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For more than three decades, Morocco has been engaged in a major reform program in favour of gender equality. Several legal and institutional reforms have been adopted, and numerous policies to protect and promote women's rights in the socio-economic, political and educational spheres have been implemented. However, it turns out that unequal practices and differentialist representations that hierarchise men's and women's bodies have maintained the status quo. Men's and women's sexual experiences are still asymmetrical, and the female body is still under guardianship. This paper aims to analyze the educational discourse about sexuality in order to understand to what extent the school contributes to the (in)egalitarian building of bodies. This analyze concern textbooks, teacher's practices and reprenstations of adolescents/students. As a result, it seems that the Moroccan school still remains one of the spaces of resistance against gender equality and thus contributes to the (re)production of gender inequalities. [For the full proceedings, see ED652261.]

This article's interest is to approach the impact and changes occurred by integrating digital pedagogical practices in the Moroccan higher educational system. The paper emphasizes the use of digital technology in the university curriculum, and how the latter shaped students' behavior as well as learning development. Our research methodology is based on observation sessions in which we measured and accessed students' knowledge acquisition, and how the use this digital learning in their research and study process. We also worked on focus groups with students of French department in the faculty of letters and human sciences of Agadir to measure how the digital learning process could increase student's creativity and critical thinking. This methodology is adopted in order to present an overview or the educational context and the appearing challenges in order to propose innovative work perspectives and to design a model of digital learning strategy enhancing student's analysis and interpretation competencies. The main concern of our paper is how can we integrate an innovative impactful digital strategy in the process of learning and teaching in higher education, knowing that this system remains somehow resilient? [For the full proceedings, see ED630948.]

The innovation calls insist on the fact to identify new forms and models of learning and teaching. Actually, the educational approaches that encourage effective learning among student, is the Investigative Approach, which demonstrates more and more its potential in teaching. It is a scientific approach based on questioning and investigation where the learner is placed at the center of the action of learning questions himself, acts in a reasoned manner and communicates to build his learning while by being an actor in scientific activities. In this research, we aim to highlight the representations of secondary school teachers about the concept of investigative approach and determine the constraints and the obstacles to its implementation in the teaching of experimental sciences disciplines (Science of life and earth, Science of physics and chemistry). In order to achieve these objectives, a questionnaire was drawn up and was the subject of an exploratory study among 100 teachers of experimental sciences practicing in different secondary schools in Marrakech city. The results of this survey reveal, firstly, that the teachers questioned seem have confusions and misconceptions about the investigation process and secondly, they highlight the presence of constraints and difficulties that prevent its application in the classroom. [For the full proceedings, see ED630893.]

"Proceedings of International Conference on Research in Education and Science" includes full papers presented at the International Conference on Research in Education and Science (ICRES) which took place on March 24-27, 2022 in Antalya, Turkey. The aim of the conference is to offer opportunities to share ideas, to discuss theoretical and practical issues and to connect with the leaders in the fields of education and science. The conference is organized annually by the International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (ISTES). The ICRES invites submissions which address the theory, research or applications in all disciplines of education and science. The ICRES is organized for: faculty members in all disciplines of education and science, graduate students, K-12 administrators, teachers, principals and all interested in education and science. After peer-reviewing process, all full papers are published in the Conference Proceedings. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

This paper reviews the success factors of the digital transformation of higher education institutions based on the experience of Hassan 2 University of Casablanca (UH2C) in Morocco, which is the second largest university in the country. This work is based on the good practices implemented in the university's digitalization strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to run all the courses online and allow students to properly follow their lessons, the implementation of a robust and secure system is essential. This paper will take stock of the technical infrastructure of the university which has enabled it to support approximately 130,000 users, then the identification of all the services whose university needed to do its distance learning courses well and a proposal for the new system with the minimum of services that users will need to deliver and follow quality lessons.

The dropout of students is one of the major obstacles that ruin the improvement of higher education quality. To facilitate the study of students' dropout in Moroccan universities, this paper aims to establish a clustering approach model based on machine learning algorithms to determine Moroccan universities categories. Our objective in this article is to present a theoretical model capable of identifying higher education institutions that are similar in the dropout phenomenon. To avoid making Educational Data Mining Analysis on each higher educational programs predict students' performance, with such a classification we can reduce the number of studies to be done on one institution in each category of universities. [For the full proceedings, see ED639633.]

These proceedings contain the papers of the 16th International Conference on e-Learning (EL 2022), which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, 19-21 July, 2022. This conference is part of the 16th Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2022, 19-22 July, which had a total of 608 submissions. The e-Learning (EL) 2022 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. The conference accepted submissions in the following seven main areas: (1) Organisational Strategy and Management Issues; (2) Technological Issues; (3) e-Learning Curriculum Development Issues; (4) Instructional Design Issues; (5) e-Learning Delivery Issues; (6) e-Learning Research Methods and Approaches; and (7) e-Skills and Information Literacy for Learning. Besides the papers' presentations, the conference also included one keynote presentation from an internationally distinguished researcher, Professor Piet Kommers, UNESCO Professor of Learning Technologies, The Netherlands. The conference also featured one special talk by Professors: Cathie Norris, Regents Professor, University of North Texas, USA, Elliot Soloway, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, University of Michigan, USA, and Anne Tapp, Professor, Dept. of Teacher Education, College of Education, Saginaw Valley State University, USA, and a talk by Dr. Yaping Gao, Ed.D., Senior Academic Director, Member Services & Partnerships Quality Matters, USA. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

The Moroccan higher education has undergone several attempts of reform. the latest being the adoption of a framework law based on the 2015-2030 strategic vision of the Higher Education Council in which evaluation is placed at the center of the reform. Thus, competition and competitiveness in the field of higher education at the national and international levels have prompted Moroccan universities to integrate evaluation into their continuous improvement process through strategic projects, cooperative or even voluntary initiatives, either partially or for the whole university, covering all domains or focusing on specific ones. The National Agency for Evaluation and Quality Assurance of Higher Education and Scientific Research (ANEAQ) is an autonomous instance in charge of evaluating the higher education system to guarantee its quality. Its field of action covers all national institutions and training programs. Despite this enormous scope of action and the difficulties encountered, it has been able to promote a quality culture and harmonize the practice of institutional evaluation through the implementation of the national reference system covering all the institution's activities. This article highlights the importance of evaluation and quality assurance in the Moroccan higher education sector, explores the scope of action and the role played by ANEAQ, and provides some ways for improving the evaluation process. [For the full proceedings, see ED626585.]

