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This study investigates free convective within an octagonal cavity, which is partitioned into two compartments by a flexible separator. One of the left walls is maintained at a high temperature, while a lower temperature is applied to one of the right walls. The position of these active walls is adjustable, and the separator can be oriented vertically or inclined with either a positive or negative slope. The deformation of the flexible separator is modeled using the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method. The outcomes indicate that locating the hotter wall near the top and moving the colder wall downwards hinders free convection and reduces the stress in the separator. Moreover, upward movement of both active walls leads to a decrease in the average temperature. An inclined separator with a positive slope enhances the heat transfer rate and experiences the lowest stress levels compared to vertical and negatively sloped separators. Raising Rayleigh number enhances the flow intensity and the stress in the flexible separator. Furthermore, it is found that a decrease in the elasticity modules of the separator from 1014 to 5 × 1011 results in a 5% increase in the average Nusselt number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to their various advantages in terms of reliability in addition to their low size and low cost, transformer-less PV inverters are widely used in several applications. Nevertheless, not using a transformer leads to an undesirable leakage current that can be generated by the high-frequency variation of the Common Mode Voltage (CMV). In this paper, a novel Direct Power Control (DPC) strategy is developed to reduce the CMV in a transformer-less two-level grid-connected VSI. The Proposed DPC (P-DPC) algorithm is based on the application of virtual vectors instead of original vectors in order to control the active and reactive powers and commonly to reduce the CMV variations. Consequently, the amplitude and variations of the produced CMV are effectively reduced, resulting in enhanced overall performance of the grid-connected conversion system. Numerical simulation and hardware implementation in an FPGA board prove the effectiveness of the P-DPC in terms of CMV and leakage current reduction as compared to conventional DPC strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate rainfall forecasting is crucial for various sectors across diverse geographical regions, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Delhi. This study addresses the need for precise rainfall predictions by bridging the gap between localized meteorological data and broader regional influences. It explores how rainfall patterns in neighboring states affect Delhi's precipitation, aiming to improve forecasting accuracy. Historical rainfall data from neighboring states over four decades (1980–2021) were collected and analyzed. The study employs a dual-model approach: a daily model for immediate rainfall triggers and a weekly model for longer-term trends. Several machine learning algorithms, including CatBoost, XGBoost, ElasticNet, Lasso, LGBM, Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron, Ridge, Stochastic Gradient Descent, and Linear Regression, were used in the modeling process. These models were rigorously assessed based on performance metrics from training, validation, and testing datasets. For daily rainfall forecasting, CatBoost, XGBoost, and Random Forest emerged as top performers, showcasing exceptional accuracy and pattern-capturing capabilities. In weekly rainfall forecasting, XGBoost consistently achieved near-perfect accuracy with an R2 value of 0.99, with Random Forest and CatBoost also demonstrating strong performance. The study provides valuable insights into how climate patterns in neighboring states influence Delhi's weather, leading to more reliable and timely rainfall predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable viscosity, activation energy and microgravity effects on Darcy nanofluid for the thermal performance improvement in thermal energy storage systems through stretching flat plate solar collector is the focus of this research. Thermal energy storage (TES) can be improved though solar collectors, phase change materials and photovoltaic cells using nanofluid in the base liquid. To increase the reaction rate in nanoparticles, the activation energy and solar radiations are used for the efficiency of TES. The viscosity of nanofluid improves the heat and mass transmission. Due to solar radiations, nanofluid plays prominent role in TES applications such as heat exchangers, electronic cooling devices and solar power generation through solar plate collector. Solar energy based mathematical model is developed to execute the frequency of oscillating heat transfer in TES numerically. Primitive and Stokes coefficients are used for feasible programming. Finite difference analysis is performed to display oscillatory thermal energy using Gaussian-elimination matrix scheme. Steady velocity, surface temperature and concentrations are plotted and utilized in oscillatory formula to perform oscillatory skin friction, oscillatory heat transfer and oscillatory mass transfer along π⁄4 angle. Fluid velocity enhances but temperature and concentration variation decreases as viscosity decreases. High amplitude in velocity, temperature and concentration is sketched as activation energy and microgravity increases. Steady heat and mass transmission enhances as thermophoretic and Brownian motion enhances. Amplitude and frequency of oscillations in heat transport, skin friction and mass transport enhances as Prandtl and Schmidt component enhances. In validation of results, the 0.00064% percentage error for heat transport and 0.00102% percentage error for mass transmission are deduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermomechanical buckling of imperfect sandwich plates made of functionally graded material (FGM) is addressed analytically in this study. A novel hyperbolic four-variable integral shear deformation theory is used to arrive at the solution. Sandwich plates come in two varieties: the first with homogeneous core and FG face sheets and the second with the opposite. The displacement field is constructed using undetermined integrals in order to reduce the number of unknown variables which consequently reduces the calculation time unlike other similar theories. The proposed model does not require a shear correction factor and ensures the free-stress at the upper and lower surfaces of structure. The materials properties of the structure are computed via power-law function with considering the porosity effect which may appear during manufacturing due to the difference in solidification temperature of the constituents (ceramic/metal). Four types of geometric imperfection are examined with even, uneven, logarithmic uneven and linear uneven distributions. On the basis of the minimal total potential energy concept, the governing equations are developed. The Navier's method is used to solve these equations for simply supported plates. The results of simply supported FGM sandwich plates' critical buckling load and temperature increment are contrasted with the available solutions in the literature. Even, uneven, linear uneven and logarithmic uneven models of distribution are taken into consideration and studied in order to incorporate porosity in the FG face sheet and core. Investigation is conducted into the effects of layer thickness, porosity models, porosity coefficients and geometrical parameters on the thermomechanical buckling response of imperfect FG sandwich plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat transport analysis for non-Newtonian fluid flows between non-parallel wall channels has sustainable significance in high-performance thermal engineering processes. In recent years, this analysis is extensively used in numerous natural flows and industrial processes, for instance, blood flow through human veins, lubrication systems, automobile radiators, thermal pumps, and water purification processes, etc. Therefore, this research, it is targeted to enhance thermal performance with the addition of ultrafine metallic nanoparticles into working fluids. With this goal in mind, this research work presents a numerical investigation for buoyancy-driven flow of Carreau nanofluids confined in a vertical converging enclosure. In addition, heat and mass transport analysis with non-linear thermal radiation and activation energy are mathematically formulated via Buongiorno's model. A new formulation is developed for purely radial flow inside this converging channel and appropriate non-dimensional variables are utilized for problem simplification. These transformed equations are then numerically