not localized in

detail subband obtained by the DWT applied on the low X-ray image. Only the approximation images are

thresholded, on several decomposition levels. We have focused our study on seven ROI of these

images with different contrast: four most lightly regions are not affected by noise and three obscured

regions are affected by noise. Threshold depends on localization of DWT-energy coefficient values of

these regions according the DWT-level of decomposition. Thus, for each ROI a threshold and a level

of decomposition are assigned to them to reach the best denoising results. To evaluate denoising

results on low X-ray image, we have used three-convergence criterion: the pixel mean value and the SNR

value of each of the denoised low X-ray image converge to those of the corresponding regions of reference

image. The CNR ratios of the denoised ROI are maintained close to the image regions of low X-ray noised.

Results show the efficiency of this method to reduce noise in low X-ray image. These results are

promising for the noise reduction in low x-ray image. In consequence, at the rest of our work, it is

necessary to improve the results in the case of the artifacts, which may be generated. It is necessary also to

impose the selective criterion of the noised coefficients among the coefficient eliminated by threshold.

References:

[1] S.G. Mallat (1989). A theory for multi-resolution signal decomposition: The wavelet

representation, IEEE Transaction on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 11, n.7, pp. 674- 693.

[2] D. L. Donoho (1995). De-Noising By Soft-Thresholding, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory. vol. 41,

issue 3, pp. 613-627.