"Proceedings of International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences" includes full papers presented at the International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences (iHSES) which took place on April 22-25, 2021 in New York, USA-www.ihses.net. The aim of the conference is to offer opportunities to share ideas, to discuss theoretical and practical issues and to connect with the leaders in the fields of humanities, education and social sciences. The conference is organized annually by the International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (ISTES)-www.istes.org. The iHSES invites submissions which address the theory, research or applications in all disciplines of humanities, education and social sciences. The iHSES is organized for: faculty members in all disciplines of humanities, education and social sciences, graduate students, K-12 administrators, teachers, principals and all interested in humanities, education and social sciences. After peer-reviewing process, all full papers are published in the Conference Proceedings.

We present in this paper the results of a second experiment that was recently conducted to evaluate a hybrid recommendation approach in an online learning environment. The approach consists of mixing the two approaches of content-based filtering and collaborative filtering to improve the relevance of the educational resources recommended to learners. A first experiment was carried out in 2019 and gave convincing results, which led us to repeat a second experimentation in order to confirm the results, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to modify the way learners evaluate the resources by transforming the "like" by a vote from one to five, in order to verify whether this will bring an improvement in the recommendations. This second experiment was also an opportunity to integrate an engine that guides learners' searches by adding criteria relating to their preferences and to check their satisfaction with the use of this engine. The results were globally positive. [For the full proceedings, see ED621620.]

The purpose of this study is to find ways to monitor and evaluate the user experience of learners as they use an e-learning system. To do this, we have identified several factors that allow us to measure this experience. We have designed an online measurement scale, presented as a self-administered questionnaire, specifically dedicated to e-learning platforms. With this tool, we can quickly isolate aspects that are perceived as critical, and that often require improvement actions. Finally, we tested our measurement tool over two sessions of an online course. The results of statistical analysis are very encouraging, showing that the learning platform used is considered simple by learners, flexible, secure and encouraging autonomy. The results also show that the platform has a deficit of social interaction (interactions between learners and their teachers, as well as between pairs), which should be remedied in order to improve learners' experience. [For the full proceedings, see ED621620.]

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2020, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), that this year had to be transformed into a fully Virtual Conference as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2020 received 240 submissions, from more than 45 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Virtual Presentations and Posters. 75 submissions (overall, 31% acceptance rate) were accepted for presentation in the conference. The conference also included: - One keynote presentation by Prof. Dr. Michael Wang (Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Leicester; Chair, Association of Clinical Psychologists, United Kingdom). - One Special Talk by Prof. Dr. Matthias Ammann (PhD, Department of Social Sciences, Uminho; Psychotherapist and psychoanalyst at Equilibrium Oporto; Climate activist, Portugal). We would like to express our gratitude to our invitees. The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. The conference program includes six main broad-ranging categories that cover diversified interest areas: (1) Clinical Psychology: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) Educational Psychology: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) Social Psychology: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; Addiction and stigmatization; and Psychological and social impact of virtual networks. (4) Legal Psychology: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) Cognitive and Experimental Psychology: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. This book contains the results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. We would like to thank all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [This document contains the proceedings of the virtual International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2020. The proceedings were published by InScience Press. Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines. For the 2019 proceedings, see ED604954.]

These proceedings contain the abstracts of papers of EDUSREF 2019, which was held in Ankara, Turkey on 28-29 June 2019. Establishing in 2018 as a scientific initiative; Education, Society & Reform Research (EDUSREF) is an International Conference that aims to bridge the knowledge gap, promote social research esteem, and produce democratic information for potential education reforms. The 2019 conference included five keynote presentations from (1) Mehmet Demirezen, Professor from Ufuk University, on "Pausing as Sustained Juncture in spoken English: Clues for Turkish English Teachers"; (2) Suleyman Sadi Seferoglu, Professor from Hacettepe University, on "Industry 4.0 and Digital Transformation: Education of the Future? or The Future of Education?"; (3) Fatma Mizikaci, Associate Professor from Ankara University, on "Education of the Generation Z: Dilemmas, Challenges, and Opportunities"; (4) Davud William Samuel Peachy, Assistant Professor from Duzce University, on "Learning Versus Teaching: A Real Student Seizes Opportunities and Overcomes Difficulties"; and (5) Saniye Vatansever, Assistant Professor from Bilkent University, on "Gender Equality and Inclusion". The papers presented at the conference include: (1) Visual Interactive Text Books for Millennial in University Education (Arshad Taseen); (2) Another Ethical Dilemma? To Teach or not to Teach Ethics at Tertiary Level (Pinar Ayyildiz and Hasan Serif Baltaci); (3) Opinions of the Students Who Prefer the Department of Arabic Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Yildirim Beyazit University in Ankara (Haci Yilmaz); (4) Examining Teacher Candidates' Learning Strategies With Regard To Various Variables (Senol Orakci and Yalcin Dilekli); (5) Investigation of the Individual Innovativeness Levels of Teacher Candidates (Senol Orakci); (6) The Integrating of ICTs in the teaching of the Physical sciences in Morocco: Challenges and Obstacles (Zineb Azar, Oussama Dardary, Malika Tridane, Said Benmokhtar, and Said Belaaouad); (7) The feasibility of applying the Finnish approach in Morocco (Oussama Dardary, Zineb Azar, Malika Tridane, and Said Belaaouad); (8) Impact of New Technologies on the Academic Performance of Students: the Case of Smartphones (Imane Echchafi, M. Talbi, and A. Bahloul); (9) Biology Teacher Candidates' Awareness About Biomimicry (Alev Cakir); (10) Teaching Academic Writing through the Use of Reflections (Mira M Alameddine and Ghada Chihimi); (11) Teaching Academic Writing to English 100 Learners at a Local Lebanese University (Mira M. Alameddine and Ghada Chihimi); (12) Cultural Policy of ELT in Turkey (Omer Gokhan Ulum); (13) Graduate Orphans of ELT Departments: A Critical Inquiry (Omer Gokhan Ulum); (14) Spelling Pronunciation versus Relaxed Pronunciation in Teacher Education (Mehmet Demirezen); (15) Performance-based funding in higher education: A global trend, national forms, complex politics. A four-system analysis (Edmund Adam); (16) New Approaches for Teacher Training and Usage of Information Technology in This Context (Haydar Ates); (17) Questioning of Changes in Education: Looking for Priorities (Mustafa Ozmusul); (18) Animation Based Teaching for Gifted (Efe Biyikli, Ali Berkay Harmanci, Ilkiz Ipek Ayten, and Ahmet Berat Ozturk); Intervention for Intermediate Students to Increase Psychological Engagement (Fatima Z. Allahverdi); (20) The influence of guidance counselor practices on the orientation of high school student (Nawal Chiboub, Malika Tridane, and Said Belaaouad); (21) Towards Re-imagining Anganwadi with and for Adolescent Girls (Sam Jacob); (22) The Social Control in the Government-Run Dormitories in Ankara (Melahat Demirbilek); and (23) Comparing Instructional Differences and Teacher Preparedness and its Effect on Psychological Engagement (Fatima Z. Allahverdi). [Individual abstracts contain references.]