tackled with the help of a versatile numerical method, bvp4c function in MATLAB. The simulated results are portrayed by virtue of nanofluid velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions with variation in governing dimensionless parameters. The results indicate that the velocity was significantly reduced with higher activation energy parameter. Moreover, the higher values of the Grashof number yields increasing conduct in velocity distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a Backstepping-Sliding Mode Control (BS-SMC) design with the aim to improve the dynamic performance of the Smart Transformer (ST) in the distribution grid. This controller combines both Backstepping and Sliding Mode controller's advantages. Moreover, to mitigate the chattering phenomenon of the SMC, an integral action is introduced to the traditional sliding surface. This combination guarantees an automatic estimation of unknown or uncertain parameters of ST, especially in the presence of intermittent and irregular Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in the distribution grid. Additionally, it enables the improvement of the controller's robustness against RES voltage and system parameter variations. A comparative study between the proposed controller and existent controllers, namely PI and SMC controllers, is established, and the superiority of BS-SMC is proved. Moreover, simulations are carried out under normal operation mode and in the presence of parameter variations. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed controller and prove the enhanced performance of BS-SMC controller as well as its high robustness against source voltage and ST parameters variations compared to PI and SMC controllers. Furthermore, the performed simulations highlight the ST features in terms of harmonic isolation and electrical separation between the medium- and low-voltage grid sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this work is to investigate the free vibration study of sandwich cylindrical and spherical shells made of laminated composite by applying the finite element method utilizing the computer code ANSYS 19 and the revised shear deformation theory with four-variable. Methods: The study uses two approaches that combine analytical and finite element methods to fully understand the vibration response in these complex structures. The suggested theoretical model's kinematics is determined by an undetermined integral component, and it incorporates the effects of transverse shear stresses through the thickness of the plate/shell using the hyperbolic form function. The present model guarantees the fulfillment of zero shear stress conditions at the upper and lower surfaces of the plate/shell without the need for a shear correction factor, in contrast to typical first order shear deformation theories (FSDTs). The equations of motion are identified and solved using the Navier method and the Hamilton's principle. Results: The current results are compared with other higher-order theories found in the literature to verify the veracity of the current hypothesis. It has been noted that the fundamental frequency values derived using the current theory are very similar to those found in the literature. In addition, the effects of the radius of curvature aspect ratio and mode vibration are considered. Conclusions: Based on the analysis, it can be said that the kinematics based on the indeterminate integral component are very efficient and, when used in the study of laminated plates and shells, lead to higher accuracy than conventional approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current paper, a new first-order Timoshenko's theory (N-FSDBT) based on the indefinite integral is proposed to examine the vibrational behavior of power-law (P-FG), sigmoid (S-FG), and exponential (E-FG) functionally graded beams. The developed formulation takes into consideration the effect of the transverse shear deformation. During the manufacturing process, faults, such as the presence of micro voids or porosities in FGMs, structural imperfections may arise in the material. For this purpose, this research has focused on the modification of the mixture rules including the porosity volume fraction. To illustrate the porosity variation throughout the body of the structures, the uniform, nonuniform and mass-density porosity distribution are considered in the present examination. Mathematical approach is used to simplify the FG beam governing equation based on classical beam theory (CBT) and new-FSDBT frame works for free vibration. The resultant equations of motion are solved using the Navier's technique, for simply supported FG beams. To validate the results, a parameter study was presented to analyze the impact of the types of volume fraction (FG beam-type), the effects of porosity distribution, material exponent parameter, slenderness ratio, and porosity index on the dynamic behavior of imperfect FG beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, stability analysis of thin-walled functionally graded (FG) sandwich box beams under combined bending and axial forces was carried out. Based on higher order theory that includes sectional distortion and warping, a nonlinear displacement field of closed cross-section is adopted. The energy principle is applied in the context of elastic behavior of materials. Simple power-law is used to adjust the material properties in the thickness direction of each wall of FGM box beam. Ritz's method is adopted to obtain the nonlinear coupled equilibrium equations, and then the critical loads are obtained by means of the corresponding tangent stiffness matrix. A Finite Element simulation performed with the code ABAQUS software is used to verify the efficiency and accuracy of the present approach in lateral torsional buckling predictions. The effects of the power-law index and skin–core-skin thickness ratios on the critical loads of FG sandwich box beams are presented through several case studies. Moreover, the numerical solutions show that the previous effects play a significant role in the stability analysis of FG sandwich box beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aims to investigate the dynamic behavior of a bidirectional functionally graded (BDFG) beam lying on nonlinear elastic substrate tacking into account the impact of the material distribution. For the first time, this effect will be studied. The beam characteristics are considered to change in the axial and thickness directions as a function of a specific function with four distinct distribution models. The BDFG beam is supposed to be in contact with a nonlinear three-parameter substrate with general boundary conditions. Hamilton's principle is used to determine the governing equations based on a quasi-3D solution. An analytical solution is then is applied to obtain the free and forced vibration parameters of the BDFG beam. Furthermore, the validation results show excellent agreement between the proposed theory and those given in the literature. On the other hand, a set of numerical results is exposed and discussed to assess the influence of several geometric and mechanical parameters like distribution patterns of material, beam geometry, foundation's parameters and external force on the forced and the free vibration of a BDFG beam sustained by a nonlinear elastic foundation. The results show that these parameters have a major influence on the dynamic response of BDFG beams supported by nonlinear foundation. These results can be used as reference solutions for future investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunisia is known as an underprivileged country in water resources, and water scarcity is evident in certain regions. In the long term, this situation could become more exacerbated, considering the increased risk of aridity. In this context, this work was carried out to study and compare the ecophysiological behavior of five olive cultivars facing drought stress and to evaluate the contribution of rhizobacteria to mitigate the effects of drought stress on these cultivars. The results showed a significant decrease in the relative water content (RWC) with the lowest percentage recorded for the 'Jarboui' cultivar (RWC = 37%), and the highest percentage was registered for the 'Chemcheli' cultivar (RWC = 71%). In addition, the performance index (PI) decreased for all the five cultivars and it reached the lowest values for 'Jarboui' and 'Chetoui' with 1.51 and 1.57, respectively. For the SPAD index, a decrease was registered for all the cultivars, except 'Chemcheli' (SPAD index = 89). Furthermore, the bacterial inoculation treatment improved the responses of cultivars to water stress. In fact, for all of the studied parameters, it was found that rhizobacterial inoculation significantly attenuated