Adaptation of pressurized irrigation networks to new strategies ofirrigation management: Energy implications of low discharge andpulsed irrigation

This paper analyzes the consequences of adopting new on-farm irrigation management strategies (lowdischarge rates, long irrigation times and high frequencies) in an existing on-demand and sectorizedpressurized irrigation system in eastern Spain. The sectorized behavior of the network was analyzedusing two criteria: (i) the operating sectors obtained in a first stage by arranging the hydrants dependingon their altitude respecting the pumping station and (ii) the operating sectors obtained by means ofan optimization process. The Simulated Annealing combinatorial metaheuristic optimization techniquewas employed to find the best solution. Random on-demand patterns were generated using a Montecarlosimulation. The hydraulic requirements of the network were analyzed in every scenario by the Epanet2.0 engine. The effect on energy consumption, power requirements and energy costs was assessed takinginto account the electricity tariff billing structure. It was found that reductions in emitter discharge (qe)and Energy consumption (E)-Energy Cost (EC) savings are not inherently related to each other. Certainamounts of E and EC could be saved when the number of sectors and operating time parameters wereproperly selected. Pulsed irrigation in the current scenario showed an energy saving potential of 10.67,6.43 and 6.99% for power capacity, E and EC, respectively.The study has been partially funded by the IMPADAPT project (CGL2013-48424-C2-1-R) with Spanish MINECO (Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad) and Feder funds.Garcia-Prats, A.; Guillem Picó, S. (2016). Adaptation of pressurized irrigation networks to new strategies ofirrigation management: Energy implications of low discharge andpulsed irrigation. Agricultural Water Management. 169:52-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.02.023S526016

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: A fiction, hope or hype? An updated review

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) that began in China had infected so far more than 109,217,366 million individuals worldwide and accounted for more than 2,413,912 fatalities. With the dawn of this novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), there was a requirement to select potential therapies that might effectively kill the virus, accelerate the recovery, or decrease the case fatality rate. Besides the currently available antiviral medications for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), the chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (CQ/HCQ) regimen with or without azithromycin has been repurposed in China and was recommended by the National Health Commission, China in mid-February 2020. By this time, the selection of this regimen was based on its efficacy against the previous SARS-CoV-1 virus and its potential to inhibit viral replication of the SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. There was a shortage of robust clinical proof about the effectiveness of this regimen against the novel SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, extensive research effort has been made by several researchers worldwide to investigate whether this regimen is safe and effective for the management of COVID-19. In this review, we provided a comprehensive overview of the CQ/HCQ regimen, summarizing data from in vitro studies and clinical trials for the protection against or the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Despite the initial promising results from the in vitro studies and the widespread use of CQ/HCQ in clinical settings during the 1st wave of COVID-19, current data from well-designed randomized controlled trials showed no evidence of benefit from CQ/HCQ supplementation for the treatment or prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Particularly, the two largest randomized controlled trials to date (RECOVERY and WHO SOLIDARITY trials), both confirmed that CQ/HCQ regimen does not provide any clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we do not recommend the use of this regimen in COVID-19 patients outside the context of clinical trials

Impact of residential everyday urban spaces conception on children community play behavior and cognitive development: the case of Cairo and Paris

This research was initiated with the objective of investigating the potential impact of urban space design on play behavior and child development. Two neighborhoods (in Paris and Cairo) with similar spatial typologies (garden, pedestrian pathways, assembly zone, courtyard, building buffers, and pockets), but with different spatial attributes forming different configurations, were investigated. The study relies on causal comparative survey and intrinsic case study approaches. Data collection was conducted through children behavioral observations on children aged from 5 to 12 , perceptual drawing activities and informal interviews with child-led walks. The children are from middle socio-cultural segments of both societies that helped in understanding children’s play in a variety of outdoor settings. The assembled data was analyzed within the shadow of Trialectic Space and Affordances theories to the two neighborhoods, where children perception to their lived ambiance was identified. Trialectic theory helps in comprehending the difference between the conceived space by designers, the perceive space by children, and the resulted lived space. Affordance theory helps to link the environmental characteristics and the users’ behaviors according to their capabilities. Based on the analyzed data, the study identified a set of specific spatial physical aspects and functional qualities “potentialities” associated to children experiences and their space preferences. The study recommended that urban planners should extract themes essential for creating “child friendly” environment

NeuroCharter, a neural networks software for scientific research. The data sample

Sample dat

NeuroCharter, a software to discover the effects and contributions between interrelated features through artificial neural networks.

NeuroCharter is an open-source software that helps in prediction problems in scientific research through artificial neural networks. The program is designed mainly for researchers who focus on details of the network’s parameters, in addition to easy reuse of the trained network. The program outputs almost all the necessary graphs regarding the network and features contributions and relative outputs for bot numeric and categorical features. The program was implemented in Python 2.7.11 and is open sourced for reuse and future development. The program consists of four main classes, one for the neural networks calculation, one for data manipulation, one for plotting the neural network, and the main class that manages and links the other classes

NeuroCharter, a neural networks software for scientific research. The main module

Code for Artificial intelegenc

Sketch, Photo, Sound: Lived and Represented Space of the Child Experience in the Green Built Environments. Studying the Eco-districts in France

In contemporary forms of habitats and more precisely in the eco-districts, the nature presence becomes obviously dominant. The capacity of green infrastructure seems to welcome children in different urban typologies. The study crosses the effect of certain natural urban elements with the children sensory experiences that is reflected on specific behavioral attitudes taking place during the children’s free play. It draws the behavioral map of middle-aged children, about 5–12 years of age, in two selected eco-districts, in Paris suburbs and Grenoble, France, through multi-tasked qualitative methodologies. These collecting data methods include the following triad: children’s drawings, photographs, and sound recordings, where 16 sample were chosen for each.Reintroducing children in public spaces, seems crucial to investigate the form and type of young children’s presence in the Eco-Districts. Considered as special space users, the study aims to unveil the way they conceive, interact with, and experience their surrounding environment

Adaptation of climate variability/extreme in arid environment of the Arabian peninsula by rainwater harvesting and management

Water management in Saudi Arabia is facing major challenges due to the limited water resources and increasing uncertainties caused by climate change. The rainfall and temperature records of the Saudi meteorological data for more than three decades were analyzed for policy suggestions in water sectors based on the changing rainfall patterns. The trends in the annual aridity and rain indices were also examined to define the changing climate conditions and for determining the dry months in different cities of the Kingdom. An increased annual and maximum rainfall was observed for six cities while a decreasing trend in both annual and maximum rainfall was observed for the same number of cities highlighting the variability of rainfall in the whole region. An increasing maximum rainfall with decreasing annual rainfall was observed for the rest of the cities signifying the more extreme rainfall evens and resulting floods of short durations. The changing rainfall trends were also observed for different months during 31 years of the recorded period in addition to the varying climate pattern for different cities within the same district. Finally, these preliminary assessments of any systematic changes in view of the increased rain intensities and extreme climate events are viewed to demonstrate the value rainwater harvesting and management as a local adaptation to the climate variability and extreme in the Kingdom