These proceedings contain the papers and posters of the International Conference on e-Learning (EL) 2019, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society and co-organised by the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, in Porto, Portugal, July 17-19, 2019. The EL 2019 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. The conference accepted submissions in the following seven main areas: (1) Organisational Strategy and Management Issues; (2) Technological Issues; (3) e-Learning Curriculum Development Issues; (4) Instructional Design Issues; (5) e-Learning Delivery Issues; (6) e-Learning Research Methods and Approaches; and (7) e-Skills and Information Literacy for Learning. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

Due to the increasing use of social networking sites in the last couple of years, these virtual communities have often been blamed for distracting students and taking more of their concentration and time. However, many studies have revealed that students use this social media platform not only for communication and entertainment reasons but for educational purposes as well. Our objective in this work is, therefore, to investigate the potential role that Facebook plays in enhancing students' learning experience. In this respect, based on the survey we conducted amongst Moroccan higher education students, it was demonstrated that 87.4% of the respondents have recourse to this social network for educational purposes. In fact, most of the surveyed students reported that they use Facebook to gain access to valuable learning materials, check for homework assignments and class-related information and activities, discuss various topics with peers as well as get help on academic-related materials. Nonetheless, despite the major role that Facebook plays in improving the students' learning experience, it was found out that communication between students and instructors on this social network was minimal. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590269.]

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2018, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2018 received 386 submissions, from more than 35 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. 126 submissions (overall, 32% acceptance rate) were accepted for presentation in the conference. The conference also includes a keynote presentation by Dr. Saima Löfgren (BSc(Hons), MSc, DClinPsy, Clinical Psychologist, Visiting Lecturer at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester, United Kingdom); and two Special Talks, one by Prof. Dr. Michael Wang (Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom), and the other by Prof. Dr. Pedro Oliveira (MSc on Anthropology and Child Development, PhD in Social Anthropology, Clinical Psychologist, Member of the Portuguese Order of Psychologists, Portugal). We would like to express our gratitude to all our invitees. The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. The conference program includes six main broad-ranging categories that cover diversified interest areas: (1) Clinical Psychology: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) Educational Psychology: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) Social Psychology: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; Addiction and stigmatization; and Psychological and social impact of virtual networks. (4) Legal Psychology: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) Cognitive and Experimental Psychology: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. This book contains the results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [These proceedings were published by InScience Press. Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines. For the 2017 proceedings, see ED604951.]

This study analyzed a sample of online Arabic-English-Arabic specialized dictionaries of the Arabization Center in Morocco, the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo, the Saudi Terminology Databank (BASM), School Arabia glossaries, Dictionary Bay, and Babylon, to identify their entry design, entry components, breadth of coverage, whether they include the most recent terms, accuracy of translational equivalents and inclusiveness of meanings given. The study revealed several shortcomings of those online specialized dictionaries such as limited coverage, inaccuracy and inclusiveness of some meanings and slow up-dating. Some recommendations are given to improve the practicality and usefulness of online Arabic-English-Arabic specialized dictionaries to translation students.

This document is a compilation of 14 papers from presentations and posters of the Second Life Education Workshop at the Second Life Community Convention, presented at the Fort Mason Centre in San Francisco, California in August 2006. Following a foreword (John Bransford and Drue Gawel); preface (John Lester); and word from the chairs (Daniel Livingstone and Jeremy Kemp), this document is organized into three sections. The first section, Keynote, presents the first paper: (1) Down the Rabbit Hole ... or How the NMC Took the Red Pill and Got a Second Life (Larry Johnson). The second section, Case Studies, Posters and Tutorial, then presents the next papers: (2) Case Study: International Spaceflight Museum (Katherine Cochrane); (3) Second Life Learning Community: A Peer-Based Approach to Involving More Faculty Members in Second Life (Chang Liu); (4) Case Study--Camp Global Kids: A Case Study of Bringing a Global Youth Development Model into Teen Second Life (Lori Feldman); (5) Designing an Educational Island inside Second Life for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) (Eric J. Hackathorn); (6) Putting a Second Life "Metaverse" Skin on Learning Management Systems (Jeremy Kemp); (7) Building an Interactive Science Museum in Second Life (Paul Doherty and Rob Rothfarb); (8) Second Life as an Educational Environment: A Student Perspective (Carly Bedford, Robyn Birkedal, Joseph Erhard, Josh Graff, Chris Hempel, Bjorn Minde, Owen Pitz, Kyle Pouliot, David Retamales-Toro, and Joshua York); and (9) Introducing Your RL Students to Second Life (Cheryl Carter). The final section, Papers, offers the concluding papers: (13) Multidisciplinary Experiential Education in Second Life: A Global Approach (Hilary Mason and Mehdi Moutahir); and (14) "Image Slippage": Navigating the Dichotomies of an Academic Identity in a Non-Academic Virtual World (Sarah Brooke Robbins). (Individual papers contain references.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines. This document was published by The University of Paisley, UK.]