the effects of drought stress with variability dependent on the level of tolerance of the tested cultivars. This response improvement was noted especially in susceptible cultivars like 'Chetoui' and 'Jarboui'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stepper motors are synchronous electric actuators with incremental displacement that can be controlled in open loop in position or speed. Unfortunately, the rotor oscillations that characterize stepper motors are a major handicap that limits the use of this type of actuator in precision industrial applications and especially in biomedical systems. Improving motor drive performance is challenging due to the presence of uncertainty in system parameters and large load variations. To overcome these problems and the shortcomings of conventional control approaches, a new control concept based on fuzzy logic is developed. To this purpose, this paper proposes a fuzzy logic concept (FLC) for damping rotor oscillations of stepper actuator devoted to an Electrical Syringe Pump application. The FLC membership functions and rules are designed with value normalization that allows the developed controller able to be flexible when applied to a wide range of applications. The proposed FLC is numerically validated. Critical testing scenarios are employed including motor inertia variation, supply voltage variation, fluid friction variation and for different loads. Moreover, thanks to its normalized design, the proposed FLC is not limited to the studied biomedical applications, but can be applied to other application systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to the first-order shear deformation theory and other classical shell theories, the higher-order shear theory is deemed more accurate due to its superior ability to capture transverse shear effects, especially vital for precision in modeling thicker, doubly curved shell panels. Additionally, the third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) is acknowledged for its computational efficiency compared to the 3D solution striking a balance between result precision and computational efficiency. This paper explores the static bending and free vibration analysis of a porous bi-directional functionally graded doubly curved sandwich shell. For the first time, a combination of TSDT theory with the p-version finite element method is applied, demonstrated for the analysis of bi-directional functionally graded doubly curved sandwich shell. In the initial phase, the mathematical formulation has been meticulously derived. Four models of sandwich FGM distributions, taking into account the porosity effect and comprising a blend of two ceramic materials and a metallic material, have been thoroughly explored. Subsequently, the study evaluates the effectiveness and accuracy of the formulation implemented in FORTRAN CODE through benchmark results, showcasing its adaptability for different shell panel geometries by adjusting the values of the radius of curvature. The latter part of the research delves into new findings related to bi-directional functionally graded porous sandwich FGM shell panels, investigating the effects of gradient indexes and porosity distribution on their behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Credit risk plays a key role in financial modeling, and financial institutions are required to incorporate it in their pricing, as well as in capital requirement calculations. A common manner to extract credit worthiness information for existing and potential counterparties is based on the Credit Default Swap (CDS) market. Nonetheless, not all counterparties of a financial institution have (liquid) CDSs traded in the market. In this case, financial institutions shall employ a proxy methodology to estimate the default probabilities of these counterparties. Starting from the intersection methodology for credit curves, in this article we investigate whether it is possible to construct proxy credit curves from CDS quotes by means of (weighted) Wasserstein barycenters. We show how, under simple and common assumptions, this revised methodology leads to elementary and intuitive formulae to calculate distances between CDS-implied default probability distributions. Further, we illustrate how to use this information to construct proxy CDS quotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and in-depth rainfall studies are crucial for understanding and assessing precipitation events' patterns, intensities, and impacts, enabling effective planning and management of water resources, agriculture, and disaster preparedness. Despite many rainfall studies in Bangladesh at the national and regional scales, study on the spatiotemporal rainfall variability is still rare at the local scale. The current study aims to apply Mann–Kendall (MK), Modified Mann–Kendall (MMK), and Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) techniques to assess the long-term annual and seasonal rainfall trends and variability over the southeast region of Bangladesh. Monthly rainfall data from ten Bangladesh Meteorological Department climate stations between 1981 and 2022 was used for the analysis on annual and four seasonal scales. The precipitation concentration index results showed significant variations in annual rainfall across the study area, whereas seasonal PCIs were consistent with moderate rainfall. According to standardized rainfall anomaly findings, each station experienced at least one severe to extremely severe drought episode during the 42-year study period. Homogeneity tests revealed significant breakpoints in some rainfall datasets, while 78% were declared homogeneous. MK, MMK, and ITA techniques revealed similar increasing and decreasing trend patterns throughout the study area. Annual rainfall showed an upward trend in the coastal part and a downward trend in the northern part of the study area, with monsoon rainfall exhibiting a similar trend pattern. The ITA technique outperformed the MK and MMK techniques in detecting trends, identifying significant increasing and decreasing trends in 76% (38 out of 50) of the observations, while the MK and MMK techniques detected trends in only 8% and 44% of the total observations, respectively. The outcome of the current study is expected to be helpful for the sustainable planning and management of water resources in the southeast region of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem studied in the quadratic-cubic fractional nonlinear Schrödinger model in superfast fibers is the propagation of optical pulses in fiber optic systems. Optical pulses in fiber optic systems are important because they enable the transmission of information over long distances at high speeds with minimal loss and interference. We utilized the unified method and the extended simple equation method. These methods have been instrumental in obtaining important results in the study of the quadratic-cubic fractional nonlinear Schrödinger model in superfast fibers. These methods have allowed researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of optical pulses and have contributed to advancements in fiber optic communication systems. Superfast fibers have revolutionized data transmission by providing high-speed and reliable connectivity. They enable faster internet connections, support emerging technologies, and have implications for various industries. While there are challenges associated with their deployment and maintenance, the benefits of superfast fibers outweigh these limitations. One of the key novelties of the this model is its ability to accurately describe the propagation of ultrafast optical pulses in highly nonlinear fibers. The model takes into account both quadratic and cubic nonlinear effects, which are known to play crucial roles in the dynamics of intense light pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explore the new solitary wave solutions of the Biswas–Milovic equation and resonant nonlinear Schr o ¨ dinger equations with Kerr–Law nonlinearity. In mathematical physics, the Biswas–Milovic equation plays an important role. The dynamics of these solitons are well known to propagate over large distances in a few femto-seconds through these fibres. These dynamics are governed by the nonlinear Schrödinger's equation. The resonant nonlinear Schrödinger equation can be used to model the propagation of waves in fiber optics. The powerful analytical approach known as the extended simple equation method is employed to explore the solitary wave solutions of the Biswas–Milovic and resonant nonlinear Schr o ¨ dinger equations. These equations are primarily explored in the realm of solitons in nonlinear fiber optics. New dark, kink, anti-kink and singular periodic solitons are secured. Furthermore, 3D surface graphs, contour plots and parametric