University of Blida

BackgroundBiosimilars are increasingly used in rheumatology practice; however, knowledge gaps and regulatory uncertainties may affect their acceptance. This study assessed the knowledge, perceptions, and clinical practices related to biosimilars among rheumatologists in the Arab League of Associations for Rheumatology (ArLAR) countries.MethodsA web-based survey of 19 questions, adapted from a European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) tool, was distributed among ArLAR-affiliated rheumatologists between July 2024 and January 2025. The questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitudes, clinical use, and educational preferences. A French version was developed and validated by the study steering committee. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 105 rheumatologists from various Arab countries participated in the survey. The mean age of participants was 43.6 ± 11.7 years, and 61.9% were females. Most participants were adult rheumatologists (94.3%), primarily from Iraq (37.1%), Morocco (19%), and Algeria (16.2%). While 85.7% reported using biosimilars in practice, only 50.5% correctly identified the formal definition. Comfort with EMA/FDA-approved biosimilars was high (mean score 4.22/5), while concerns remained about switching in stable patients and among multiple biosimilars. The majority (80%) expressed interest in additional biosimilar education, particularly on regulatory approval, extrapolation, and safety.ConclusionArLAR rheumatologists show high uptake of biosimilars but moderate understanding of key regulatory and clinical concepts. Regionally adapted educational programs are needed to support evidence-based biosimilar use and improve confidence in clinical decision-making.

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the stability and dynamic behavior of the Willamowski–Rössler (WR) chemical reaction model, a classical prototype for chaotic oscillations in chemical kinetics. While previous studies have primarily focused on isolated equilibria or local dynamical properties, this work provides a systematic and unified analysis of the WR model by characterizing the full coexistence structure of its equilibria and rigorously determining their stability across distinct parameter regions. In particular, we identify regions of full and partial equilibrium coexistence and derive exact analytical conditions for the occurrence of Hopf bifurcations, thereby clarifying the parameter regimes in which oscillatory and chaotic dynamics may arise. This framework yields a global perspective on the stability landscape of the WR system that is not available in earlier analyses. In addition, two backstepping‐based control schemes are developed to achieve stabilization and master‐slave synchronization of the WR model. Numerical simulations are presented to validate the theoretical results and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategies. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the WR system's dynamics and provide a structured basis for control‐oriented applications in chemical reaction engineering.

Background: Delay in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis contributes to its transmission and undermines control efforts, however, these delays have not been systematically assessed in Algeria. Aim: To assess the duration and determinants of delay in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in Algeria. Methods: Between June and December 2019, we reviewed paper-based medical records of, and interviewed, 323 adult patients aged ≥ 15 years at 4 tuberculosis facilities in Blida District of Algeria. The participants were newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients registered under the revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme. The data were analysed using Epi Info version 7.2.1, and univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with delays at the patient and health system levels. Results: The median patient delay was 15 days (interquartile range 7–35), median health system delay was 28 days (interquartile range 14–55), and median total delay was 52 days (interquartile range 33–88). Longer patient delays were observed among patients who initially sought care at a pharmacy, while health system delays were longer among those with delayed chest X-ray examination, comorbidities and sputum culture-based diagnosis. Conclusion: Diagnosis delays among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Algeria remains substantial and largely attributable to health system delays. Targeted programmes to minimise or eliminate self-medication and reduce the time spent for pre-diagnosis examinations, including chest X-ray services, are needed to reduce diagnosis delays.

• Optimized concrete mix design using recycled coarse aggregates through DNN and IGWO. • Multi-objective optimization framework reveals trade-offs between density and ultrasonic pulse velocity. • Innovative use of machine learning for modeling water content, density, and UPV in recycled aggregate concrete. • Hybrid approach of Grey Wolf Optimizer and Deep Neural Network achieves superior predictive accuracy. • Validated models offer a sustainable framework for concrete mix design in eco-friendly construction. This study presents a thorough methodology for forecasting and enhancing the essential performance characteristics of concrete with Recycled Coarse Aggregates (RCA), including water content (Wt), density, and Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV). The attributes are represented as functions of cement content (300–400 kg/m³), RCA percentage (0–100 %), and slump (5–12 ± 1 cm). An experimental database was created using a three-factor, three-level design, followed by exploratory analysis using correlation matrices and three-dimensional response surface plots to identify significant input-output associations. Various modeling techniques, such as Response Surface Methodology (RSM), Decision Tree (DT), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and a Deep Neural Network (DNN) enhanced by the Improved Grey Wolf Optimizer (IGWO), were assessed. The accuracy of the model was meticulously evaluated by 4-fold cross-validation, Taylor diagrams, and radar plots, demonstrating that the DNN-IGWO hybrid surpassed all other models, achieving the minimal prediction errors and the maximal correlation coefficient (R 2 ) values for all target responses. The validated models were later employed as surrogates inside a multi-objective optimization framework employing the Multi-Objective Grey Wolf Optimizer (MOGWO). The optimization produced well-distributed Pareto fronts, emphasizing the intrinsic trade-off between density and UPV. The resultant "knee" solutions identify specific concrete compositions that optimize UPV (3.6–3.7) while ensuring a high density (≥2400 kg/m³) and moderate water content. This study provides a scientifically robust, data-driven paradigm for the sustainable design of concrete mixtures, facilitating the appropriate incorporation of recycled aggregates while enhancing material qualities.

Abstract This article proposes a method for constructing computer experiment designs, specifically for Strauss processes marked by three types of marks. This method is based on the theory of marked point processes. The designs obtained using the Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) method and the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm are easily adaptable and can meet various objectives. A detailed study on the convergence of the Markov chain was conducted. In addition, a comparison was made between our approach and other existing computer experiment designs.

Abstract The scarcity of freshwater is a major issue in arid regions of Algeria, where desalination represents a promising solution based on solar energy; this study focuses on experimental and theoretical investigation of a cascade distiller by focusing on the brackish water's salinity and the impact of its thermo‐physical properties on the production of distillate. Several experiments were conducted under real climatic conditions using different salinity levels (0.8, 21.6, 39.9, and 78.8 g/L). The theoretical approach was applied to analyze the influence of thermo‐physical properties of brackish water particularly the specific thermal capacity and latent heat of vaporization. These properties unlike pure water due to the presence of dissolved ions, which implies an estimated daily flow rate, increase of 3.2 to 3.7 kg/ day when the salinity exceeds 0.8 to 78.8 g/L. However in the experimental phase, productivity decreases from 1.75 to 1.25 kg/ day with the same variation in salinity. This decrease is mainly due to the formation of salt deposits on the absorbent surface, which reduces the absorption of solar radiation and the efficiency of heat exchanges. A good agreement between the experimental and numerical data was given with RMSE between 2.5°C and 6°C for all temperature components. The calculated of net present value 270 dollars confirms that the system is profitable investment. The study also based on the role of some key parameters such as the distiller's inclination, wind speed, brackish water thickness, allowing to optimize the design parameters to improve the productivity.