Latest developments in information technology resulted in a revolution in library and information sciences. Acquiring electronic searching skills together with the availability of electronic resources will enable researchers to access a plethora of up-to-date information and will lead to productivity in research. This study tried to investigate the availability of electronic databases at Arab university libraries, whether faculty members can search electronic databases, and the frequency of database usage. The homepages of 202 Arab universities were browsed and a sample of faculty was interviewed. It was found that 80.7% of Arab university libraries are still traditional and lack electronic databases, including some open universities, virtual universities and universities of science and technology. All university libraries in the Gulf States except Shari'aa universities contain electronic databases. It was also found that most databases are in English; Arabic databases are lacking. Foreign universities, such as the University of Columbia in the Sudan and the American Universities of Cairo and Beirut host many more databases than Arabic universities. It was found that all electronic databases at Um Al-Qura University were used 3686 times a year only. On average, a student or faculty member uses all databases once a year. Taking into consideration that the subscription fee for a single database per year can be as high as US$ 24,000, it can be said that database usage at Arab universities with database access is not cost-effective. In addition, 94% of female faculty members and 97% of female graduate students and none of the library employees at King Saud University can search electronic databases. On the basis of these findings, the study recommends that all Arab universities and research centers have a network of electronic resources, and that Arabic specialized electronic databases be created and new documents be indexed and stored on a regular basis. Researchers should be allowed to access available databases on and off-campus. Electronic publishing in Arabic should be also encouraged.

Papers, all in French, presented at a conference on linguistics include: "Machine Translation: Historic Aspects" (Ghada Attieh); "Translation and Conditioning" (Stephanie Bedard); "Semantic or Pre-Semantic Structures? From Perception to Causation" (Denise Belanger); "Presentation of Poetry Sung in Maroc" (Samira Belyazid); "There Is 'la' and 'la'--A Prosodic Study of the Discourse Particle 'la' in Quebec French" (Monique Demers); "The Oral Introspective Protocol in Reading: Testing and Refinements" (Linda de Serres); "Language Planning in Morocco" (Malika Ech-Chadli); "Semantic-pragmatic Description of the Connectors 'Car- Parce Que- Puisque'" (Odette Gagnon); "What Is the Meaning of a Word?" (Rene Gingras); "Left Dislocation by Anaphor: Preliminary Results" (Christian Guilbaut);"Factory Brands in the Domain of Medicines--Linguistic Acceptability: Euphemisms" (Benoit Leblanc); "Analysis of Fluidity in the Second Language" (Frederic Masse); "Analysis of Constructions using 'Etre Pour' in Quebec French" (Linda Pepin); and "Glottalization in Quebec French" (Mostafa Shoul). (MSE)

Seven papers delivered at the 1992 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions annual meeting relating to regional activities are presented. These papers deal with library issues in Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The papers are: (1) "Designing National Information Policies in African: Process and Outputs" (K. J. Mchombu and K. Miti); (2) "Coordinating Documentation and Information: The Experience of Morocco. The Documentation and Information Sector: Its Nature and Particularities" (L. Battiwa); (3)"The Role of University Libraries in Establishing National Policies for Library and Information Services" (A. S. Chaudhry); (4) "The Role of the USP (University of the South Pacific) Library in Meeting the Information Needs of the South Pacific Region" (A. Rizio and J. Mamtora); (5) "The Information Needs of the Librarians of Developing Countries and the Palisades They Encounter in Obtaining These Information" (P. Perera); (6) "Public Libraries in the Framework of the Latin American and Caribbean Libraries Association" (M. E. Zapata); and (7) "Networks of Specialized Information Services in Latin America" (E. M. R. de Carvalho, I. Talamo). (SLD)

This paper reports two experiments investigating the effect of schooling and urbanization on short term recall and recognition memory. Subjects were 384 male children and young adults living in Morocco representing urban and rural and schooled and nonschooled backgrounds. Additional subject groups--including Koranic school students, Moroccan rug sellers and University of Michigan students--were also tested to study possible culture-specific influences on memory. In the first experiment, subjects were required to recall the position of a familiar animal in a series of seven briefly presented items. Results indicated that recency recall, or echoic store, was present in all populations studied regardless of age, whereas primacy recall, considered to be a function of verbally mediated rehearsal strategies or control processes, developed with age only for schooled subjects and to a lesser extent for urban nonschooled subjects. In the second experiment, the same subjects were shown 30 pictures of rug patterns (15 original patterns and 15 duplicates) and asked to identify duplicates. Duplicates appeared in lags of 1, 5, 10, and 25 intervening items. Schooled subjects performed better than nonschooled, and rural subjects (schooled and nonschooled) scored better than urban subjects. Results support previous research indicating little age-related change in forgetting rates and, with minor exceptions, no variation in forgetting rate with respect to schooling and environment. Results are discussed in relation to other cross-cultural and memory research. Nine pages of tables and illustrations are included. (SB)