graphs are drawn to show dynamical behavior of some obtained solutions with the aid of symbolic software such as Mathematica. The constructed solutions will helpful to understand the dynamical framework of nonlinear Schr o ¨ dinger equations in the related physical phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major goal of the current research is to investigate the effects of fractional parameters on the dynamic response of soliton waves of fractional non-linear density-dependent reaction diffusion equation. Two well-known integration methodologies: the advanced exp (- Θ (ξ)) -expansion method and the modified auxiliary equation method in the sense of beta derivative and M-fractional derivative have been implemented to achieve explicit solitonic solutions of the fractional non-linear density-dependent reaction diffusion equation that emerged in mathematical biology. The spatial dynamics of populations, chemical concentrations, or other quantities are commonly studied using this equation type in biology, ecology, and chemistry. Solitary wave solutions of the governing equation, representing the dynamics of waves, plays a vital rule in many branches of biology, ecology, and chemistry. The obtained solutions has been studied in the form of singular kink-type solitary wave and kink-wave solutions. The behavior of soliton wave solutions is also demonstrated via 2D and 3D graphs. As a result of the fractional effects, physical changes are observed. The acquired results manifest that the proposed methods are more convenient, adequate, powerful and efficacious than other direct analytical methods. The attained results might improve our understanding of how waves propagate and could benefit the fields of medicine and allied sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can Tho City is experiencing water stress driven by rapid global changes. This study assesses the spatiotemporal variation in surface water quality (SWQ) through a multivariate statistical approach to provide evidence-based scientific information supporting sustainable water resource management and contributing to achieving the city's sustainable development goals (SDGs). The complex SWQ dataset with 14 monthly-measured parameters at 73 sampling sites throughout the city was collected and analyzed. The obtained results indicated that average concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total coliform, turbidity, total suspended solids, and phosphate (PO43−) exceeded the permissible national levels. Spatially, cluster analysis had divided the city's river basin into three different zones (mixed urban-industrial, agricultural, and mixed urban–rural zones). The key sources of SWQ pollution in these three zones were individually identified by principal component/factor analysis (PCA/FA), which were mainly related to domestic wastewater, industrial effluents, farming runoff, soil erosion, upstream sediment flows, and severe droughts. Discriminant analysis also explored that COD, DO, turbidity, nitrate (NO3−), and PO43− were the key parameters discriminating SWQ in the city among seasons and land-use zones. The temporally analyzed results from weighted arithmetic water quality index (WAWQI) estimation revealed the deterioration of SWQ conditions, whereby the total polluted monitoring sites of the city increased from 29% in 2013 to 51% in 2019. The key drivers of this deterioration were the expansion in built-up and industrial land areas, farming runoff, and droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine-leg voltage source inverters (VSIs) are highly effective topologies for high-power industrial applications. In this paper, a novel space vector with pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) approach for a nine-leg VSI fed three-star induction machines (TSIMs) is proposed. In fact, for nine-leg VSI fed TSIM, large stator harmonic currents are observed in the case of a 30° electrical shift between stator stars. The main objective of this paper is to minimize the circulation of these harmonics on (x-y) and (z–w) planes by developing a new SVPWM strategy for the nine-leg VSI. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy in terms of reducing the stator harmonic currents and electromagnetic torque ripple on the topology is, firstly, verified by computer simulations at different levels of the modulation index. The obtained results show that a compromise between the proposed technique and the proper choice of the modulation index provides high performance of the topology. On the other hand, an experimental test on a laboratory prototype of the nine-leg VSI fed TSIM shifted by 30° is carried out using a Virtex 5 LX50T FPGA. The experimental results prove the accuracy of the numerical results and therefore the efficacy of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess, compare, and attribute the effects due to separate and combined land use/land cover (LULC) and climate changes on hydrological processes in a tropical catchment. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is set up and calibrated for a small contributing sub-basin of the Tana River Basin (TRB) in Kenya. The model is then applied to simulate the hydrological components (i.e., streamflow (FLOW), evapotranspiration (ET), soil water (SW), and water yield (WYLD)) for different combinations of LULC and climate scenarios. Land use data generated from Land Satellite 5 Thematic Mapper (Landsat 5TM) images for two different periods (1987 and 2011) and satellite-based precipitation data from the African Rainfall Climatology version 2 (ARC2) dataset are utilized as inputs to the SWAT model. The Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), coefficient of determination (R2), percent bias (PBIAS), and the ratio of root mean square error to the standard deviation (RSR) for daily streamflow were 0.73, 0.76, 3.16%, and 0.51 in calibration period, respectively, and 0.45, 0.54, 12.53%, and 0.79 in validation period, respectively, suggesting that the model performed relatively good. An analysis of the LULC data for the catchment showed that there was an increase in agricultural, grassland, and forested land with a concomitant decrease in woodland and shrubland. Simulation results revealed that change in climate had a more significant effect on the simulated parameters than the change in LULC. It is shown that changes in LULC only had very minor effects in the simulated parameters. The monthly mean FLOW and WYLD decreased by 0.02% and 0.11%, respectively, while ET and SW increased by a monthly mean of 0.2% and 2.2%. Varying the catchment climate and holding the land use constant reduced FLOW, ET, SW, and WYLD by an average monthly mean of 43.2%, 21%, 13%, and 70%, respectively, indicating that climate changes have more significant effects on the catchment hydrological processes than changes in LULC. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate and identify the isolated and combined effects of LULC and climatic changes when assessing impacts on the TRB's hydrological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper presents a numerical investigation treating the fluid-structure interaction during CNT-water nanofluid mixed convection in a micro-channel equipped with elastic fins. A numerical framework for simulating the fluid–structure interaction is proposed by using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics. To prepare the numerical model, the micro-channel boundaries are considered as rigid, and the fins are elastic. Under periodic fully developed inlet boundary condition the effects of CNT volume fraction and the average inlet velocity on the flow structure, temperature field, heat transfer, drag and lift coefficients are studied. Results highlight the major effect of the fin oscillations to reduce the lift and drag forces and to improve the heat transfer and cooling the outlet flow from the cylindrical micro-channel. The dispersion of CNT nanoparticles in water-based fluid enhances considerably the convection process. In fact, it is remarked that due to the high thermal conductivity of CNT-water nanofluid the Nusselt number increases for higher CNT concentration especially for higher inlet velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes help increase the sustainability of the natural environment and decrease food chain risk, agriculture, ecosystem services, and leisure recreational activities locally and globally. Reliable simulation of monthly lake water levels is still an ongoing demand for multiple environmental and hydro-informatics engineering applications. The current research aims to utilize newly developed hybrid data-intelligence models based on the ensemble adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) coupled with metaheuristics algorithms for lake water-level