Morocco Special Report - February 13, 2009

This report is the first of a series of bulletins produced through a collaborative effort of Joint Research Centre and National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) of MoroccoJRC.DDG.H.4-Monitoring agricultural resource

Electric power transfer concept for improved performance of multi-spool turbofan jet engine

Twin spool high-bypass turbofan engines are the dominant sources of propulsion for most civil aircraft. The shaft speeds in these engines are thermodynamically coupled even with no mechanical link between them. This coupling effect results in inevitable limitations on the engine design and performance, including mismatches in the performance of the compressors at low-speed conditions, that push for undesirable air bleeding requirements. Therefore, decoupling the shaft speeds can introduce remarkable improvements to engine performance, which leads to better fuel efficiency and hence reduced emissions. A combination of solutions can offer new opportunities to address the mentioned coupling issue. These include the design trends towards the More Electric Engine (MEE) for the More Electric Aircraft (MEA), the boost in power electronics application, and introduction of new onboard Electric Power Systems (EPS) architectural paradigms. A multi-spool MEE can be equipped with an electrical machine connected to each of its shafts, which are connected via power electronics sharing a common high-voltage DC bus architecture. It is then possible to establish an “electrical bridge” to circulate the desired amount of power between the engine shafts, in order to decouple their speeds. This PhD research investigates the impact of the Electric Power Transfer (EPT) on the engine performance and introduces novel EPT-Adopted Designs (EPTAD) for the future MEA engines

Fluids Intake and Beverage Consumption Pattern among University Students

Background: Insufficient and inappropriate daily fluid intake in a long period may have adverseeffect on human's health. Therefore, the present study evaluated the amounts and sources of fluidsconsumed by university students to determine whether these amounts and sources of fluid wereenough and appropriate.Methods: In this descriptive study, 245 (142 females and 103 males) volunteer students of TabrizUniversity of Medical Sciences in 2009 were recruited. Food and fluid intake of subjects were assessedby 24-hour recall method of 3 days (two week days and one week- end included). Dietaryintake of subjects was analyzed by Nutritionist III software program. The mean total fluid intake(drinking fluid values merged with data on the water content of foods) and the rate of metabolicwater were figured out. Comparisons of the results with recommended dietary values were madeusing student's t-test.. Data of dietary intakes for two under-reporter female subjects were notincluded in the statistical analysis.Results: Daily total mean of fluid intake for girls (1598±40ml) and boys (1861±59ml) reflect thesum of beverages (Girls, 818±29ml; boys, 1147±57ml) and food water (Girls, 780±47ml; boys,714±86m). The most consumed beverage for girls and boys were water (40%) and tea (49%)respectively. Daily mean intake of milk for girls and boys were 106.31±10ml (13%) and57.30±11ml (5%), respectively.Conclusion: The mean daily fluid intake of subjects, specially water, and milk was lower than recommendedvalues. Therefore, there is an urgent need for tailored nutrition intervention targetingthe young adults to improve their beverage choices

The Effect of Coloring Beverages on Color Stability of Hybrid Ceramics with Different Surface Treatments

Objective: To assess the effects of coloring beverages on the color stability of two types of hybrid ceramics with different surface treatments. Material and Methods: 180 specimens of two hybrid ceramics (Vita Enamic and Mazic Duro) and a feldspathic ceramic (Vita Mark II) were prepared (n=60 in each group). Half of the discs in each group were glazed while the other was polished. The specimens were then divided into three subgroups and immersed in distilled water, carrot juice, and coffee. The overall color difference (∆E) was calculated based on CIE L*a*b* color space. Data were analyzed using three-way and one-way ANOVA; Tukey’s honest significant difference was also done for pairwise comparisons (α=0.05). Results: Vita Mark II specimens revealed less overall color changes compared to other groups. The ∆E of the glazed Vita Enamic specimens was greater than polished specimens following immersion in distilled water (p=0.03) and coffee (p=0.001), but it was not significant for carrot juice. The same results were obtained for polished Mazic Duro specimens. Relatively similar amounts of ∆E were recorded in polished and glazed subgroups of Vita Mark II. Conclusion: The ∆E of hybrid ceramics was higher than Vita Mark II. Polishing could be recommended for surface treatment of hybrid ceramics instead of glazing, saving time and facilitating the process

The effect of social capital on social participation among citizens in Behshahr, Iran

The aim of the present research is to study the effect of social capital on social participation of Behshahr city citizens and for this purpose 367 of the citizens of this city have been selected with the use of simple random sampling method and have responded to social capital and social participation questionnaires. The questionnaires’ format validity have been confirmed by three experts in the relevant field and their reliability have been tested with the use of Cronbach’s alpha which is equal to 0.92 and 0.87 for social capital and social participation, respectively. Finally, the collected data from the questionnaires were analyzed with the use of two-variable linear regression test and the results indicate that social capital has a significant effect (p<0.01) on social participation of Behshahr city citizens

The effect of social capital on social participation among citizens in Behshahr, Iran

The aim of the present research is to study the effect of social capital on social participation of Behshahr city citizens and for this purpose 367 of the citizens of this city have been selected with the use of simple random sampling method and have responded to social capital and social participation questionnaires. The questionnaires’ format validity have been confirmed by three experts in the relevant field and their reliability have been tested with the use of Cronbach’s alpha which is equal to 0.92 and 0.87 for social capital and social participation, respectively. Finally, the collected data from the questionnaires were analyzed with the use of two-variable linear regression test and the results indicate that social capital has a significant effect (p<0.01) on social participation of Behshahr city citizens

Spatial analysis and urban land use planning with emphasis on hospital site selection, case study: Isfahan city

Providing appropriate and equal health care to various classes of society is among the major issues in social welfare. Optimum spatial distribution and equitable locating of health services is important. Due to high population and density in the metropolis of Isfahan, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of hospitals of the city based on the related standards and regulations seems to be necessary. In this study, a combination of GIS and network analysis was used to evaluate the catchment areas of existing hospitals in Isfahan. The results indicated that existing hospitals covered only 23.91 percent of active urban areas at standard time. To promote fair access for citizens and improve the spatial distribution of hospitals based on the related standards and regulations, valuation of urban land for locating new hospital is necessary. Thus, with effective data collection in the form of layers of information such as transportation network, population density, land use, etc. using GIS and AHP model, the authors categorized urban land in 7 categories from poor to very good for construction of hospital

Desarrollo de un bot para un juego de lucha mediante aprendizaje por refuerzo

Este proyecto trata el diseño e implementación de un videojuego de lucha en 2D desarrollado en Unity, y de un bot que aprende y mejora a medida que lo juega mediante una IA que implementa técnicas de aprendizaje por refuerzo.This project's goal is to design and implement a 2D fighting game developed in Unity, and a bot that learns and improves as it plays the game, by means of an AI that implements Reinforced Learning techniques