The following are English translations of the titles of student research papers from a university conference on linguistics: "The Onomastic Syntagm in Geology: A Comparative Study of English and French"; "Hunting Ideology Through Discourse Analysis"; "Peculiarities of Canadian French (Archaisms and Pronunciation): An Analysis of Early Reports on the French of Canada"; "For an Analysis of the Cultural/Content of Authentic Written Documents--in This Instance, Articles Concerning the World of Women"; "Comparative Study of Gestures and Pedagogical Implications"; "The Evaluation of Courseware: Contribution to the Development of an Instrument Specific to the Teaching of French as a Second or Foreign Language"; "Analysis of the Learning Objectives of Four Regular Programs of French as a Second Language in Canada--Practical Application; The Example: Quebec"; "Is 'Trifluvien' a Suffixed Word?"; "Metalexicographical Study of the Quebec-isms in the Supplement to the Dictionary of Dictionaries (1895): Objectives Pursued and First Results"; "The Party, The Members: Liberal Party in Georges Emile Lapalme's 'Pour une politique'"; "The Teaching/Learning of Natural Science in French Immersion"; "Hemispheric Preference and the Processing of Information in Interpreters"; "The Usual Discourse of the Office of the French Language"; "Analysis and Comparison of French Programs in the Countries of the Maghreb: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia"; "Syntax of Scientific Discourse and Anaphoric Review of the Terminology Syntagm"; and "Immersion Programs in Newfoundland: Relays Between Effective Pedagogical Practices and 'Theoretical Principles.'" (MSE)

After a review of the theoretical context to current research on literacy, consideration is given to aspects of the literacy practices of the Moroccan community in the Ladbroke Grover area of West London. Findings from a study of literacy in its social context in Morocco are cited in the discussion of the West London practices. Emphasis is on the use of ethnographic approaches to describe the complex uses of literacy in contemporary Morocco and the extrapolation from this situated work of a proposed general framework for studying literacy in complex societies. The concept of "jointly achieved literacy events" in the London context is described in which a mediator was recruited to read a letter to an illiterate adult and then to write a response to it. The implicit social interactional rules are also discussed that regulate the type and amount of talk about what is written. The literacy event involved both cooperation and conflict. It is noted that the ethnographic approach proposes that literacy should be studied in the context of its use, that there is no great division between orality and literacy, and that in concrete social settings literacy is done through talk. Finally, it is concluded that the social interactional rules regulating the type and amount of talk about what is written might best be understood within a pragmatic theory that can deal with the discourse of unequal encounters and recognizes the role of conflict as well as cooperation in talk. Contains 12 references. (LB)

The proceedings of a seminar on factual and numerical data banks are described. Seminar objectives were to: (1) make potential users aware of the value of data banks in their respective disciplines and inform them of the tools available; (2) identify national and regional data bank requirements; and (3) define a strategy for development in this field. In addition to a general report, this publication contains the reports of the life sciences and earth sciences working groups, and discussions of three general recommendations pertaining to the areas of education, creation of data banks, and development of a national network for the exchange of knowledge. Seven appendices include the seminar program; a list of seminar participants; the text of the opening address; and three working papers: "Seminar on Factual and Numerical Data Bases" (UNESCO); "Tentative Evaluation of Factual and Numerical Data Requirements and Services for Agricultural Researchers" (Institut National Agronomique et Veterinaire); and "Review of Economic Geology Data Banks in the Arab World" (Arab Organization for Mineral Resources). A summary of the presentations on data banks given at the seminar is the final appendix. (KM)

Papers from a workshop on the role and development of national languages include: "What Is a National Language Good for?" (Florian Coulmas); "To the Language Born: Thoughts on the Problem of National and International Languages" (Jacob Mey); "Swahili as a National Language in East Africa" (Marilyn Merritt, Mohamed Abdulaziz); "Implementing Morocco's Arabization Policy: Two Problems of Classification" (Beverley Seckinger); "Modern Hebrew as a National Language" (Robert L. Cooper); "The Emergence of the National Language in Ethiopia: An Historical Perspective" (Mulugeta Seyoum); "Malay in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore: Three Faces of a National Language" (Peter Lowenberg); and "What National Languages Are Good for" (Ralph Fasold). (MSE)

This book addresses the research and policy issues that emerge from the interface of different cultures as a consequence of migration. It includes articles on the following issues: (1) the contribution of the social sciences to an understanding of migrant health needs; (2) health care across cultural boundaries; (3) health care for labor immigrants; (4) philosophical considerations of health care policy and the position of ethnic minorities; (5) health care research and evaluation in a host country: The Netherlands; (6) health care and Moroccan and Turkish immigrants; (7) problems of health and health care research with particular reference to ethnic minorities; (8) health care research and evaluation from the country of origin: Turkey and Morocco; (9) social and health problems of migrant workers; (10) social and health care of Moroccan workers in Europe; (11) aspects of health care intervention in host countries; (12) advocating for migrants' health; (13) migrants' special needs in sexuality and family planning in Belgium and Germany; (14) health care and education aids for foreigners in the Netherlands; (15) mental health of migrants; and (16) psycho-social problems of migrants. The book concludes with recommendations for researchers and practitioners. (LHW)