simulation by considering the effect of seasonality on Titicaca Lake water-level fluctuations. The classical ANFIS model was trained using three metaheuristics nature-inspired optimization algorithms, including the genetic algorithm (ANFIS-GA), particle swarm optimizer (ANFIS-PSO), and whale optimization algorithm (ANFIS-WOA). For determining the best set of the input variables, an evolutionary approach based on several lag months has been utilized prior to the lake water-level simulation process using the hybrid models. The proposed hybrid models were investigated for accurately simulating the monthly water levels at Titicaca Lake. The ANFIS-WOA model exhibited the best prediction performance for lake water-level pattern measurement in this study. For the best scenario (the inputs were X t - 1 , X t - 2 , X t - 3 , X t - 4 , X t - 12 ) the ANFIS-WOA model attained root mean square error (RMSE ≈ 0.08 m), mean absolute error (MAE ≈ 0.06 m), and coefficient of determination (R2 ≈ 0.96). Also, the results showed that long-term seasonal memory for this lake is suitable input for lake water-level models so that the long-term dynamic memory of 1-year time series for lake water-level data is the best input for estimating the water level of Titicaca Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed priming has recently gained considerable attention to induce salt tolerance in several crop plants. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of seed priming with silicon (Si) using different concentrations (10, 20, and 40 mM) on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seed germination performance, seedling ion distribution, early growth establishment, and oxidative stress metabolism as grown under salinity (75 mM NaCl). Our results showed that all seed treatments (hydro-priming or Si-priming) improved salt tolerance of barley, relatively to unprimed state. However, specific differences associated with Si concentrations were recorded. At germination stage, a marked increase in germination percentage (100% on the 4th day of sowing) was recorded at 20 mM Si. When germination takes place in a salt-stressed medium, seedlings issued from seeds primed with 20 mM Si exhibited the highest ability to grow under saline conditions. Again, Si at 20 mM was the most beneficial for water adjustment in both roots (70%) and shoots (60%). This response was accompanied with increased root and shoot K+ content (33 and 25%, respectively). Seed priming with 20 mM Si resulted in a decrease in Na+ contents (by 42% in roots and 52% in shoots). This effect paralleled with a marked decline in H2O2 (by 65% in roots and 85% in shoots) and MDA content which together led to a spectacular activation of the overall antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPX). Taking into account these results, we suggest that the marked effectiveness of Si in primed seeds was more associated with ROS-scavenge and early activation of antioxidant defence, recorded in barley seedlings when subsequently grown under salinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chirps are familiar in nature, have a built-in resistance to noise and interference, and are connected to a wide range of highly oscillatory processes. Detecting chirp oscillating patterns by traditional Fourier series is challenging because the chirp frequencies constantly change over time. Estimating such types of functions considering the partial sums of a Fourier series in Fourier analysis does not permit an approximate solution, which entails more Fourier coefficients required for signal reconstruction. The standard Fourier series, therefore, has a poor convergence rate and is an inadequate approximation. In this study, we use a parameterized orthonormal basis with an adjustable parameter to match the oscillating behavior of the chirp to approximate linear chirps using the partial sums of a generalized Fourier series known as fractional Fourier series, which gives the best approximation with only a small number of fractional Fourier coefficients. We used the fractional Fourier transform to compute the fractional Fourier coefficients at sample points. Additionally, we discover that the fractional parameter has the best value at which fractional Fourier coefficients of zero degrees have the most considerable magnitude, leading to the rapid decline of fractional Fourier coefficients of high degrees. Furthermore, fractional Fourier series approximation with optimal fractional parameters provides the minimum mean square error over the fractional Fourier parameter domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land transformation monitoring is essential for controlling the anthropogenic activities that could cause the degradation of natural environment. This study investigated the urban heat island (UHI) effect at the Asansol and Kulti blocks of Paschim Bardhaman district, India. The increasing land surface temperature (LST) can cause the UHI effect and affect the environmental conditions in the urban area. The vulnerability of the UHI effect was measured quantitatively and qualitatively by using the urban thermal field variation index (UTFVI). The land use and land cover (LULC) dynamics are identified by utilizing the remote sensing and maximum likelihood supervised classification techniques for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. The results indicated a decrease around 19.05 km2, 15.47 km2, and 9.86 km2 for vegetation, agricultural land, and grassland, respectively. Meanwhile, there is an increase of 35.69 km2 of the built-up area from the year 1990 to 2020. The highest LST has increased by 11.55 °C, while the lowest LST increased by 8.35 °C from 1990 to 2020. The correlation analyses showed negative relationship between LST and vegetation index, while positive correlation was observed for built-up index. Hotspot maps have identified the spatio-temporal thermal variations in Mohanpur, Lohat, Ramnagar, Madhabpur, and Hansdiha where these cities are mostly affected by the urban expansion and industrialization developments. This study will be helpful to urban planners, stakeholders, and administrators for monitoring the anthropological activities and thus ensuring a sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction notice was issued for an article titled "Variable viscosity and activation energy aspects in convection heat transfer over gravity driven solar collector plate for thermal energy storage" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addressed an error in the affiliation of one of the authors, which was originally listed as ElFasher University in South Sudan but should have been Elfasher University in Sudan. The correction was made to the original article by Nidhal Ben Khedher, Zia Ullah, Mohamed Boujelbene, O. D. Makinde, Abdullah A. Faqihi, A. F. Aljohani, Abdoalrahman S. A. Omer, and Ilyas Khan. [Extracted from the article]

This study examined landslide susceptibility, an increasingly common problem in mountainous regions across the world as a result of urbanization, deforestation, and various natural processes. The Rangit River watershed in Sikkim Himalaya is one of the most landslide-prone areas in India. The main objective of this study was to produce landslide susceptibility maps of the Rangit River watershed using novel ensembles of random forest tree (RFT) with support vector machine (RFT-SVM), artificial neural network (RFT-ANN), naïve Bayes tree (RFT-NBT), and logistic model tree (RFT-LMT). An inventory of landslides was created using historical landslide data, government and scientific studies, and Google Earth's high-resolution satellite images. The landslide/non-landslide locations were split 70/30 for training and validating the models, respectively. Eleven landslide conditioning factors were selected based on their predictive ability, determined using the information gain method, and each factor's importance was derived. A landslide susceptibility index was then estimated by weighted overlay using a model builder in a GIS (Geographic Information System) environment. Based on the area under the curve and statistical metrics, RFT-LMT was identified as the best model. The results showed that approximately 40% of the Rangit River watershed has high to very high susceptibility to landslides. This study's findings will be useful for policy-makers and land use planners in managing and mitigating future landslides in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock mass deformation modulus (Em) is a key parameter that is needed to be determined when designing surface or underground rock engineering constructions. It is not easy to determine the deformability level of jointed rock mass at the laboratory; thus, researchers have suggested different in-situ test methods. Today, they are the best methods; though, they have their own problems: they are too costly and time-consuming. Addressing such difficulties, the present study offers three advanced and efficient machine-learning methods for the prediction of Em. The proposed models were based on three optimized cascaded forward neural network (CFNN) using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm (LMA), Bayesian regularization (BR), and scaled conjugate gradient (SCG). The performance of the proposed models was evaluated through statistical criteria including coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE). The computational results showed that the developed CFNN-LMA model produced better results than other CFNN-SCG and CFNN-BR models in predicting the Em. In this regard, the R2 and RMSE values obtained from CFNN-LMA, CFNN-SCG, and CFNN-BR models were equal to (0.984 and 1.927), (0.945 and 2.717), and (0.904 and 3.635), respectively. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed through the relevancy factor and according to its results, the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) was the most impacting parameters on Em. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional numerical simulations are performed to investigate the problem of thermocapillary, and buoyancy driven convection. A hybrid MWCTN-Fe 3 O 4 -thermal oil nanofluid was used in an enclosed cavity equipped with a hot obstacle. The entire set of equations associated with the convective heat transfer phenomena in a hybrid nanofluid layer with a free surface are solved numerically using the blocked-off region method of Patankar. A parametric study varying the position, the size of the obstacle, the Marangoni number, the Rayleigh number, the volume fraction of the nanofluid has been performed. The results concern the flow profile, the temperature profile and the evolution of the Nusselt number under different conditions. It was shown that an enhancement of the convective heat transfer of more than 170% can be achieved on the cold wall just by switching the position of the obstacle from the bottom to the top. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this applied research work, the risk of rock instability in the Aqabat Al-Sulbat road section located in the north-west area of Aseer Province in Saudi Arabia was evaluated, and the primary natural trigger factors of rock slope instability on further environmental components (rock slope stability, road network, and urban areas) were estimated using satellite images (Landsat8), digital terrain models, and geoprocessing in geographical information systems software (classification, overlapping algorithms and production thematic mapping in Arctoolbox). Additionally, field geotechnical investigations testing and over-coring drilling sampling allowed the characterization of the section of road in terms of geological structure and environmental components (geology, morphology, road network, lineaments, and hydrology). As a result, rock slope instability vulnerability mapping was simulated using satellite imagery and geographical information systems (GIS) and ranking natural trigger factors using the combined fuzzy Delphi analytical hierarchic process with the technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) as multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. Additionally, many rock layer discontinuity stations were implemented to evaluate rock slope instabilities, and these were visualized using the Dips program and combined with modeling using 3DEC software to predict rock slope failure based on the distinct element method (DEM) at a small scale. Thereafter, safety factors were computed depending on these previous geospatial data. Finally, vulnerability index mapping was combined with rock instability risk mapping for the Aqabat Al-Sulbat road. Within the framework of sustainable development, these results can be used to inform the urban planning of the municipality of Aseer Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal vulnerability assessment is the key to coastal management and sustainable development. Sea level rise (SLR) and anthropogenic activities have triggered more extreme climatic events and made the coastal region vulnerable in recent decades. Many parts of the world also noticed increased sediment deposition, tidal effects, and changes in the shoreline. Farasan Island, located in the south-eastern part of Saudi Arabia, experienced changes in sediment deposition from the Red Sea in recent years. This study used Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to delineate the shoreline changes of Farasan Island during 1975–2020. Multi-temporal Landsat data and DSAS were used for shoreline calculation based on endpoint rate (EPR) and linear regression. Results revealed an increase in vegetation area on the island by 17.18 km2 during 1975–1989 and then a decrease by 69.85 km2 during 1990–2020. The built-up land increased by 5.69 km2 over the study period to accommodate the population growth. The annual temperature showed an increase at a rate of 0.196 °C/year. The sea-level rise caused a shift in the island's shoreline and caused a reduction of land by 80.86 km2 during 1975–2020. The highly influenced areas by the environmental changes were the north, central, northwest, southwest, and northeast parts of the island. Urban expansion and sea-level rise gradually influence the island ecosystem, which needs proper attention, management, policies, and awareness planning to protect the environment of Farasan Island. Also, the study's findings could help develop new strategies and plan climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study appraised and compared the performance of process-based hydrological SWAT (soil and water assessment tool) with a machine learning-based multi-layer perceptron (MLP) models for simulating streamflow in the Upper Indus Basin. The study period ranges from 1998 to 2013, where SWAT and MLP models were calibrated/trained and validated/tested for multiple sites during 1998–2005 and 2006–2013, respectively. The performance of both models was evaluated using nash–sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), coefficient of determination (R2), Percent BIAS (PBIAS), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Results illustrated the relatively poor performance of the SWAT model as compared with the MLP model. NSE, PBIAS, R2, and MAPE for SWAT (MLP) models during calibration ranged from the minimum of 0.81 (0.90), 3.49 (0.02), 0.80 (0.25) and 7.61 (0.01) to the maximum of 0.86 (0.99), 9.84 (0.12), 0.87 (0.99), and 15.71 (0.267), respectively. The poor performance of SWAT compared with MLP might be influenced by several factors, including the selection of sensitive parameters, selection of snow specific sensitive parameters that might not represent actual snow conditions, potential limitations of the SCS-CN method used to simulate streamflow, and lack of SWAT ability to capture the hydropeaking in Indus River sub-basins (at Shatial bridge and Bisham Qila). Based on the robust performance of the MLP model, the current study recommends to develop and assess machine learning models and merging the SWAT model with machine learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air overpressure is a critical negative effect of blasting in construction or production sites and projects. So far, many attempts have been made to prevent or reduce this negative effect on the nearby construction, equipment, or people. While various experiential equations have been proposed to forecast the air overpressure value for determining the blasting area, these models are typically inaccurate and impractical. Due to the recent efforts to predict the air overpressure by employing artificial intelligence techniques, this study developed five support vector machine-based models optimized by some praised optimization techniques, including the moth flame optimization, particle swarm optimization, grey wolf optimization, cuckoo optimization algorithm, and whale optimization algorithm. These algorithms optimize the most important parameters of the support vector machine, including "C" and "gamma", and improve the performance of this model for air overpressure prediction. The findings showed that the moth flame optimization algorithm is the best optimizer for support vector machine and is suitable for air overpressure prediction. The support vector machine–moth flame optimization model achieved the best R2 (train: 0.9939; test: 0.9941) and comprehensive score (34). On the other hand, the worst model was the support vector machine–particle swarm optimization, which achieved the lowest comprehensive score (13). In addition, all optimization techniques improved the performance of the single support vector machine model. The findings of this