The practicality of modeling and simulating a parabolic trough power plant (PTPP) through a network-based approach is emphasized over the traditional focus on a single parabolic trough collector (PTC). Lately, molten salt has been utilized as the heat transfer fluid (HTF) in parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) to augment the performance of parabolic trough power plants (PTPP) in lieu of the conventional thermal oil. To this end, a mathematical model to describe the fluid dynamics of molten salt in the solar field of a PTPP and the associated numerical algorithm are presented in order to conduct simulations that closely mirror real-world scenarios by using data from NOOR I Power plant in Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mine transport in its hydraulic form have been attracting more and more industries. In this work, we discuss challenges related to the transport of Phosphate in its slurry form. This dynamic is highly non-newtonian and very little knowledge about its rheological properties is available. For that purpose, we examine the ability of machine learning tools to predict these information using available real data. This dataset includes information about rheology but also many physico-chemical parameters such as the density, the soli concentration the particle size distribution among others. Three well-known machine learning algorithms are tested. Despite an important overfitting observed due to the limited amount of data, the results are encouraging and pave the way towards predicting with reasonable accuracy the hydraulic of the Phosphate slurry fluid in pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During last decades, African countries have gone through important changes for the sake of their development. Yet, several big challenges need to be addressed to sustain the development in the continent. Sorting out the best policies in this case is not straightforward. Morocco has implemented many programs aiming at tackling agriculture issues. However, one critical factor emerged as a key limitation to pursue such program: climate change. Water scarcity remains a critical constraint. Thus Morocco has to constantly change its policy in order to cope with these limitations. Stakeholders are in need of adaptation tools, that can help them to assess reasonably the different potential policies. In that work, we present a new system dynamics based framework for the Agriculture and Land Policy Simulations to support policy-makers decisions. Fitted to the case of Morocco, we use this tool to examine how elements of the Moroccan Green Plan can contribute to secure food production under different constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The housing sector is one of Morocco's economic sectors, coming in second to the transportation sector in terms of CO2 emissions and energy consumption. In order to help Morocco meet its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to identify doable strategies to conserve energy and cut CO2 emissions from this sector. Using the Tapio and logarithmic-mean Divisia index methods (LMDI), this study explores the decoupling connection between economic production and household energy consumption for the instance of Morocco for the years 1990–2017. According to the driving mechanism, the home energy consumption is divided into the impacts of domestic energy intensity effect, housing structure effect, economic output, and population scale effect. Empirical findings showed that, only five decoupling states—weak decoupling, strong decoupling, expansive decoupling, strong negative decoupling, and expansive negative decoupling—appeared over the study's time frame. The primary factor driving the national decoupling was housing energy intensity, whereas the primary factor impeding the decoupling was economic activity. The demographic change impact and the housing structure decoupling effect, however, only contributed minimally to the prevention of decoupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have improved the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry through the synergistic deployment of Lean Construction (LC) and Building Information Modelling (BIM). Despite the opportunities of these approaches, their implementation differs between countries. This study aims to measure awareness and knowledge of LeanBIM in Morocco. A quantitative survey using a questionnaire was conducted with 171 professionals and academics. Sixty-five responses were complete and suitable for processing. The results show a below-average awareness and knowledge of LeanBIM. They conclude that the main obstacle is the lack of BIM and LC standards and regulations. With confidence in the potential of LeanBIM and a willingness to acquire the necessary skills to adopt it. The scientific and professional community can use the results to find effective ways for LeanBIM to emerge. This study is the first on a local scale. It is essential for all neighbouring, developing, Arab and African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable development of thermal insulation requires the search for innovative, durable, and eco-friendly materials and composites able to satisfy all requirements of the construction industry. In this context, the purpose of this research is to investigate a natural clay from the Meknes region located in north-central of Morocco, to assess its potentiality in developing high-quality hybrids, It's mainly intended to be used in construction industry, through the insertion of polymers within the interfoliar space of the clay minerals. We concentrated on the investigation of the various physicochemical, mineralogical and thermal characteristics to have a clear identification of the minerals existing in the natural clay as well as its adsorption ability. The standard techniques and procedures, intended to estimate the physico-chemical parameters, were combined with the other usual methods like X-ray diffraction and Thermo-gravimetric analysis to have the maximum information on the structure, the chemical and mineralogical composition, and the thermal behavior of the clay from Meknes. Consequently, the results showed that the clay was dominated by quartz and calcite with the coexistence of an important quantity of illite, smectite, and kaolinite. After purifying, the clay minerals smectite, illite, and kaolinite are concentrated as shown in X-ray diffraction patterns. Thus, the confirmation of the phases present was done by treatment with ethylene glycol and heating of the clay fraction to 490°C. As for the physico-chemical properties, the purified clay revealed an average value of cationic exchange capacity of about 29 meq/100g and a specific surface of about 204 m2/g. The porosity was p=0.75 and the moisture measurement gave the value H=4.21%. In addition, a percentage of 55.69% was assigned to the swelling index and the loss on ignition was 11.42%. Finally, the presence of swelling clay mineral (smectite) and the relatively high values of physico-chemical properties, encourage the valorization of this material in the production of high-performance clay-polymer hybrids in the construction field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geopolitical position and expertise position Morocco as the top producer of passenger cars in Africa, ranking 25th globally in 2022 and 8th in terms of growth by 15%. This achievement deserves an in-depth analysis of the sector, both from a statistical perspective and in terms of integration of Operational Excellence (OpEx) philosophy. Many studies have confirmed that cultural values have a direct impact on the success of organizational strategies and managerial actions. Similarly, success in integrating OpEx practices requires more than just using its toolbox. Although many organizations worldwide implement OpEx practices, the dimensions of national culture and leadership can significantly influence the expected outcomes. Based on theoretical and practical knowledge of leadership and cultural data, this research presents the results of an exploratory study on the moderation of leadership effectiveness by dimensions of national cultural values. The study focused on evaluating Leadership practices and national culture within all Moroccan automotive companies. A questionnaire was developed, validated, and distributed to 264 individuals in various managerial positions, with a response rate of 81%. The results of this study will be used to identify perspectives for developing an effective OpEx model tailored to the Moroccan socio-cultural context. Until now, no large-scale study has examined the adoption and integration of the OpEx approach within Moroccan automotive companies. This study makes a significant