study imply that all optimization techniques successfully enhanced the performance of the support vector machine model; however, the moth flame optimization optimizer was the most effective one. The support vector machine–moth flame optimization technique can be employed to solve other mining-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is often one of environmental disasters replicated in Morocco. It is the result of climate variations and human activity that has affected different sectors (water resources, agriculture, ecology, and socio-economy, etc.). The normalized water differential index (NDWI) is a type of spectral water analysis based on one green band and one NIR-band representation. The NDWI was effectively used to gather information around water bodies from remote sensing data. The study area for this work is the Idriss 1st Dam in northeast Morocco, situated downstream from the drainage of the Inaouene River. This basin is mostly affected by drought risk, which will evaluate by calculating NDWI index of image time series, based on Sentinel-2 (2015 to 2020), Landsat-8 (2013 to 2020) and Google Earth Engine (2013 to 2020) as a data processing tool. For the study area drought monitoring, DrinC software is used to calculate the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Stream-flow Drought Index (SDI).The result of this paper is mapping water bodies of Idriss 1st Dam, and evaluated drought risk severity and frequency with a high precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of groundwater in the study watershed has worsened because of industrial effluents and residential wastes from the urbanized cities; therefore, there is an important need to explore the aquifer vulnerability to pollution for sustainable groundwater management in the Irrigated Indus Basin (IIB). This study proposed a novel methodology to quantify groundwater vulnerability using two fully independent methodologies: the first by reintroducing an improved recharge factor (R) map and the second by incorporating three different weight and rating schemes into a traditional DRASTIC framework to improve the performance of the DRASTIC approach. In the current study, we composed a recharge map from Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) output (namely SWAT recharge map) with a drainage density map to retrieve an improved composite recharge map (SWAT-CRM). SWAT-CRM along with other thematic layers was combined using weightage overlay analysis to prepare the maps of groundwater vulnerability index (VI). The weight scale (w) and rating scale (r) were assigned based on a survey of available literature, and we then amended them using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and a probability frequency ratio (PFR) technique. Results depicted that the region under high groundwater vulnerability was found to be 5–22% using traditional recharge maps, while those are 9–23% using improved SWAT-CRM. The area under the curve (AUC) revealed that groundwater vulnerability zones predicted with SWAT-CRM outperformed the DRASTIC model applied with the traditional recharge map. Groundwater electrical conductivity (EC) was>2500 mS/cm in the high groundwater vulnerability zones, while it was <1000 mS/cm in the low groundwater vulnerability zones. The outcomes of this study can be used to improve the sustainability of the groundwater resources in IIB through proper land-use management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a successfully rapid, simple approach was applied for biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles AgNPs using for the first time the mixed leaves extract of Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris and Pistacia lentiscus from natural association aimed to enhance their antimicrobial potential. The plant extract acts both as reducing and capping agents. When the aqueous extract was added to AgNO3 solution, the color was changed from pale to yellow to brown indicating the reduction of Ag ions and synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) without any solvent or hazardous reagents. The green synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV–Vis spectrophotometer, FTIR spectrum and the X-ray crystallography. The AgNPs showed superior antioxidant activity measured by DPPH, Ferric Antioxidant Reducing Power (FRAP) as well as the total antioxidant activity methods. Moreover, the analysis of phytochemical constituents including flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids and total polyphenols contents mentioned the most richness of the silver nanoparticles compared to plant extract. The new synthesized AgNPs demonstrated the bactericidal and fungicidal effects against all the tested bacterial and fungal strains and found to limit the spore germination of filamentous fungi. AgNPs also gave an anti-biofilm activity and synergistic effect with the conventional antibiotic's drugs. Here we firstly describe the silver nanoparticles effect on virulence factors of Candida species by reduction of enzymes like proteinase and phospholipase, inhibition of morphogenesis of Candida albicans cells. This natural product, acquiring these properties, should be promoted to be used in pharmaceutical and medical industries in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The smart transformer (ST) is a key component for the continuously evolving smart grid applications. It is a very promising alternative to the conventional transformer owing to its numerous advantages. For instance, it allows instantaneous voltage regulation, bidirectional power control as well as the integration of renewable energy systems and electric vehicles into the distribution grid. Among the different existing ST topologies, the three-stage topology is considered as the most robust and efficient when coupled to the smart grid. In conjunction with an appropriate control strategy, it guarantees improved performance as compared to its counterparts. Several controllers were proposed for the three-stage based-ST, such as linear quadratic regulator, proportional integral, sliding mode control (SMC). However, these controllers require an exact value of ST system parameters, which is not guaranteed with the integration of renewable energies due to the abrupt changes in the atmospheric conditions. To overcome these limitations, a modified controller is proposed in this paper, namely the backstepping-sliding mode control (BS-SMC). The BS-SMC approach combines the advantages of the SMC and the BS to achieve the highest performance of the ST. The overall mathematical and numerical model of the proposed controller is provided. For a fair comparison, the SMC is also developed. Moreover, different sets of simulations were performed under normal and disturbed operating conditions. The obtained results prove the good robustness of the proposed BS-SMC and flexibility towards different electrical disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precision of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) predictions would vary, depending on the adopted empirical method and the availability of meteorological data. This study aims to enhance the prediction accuracy of ETo using the high-order response surface method (HO-RSM). Daily scale climatological information are used to build the predictive model including maximum temperature (Tmax), maximum humidity (Hmax), wind speed (WS), solar radiation (SR), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which are obtained from three observation stations in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Ten models corresponding to ten different input combination sets are evaluated for variability influence by comparing the predicted ETo with the observed ETo. The models presented a similar performance at both Gaoua and Boromo stations with the determination coefficient (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) values ranging between 0.6831–0.9966 (0.0622–0.5065) and 0.7237–0.9948 (0.0722–0.4942), respectively. As for the Dori station, the models showed a lower performance with R2 (RMSE) values ranging between 0.2068 and 0.5229 (0.8292–1.0051), which may be due to the insufficient input variables or the requirement of higher order in RSM modeling for this station. Results also showed that the M10 model that includes all five input variables performed the best at three stations, with respect to the statistical performance. This is followed by the M7 model, which excluded the Hmax in the prediction, suggesting that Hmax has the least influence on the ETo prediction among all the input variables. The insignificant trend in selecting the optimum order of the RSM also showed that HO-RSM is case sensitive and hence precautions are required for generalizing model applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two bacterial strains were isolated and identified using microbial culturomics and characterised according to the taxono-genomics strategy. The strictly anaerobic strain, Marseille-P3773T, forms smooth and translucent colonies consisting of Gram-stain negative, non-motile and non-spore-forming rod-shaped cells. Strain Marseille-P3787T consists of Gram-stain positive, motile and spore-forming cells resulting in grey and translucent colonies. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of strains Marseille-P3773T and Marseille-P3787T revealed a 96.9% similarity level with Lachnotalea glycerini strain DLD10 and 97% identity with Paenibacillus uliginis strain N3/975, respectively. The genome of strain Marseille-P3773 is 4,260,534 bp long with a 40.3 mol% G + C content and includes 3879 predicted genes of which 3769 are protein-coding genes, 76 RNAs and 34 are pseudo-genes. Strain Marseille-P3787 had a genome size of 4,833,032 bp with a 47.9 mol% G + C and has 4481 predicted genes of which 4265 are protein-coding genes, 101 RNAs and 115 are pseudo-genes. According to the data collected on these strains and, more specifically to the genomic comparison, we suggest the creation of a new genus and species, Konateibacter massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov. with strain Marseille-P3773T (=CSURP3773 and CCUG71331) as its type strain within the Lachnospiraceae family, as well as a new species, Paenibacillus faecalis sp. nov. with strain Marseille-P3787T (=CSURP3787 and CCUG71650) as its type strain within the Paenibacillus genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many regions of Iraq were suffering from (meteorological and agricultural) drought. Middle Euphrates region is one of these regions. Therefore, this study carried out to monitor this phenomenon in this region during period from 1988 to 2018. The Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) and the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) have been utilized for monitoring the meteorological and agricultural droughts, respectively. The final results showed that the overall drought percentage in the study area had been increased compared with no drought percentage. The percentage of the no drought area was ranged from 8% (in 1988 and 2000) to 17% (in 2018). The severe and extreme drought classes recorded a higher ratio in the area followed by moderate and mild droughts. There is a high level of the dry season in the region, especially in its southern and western parts. The reason for drought particularly in these parts is due to the geological composition of its soils, where it consists sandy soils that are consistently subjected to erosion by the wind. Additionally, the high porosity of these soils adversely influenced on their water maintenance limit particularly water of precipitation. In addition to the absence of a source of surface water in these parts of the region and its dependence on the water of some wells with high salinity and unsuitable for agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphometric analysis is a pertinent scientific approach in any hydrological analysis, and it is necessary in the progress and management of drainage basin. Identification of areas at risk of erosion, and the prioritization of 48 sub-watersheds of Inaouene basin, was done by using linear, relief and areal aspects of watershed. The research carried out the use of geographic information system spatial data. The linear aspects include stream number, stream sequence, stream length, and bifurcation ratio, mean length of stream order, stream length ratio, mean stream length ratio, and form factor. The areal aspect includes frequency of stream, drainage density, texture ratio, channel length constant, and overland flow maintenance length. Ultimately, the relief dimensions included relief proportion, relief and ruggedness number. The array of compound (Cp) values computed allow us to set the priority ranks and classify the sub-watershed into three priority ranks groups: low, moderate, and high priority. Such morphometric analyses can be used therefore as a watershed erosion status estimator to prioritize land and water conservation initiatives and natural resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain GD8 is a new species belonging to the order Coriobacteriales that was isolated from fresh stool of a French volunteer. It is an anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium isolated from human gut microbiota. The sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that our strain GD8 was 96.2% of similarity with Collinsella massiliensis strain An5 which was the phylogenetically related species. Its genome size is 2,836,446 bp with 64.1 mol% of G + C content. Strain GD8T (= CSUR P2019 = DSM 101062) is the type strain of the new species Collinsella ihumii sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self compacting concrete (SCC) is special type of concrete which is highly flowable and non-segregated and by its own mass, spreads into the formwork without any external vibrators, even in the presence of thick reinforcement. But SSC is also brittle nature like conventional concrete, which results in abrupt failure without giving any deformation (warning), which is undesirable for any structural member. Thus, self-compacting concrete (SCC) needs some of tensile reinforcement to enhance tensile strength and prevent the unsuitable abrupt failure. But fiber increased tensile strength of concrete more effectively than compressive strength. Hence, it is essential to add pozzolanic materials into fiber reinforced concrete to achieve high strength, durable and ductile concrete. This study is conducted to assess the performance of SCC with substitutions of marble waste (MW) and coconut fiber (CFs) into SCC. MW utilized as cementitious (pozzolanic) materials in percentage of 5.0 to 30% in increment of 5.0% by weight of binder and concrete is reinforced with CFs in proportion of 0.5 to 3.0% in increment of 0.5% by weight of binder. Rheological characteristics were measured through its filling and passing ability by using Slump flow, Slump T50, L-Box, and V-funnel tests while mechanical characteristics were measured through compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexure strength and bond strength (pull out) tests. Experimental investigation show that MW and CFs decrease the passing ability and filling ability of SCC. Additionally, Experimental investigation show that MW up to 20% and CFs addition 2.0% by weight of binder tend to increase the mechanical performance of SCC. Furthermore, statistical analysis (RSM) was used to optimize the combined dose of MW and CFs into SCC to obtain high strength self-compacting concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid and semi-arid regions, groundwater is considered being the most available natural resources for different water use. However, it is being limited in quantity. As such, its sustainable development and managementent depends on based on various criteria (e.g. climatic conditions, scale, aquifer properties, etc.). This study presents three multi-criteria index approaches (Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Best–Worst Method (BWM), and Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) to classify groundwater potential maps in the Sarakhs Plain in North-east Iran. In this study, 10 parameters (layers) that affect groundwater potential recharge mapping (GPRM) are used using ArcGIS10.2. These layers includeground surface elevation, surface slope, aspect, relative slope position (RSP), plan curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), terrain ruggedness index (TRI), drainage density, landuse, and lithology. These layers and their features were assigned properweights based on the conceptual frameworks of AHP, BWM, and FUCOM techniques, and then using a weighted overlay summation process (WOSP), final maps of groundwater potential in Sarakhs plain are obtained. The developed groundwater potential maps are classified into four classes, including low, medium, high, and very-high. The results show that among the 10 driving parameters, land use, and lithology have the highest importance and the surface slope has the lowest importance in the mapping of groundwater potential recharge. The best groundwater potential zones are concentrated in northeast and southeast, central parts, and a few parts in the areas of the western regionof the Sarakhs plain due to its nearly gentle slopes with quaternary alluvial and agriculture land and lower drainage density. The obtained results are of high value for decision-makers in the Sarakhs plain in specific and for entire Iran in general to apply sustainable groundwater utilization plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]