contribution to academics, practitioners of the OpEx philosophy, and researchers dedicated to performance optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The container terminal industry faces the challenge of efficiently allocating berths for incoming vessels to maximize operational efficiency. The Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) is a fundamental issue that must be addressed, especially in busy ports such as TangerMed in Morocco. To tackle this problem, a real case study was conducted, focusing on optimizing the BAP at TangerMed. The study proposes a simplified linear integer programming model that considers the mooring time and initial berthing location on a single continuous quay at X-Port. This model was implemented using the PuLP Package in Python, and the results were displayed on a time-space diagram. The proposed approach is expected to improve seaport management and enhance the quality of operational services, ultimately leading to increased efficiency and profitability for the terminal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insurance fraud, especially automobile insurance fraud, is a common fraud topic which causes significant financial losses for insurance companies. Dishonest claims impose a significant financial strain on insurance companies which influence on the entire industry. Because of this, insurers are constantly seeking for more effective detection systems to get beyond the limitations of traditional techniques; therefore, building a reliable and effective fraud detection model is crucial to maintaining the insurance providers' financial stability and reputation. Our research paper major objective is to use machine learning techniques to develop a reliable system for detecting car insurance fraud. This study intends to examine multiple supervised machine learning algorithms using classification method, and assess their efficacy, to ultimately select the most accurate model with significant accuracy for identifying fraudulent insurance claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insurance fraud, especially automobile insurance fraud, is a common fraud topic which causes significant financial losses for insurance companies. Dishonest claims impose a significant financial strain on insurance companies which influence on the entire industry. Because of this, insurers are constantly seeking for more effective detection systems to get beyond the limitations of traditional techniques; therefore, building a reliable and effective fraud detection model is crucial to maintaining the insurance providers' financial stability and reputation. Our research paper major objective is to use machine learning techniques to develop a reliable system for detecting car insurance fraud. This study intends to examine multiple supervised machine learning algorithms using classification method, and assess their efficacy, to ultimately select the most accurate model with significant accuracy for identifying fraudulent insurance claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oases of the pre-Saharan basin of Wadi Ferkla in southeastern Morocco receives low and erratic rainfall (annual average of 141 mm and inter-annual standard deviation of 70 mm). From the 1980s, surface water and groundwater are increasingly used due to the expansion of irrigation, mainly along two wadis, namely Wadis Ferkla and Satt originating in the High-Atlas and the Anti-Atlas Mountains, respectively. Their flows reach the Ferkla's irrigated perimeters only when the volume of the flood events exceed upstream evaporation, withdrawals and riverbed's infiltration. Nowadays, these irrigated perimeters exert significant pressure on groundwater resources, through numerous drillings equipped with pumping systems, most of them being powered by solar energy. This increasing water demand situation incentivizes individual farmers to design and implement innovative techniques to increase water access for their farms. For instance, the spreading of floodwaters – an ancestral and collective irrigation practice in traditional oases – is currently being modernized by individual farmers. The new technique consists in partially diverting flood flows into earthen basins. The stored water either infiltrates to recharge local aquifers, or is pumped for flood irrigation of date palms. An experimental protocol was set up to characterize groundwater recharge below one of these on-farm basins equipped with a recharge well. Barometric probes were installed in the basin, in the recharge well and in neighboring boreholes to automatically monitor water levels. A topographic survey of the monitoring points and of the basin aimed at deriving piezometric levels from water levels measurements and estimating the height-surface-volume curves of the basin. After 7 months of continuous monitoring, 3 flood events were recorded. The establishment of the basin water balance at a fine time-resolution allowed estimating its different components including the infiltration rate influencing groundwater recharge. An analytical modeling of this process was developed to assess its effect on groundwater level variations. This approach aims to contribute to a broader reflection on securing water management in this fragile oasis ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The High Atlas Mountains are a valuable source of water supply to lowland areas, in the Tensift watershed around Marrakech and play an important role in the hydrologic processes and water balance. The solid part of precipitation in these areas is important and forms a seasonal snowpack where water is stored during winter. Therefore, an accurate assessment of sublimation is essential in the overall hydrological cycle. In this context, we estimated the sublimation on the Tazaghart plateau located in the High Atlas of Marrakech, using a dataset measured with the Eddy covariance system (EC) for a period from September 2020 to January 2021. The temporal variation in measured sublimation illustrated a diurnal cycle with a peak in the early afternoon and the highest relative snow sublimation fluxes occurred with subzero temperatures and low atmospheric humidity. The average daily sublimation rate measured was 0.41 mm d -1. Measured sublimation accounted for 42 % and 40 % of snow ablation, based on the energy and water balance respectively. The estimated percentages are comparable, which supports reliable measurements and provides important validation of the Eddy covariance method. This study shows how the Eddy covariance method can be useful for direct measurements of winter water loss due to the sublimation of snowpacks in rather inaccessible regions where measurements are relatively rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fez region in Morocco has experienced changes in agricultural land use as a result of climate change. These changes include erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and evapotranspiration. The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of these changes on agricultural land use between 2018 and 2022 using remote sensing data (sentinel-2 and MODIS), climate data, drought index (Vegetation Condition Index (VCI)) and two machine learning algorithms (Random Forest (RF) and Gradient Tree Boost (GTB). The RF and GTB algorithms were trained and tested, and their performance was analyzed, revealing that the GTB algorithm is more efficient than the RF, with a Kaffa coefficient of 91% and overall accuracy of 93%. The analysis of climate change on land use and land cover (LULC) variations revealed a significant (54%) reduction in rainfall. Furthermore, agricultural land use and water were reduced by 41% and 17%, respectively. Conversely, barren land and built-up areas increased by 58% and 4%, respectively, and the annual mean VCI decreased from 39.72 in 2018 to 19.9 in 2022. The study concluded that climate change had a significant impact on the region's agricultural land cover, and decreases in rainfall directly affect agricultural land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of using certain plant fibers abundant in Errachidia (southeast of Morocco) as reinforcement in composite materials intended for thermal and acoustic insulation of buildings. For this purpose, a study of the thermo-acoustic properties of some plant fibers derived from date palm by-products (petiole, cluster, trunk, fiber mesh and pinnate leaves) and other vegetable plants (Alfa, reed, fig and olive tree) was carried out. These plant fibers are experimentally characterized using the hot plate and the Kundt tube to measure respectively the thermal conductivity and the sound absorption coefficient. According to the results obtained, the studied vegetal fibers present excellent thermal and acoustic properties. Indeed, the thermal conductivity ranges from 0.065 to 0.091 W/m.K and the sound absorption coefficient varies between 0.6 and 0.9 (average frequencies). Consequently, the use of natural fibers as reinforcement for composites can solve the problems of heat loss and noise nuisance in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is part of a project to energetically valorize clay from Morocco. It aims the mineralogical and physicochemical characterization of Moroccan clay from Settat area, to evaluate their potential suitability as raw materials in the construction field. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR) are used to establish the mineralogical composition. Chemical properties were carried out by XRF. Thermal behavior was determined using thermogravimetric analysis (TG-dTG). The chemical compositions indicated that SiO2 (∼57 wt.%), Al2O3 (13–17 wt.%) Fe2O3 (∼4 wt.%), and CaO (3–4 wt.%) are major. Quartz, Illite, and kaolinite were present as dominant mineral phases. The clay samples are classified using appropriate diagrams suggesting their possible use in the production of red products like tiles and bricks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has become an inescapable reality. The world as a whole and Morocco in particular are undergoing irreversible changes due to human action on the environment. With this in mind, Morocco already opted years ago for renewable energies, given the enormous potential available to the country whether it is hydroelectricity, solar energy or wind energy. In this article, the potential of wind power to generate electricity in greenhouses and aid in sustainable agriculture is explored. The data were collected using the Weibull distribution function for the province of Dakhla which was chosen as the experimental station. The results showed that the wind resource can be used to provide some or all of the energy that a greenhouse needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desalination of saltwater by solar powered systems is a practical and promising technology for producing potable water. Passive solar still is used in solar distillation installations because of its simple construction, simple operation, and low cost. In this context, a numerical investigation is performed of the solar still under the weather condition of Agadir Morocco. The effects of inserting the heat exchanger in the basin water on the performance of solar still (temperature of components, evaporative heat transfer coefficient, and distilled water productivity) are examined. The comparative results show that, when using a heat exchanger, the average evaporative heat transfer coefficient is improved by 36.84%. The average water temperature is raised by 19.86%, and the daily freshwater productivity is enhanced by 43.56% compared to the conventional solar still. However, the distilled water productivity may be reduced due to the increase in the mass of water. Compared with mass water 10kg, the daily freshwater production is 7.58kg/m2.day, and when mass water is 30kg, the cumulative output is 7.21kg/m2.day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morocco is a country with significant potential on solar energy and high ambition for the renewable energy transition. With a national plan to attain 40 000 m2/year of solar water heating panels installation and 1000 MWc of total photovoltaic power installation in the building sector by 2030, the country could be a highly attractive market for the Photovoltaic/Thermal (PVT) system for the latter's simultaneous production of electrical and thermal energies. In this work, we focused on studying a hybrid PVT system performance under two different climatic zones of Morocco, namely Errachidia and Tangier, in comparison with a parallel Photovoltaic/Flat plate collector (PV/FPC) installation. Two simulation models were developed using TRNSYS18 software, where the dynamic electrical and thermal performances of the two studied systems were estimated, and then energy, economic and environmental analyses were carried out. The results have shown that the PV/FPC system is capable of outperforming the PVT system energetically, economically, and environmentally in the two studied climate zones. Nevertheless, the PVT system is still an important renewable alternative that can be considered to replace conventional energy resources, especially for projects with limited installation area and the need for the two types of energy, heat and electricity, such as the building sector in Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cities with hot climates in Morocco are subjected during the summer period to a maximum temperature around 45°C. This latter is out of human comfort range, and results in sweltering temperature inside houses cause of the common materials used in the construction. In order to address to this, the objective of this study is to integrate the microcapsules of phase change materials in the building roof, starting by a numerical validation with experimental results of literature, then we will carry out a parametric study on different axes which are: the effect of different PCM position. Then, the effect of microencapsulated PCM amount allowing to have an optimal thermal performance. Finally, the results showed that the best roof configuration guaranteeing optimal thermal comfort for a hot climate in summer period was when the paraffin n-octadecane PCM was incorporated in the mortar layer close to the internal environment with a percentage incorporation of 20%, and allowing to have a phase shift of 7h with a decrease in temperature of 1°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this work is to studied a dynamic thermal simulation for prediction of the thermal and energy performance of an Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX), depends on various factors, installed in individual building including an area of 109 m2 multi-zone in the city of Beni Mellal Morocco. The climate is temperate, with temperature varying between 2 °C and 44.8 °C. This study was performed using TRNSYS simulation software during a typical year. Our simulation consists in developing a comparative study with or without an earth-air heat exchanger (EAHX), in order to analyze the energy efficiency and thermal performance within the building. As a result, an EAHX may improve the thermal comfort inside a building or even reduce the energy destined for heating or cooling. Moreover, the results show that the passive air conditioning of the building envelope is among the most effective solutions that give a significant reduction in energy requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to perform a simulation-based optimization methodology by analyzing the potential reduction of heating and cooling costs for buildings in Morocco. Six different climates were simulated with the purpose to find the optimum insulation thickness of envelope walls and roofs which reduces building energy demands in addition to the life-cycle cost (LCC), through combined performance modeling and genetic Optimization. A well-validated model of a real building located in the Marrakech region (Morocco) was used in this work. Through the analysis, the optimum envelope design lessens the annual energy consumption significantly, leading to an optimal life cycle cost of the building while maintaining an improved indoor environment for the occupants compared with the original building. The obtained energy savings can range between 58%-68% depending on climate type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with dynamic response of cylindrical steel reinforced concrete tank subjected to earthquake loading. When a tank containing liquid vibrates, the fluid filling exerts additional hydrodynamic pressure together with hydrostatic pressure on solid domain of the tank. Dynamic analysis of a liquid–filled tank can be done using the concept of generalized single – degree – of freedom (SDOF) systems representing impulsive and convective modes of vibration of the tank – liquid system. The dynamic response of cylindrical tank subjected to earthquake loading are total base shears, total bending moment and total overturning moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we investigate the interest of using spectral signatures in the discrimination of aromatic and medicinal plants. We considered the species Lavandula stoechas and studied the influence of varying data collection conditions on the reflectance results. Spectral signature data were obtained by field spectroscopy using the FIELDSPEC spectroradiometer. The results show that the recording conditions clearly influence the obtained spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]