ESTIMATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC POTENTIAL AT THE URBAN LEVEL FROM 3D CITY MODEL (SOLAR CADASTER): CASE OF CASABLANCA CITY, MOROCCO

Nowadays, the use of solar energy in buildings, especially photovoltaic energy, has undergone a great evolution in the world, thanks to various technological advances and to incentive programs. Related to this topic, the solar cadaster is an important interactive tool to predict the solar potential in an urban environment. The main objective of this research work is to estimate the photovoltaic energy potential of roofs based on aerial photogrammetry and GIS processing. The location chosen for the study is the Maarif district located in the city of Casablanca in order to raise awareness of the public and decision makers to this energy potential through a geoportal that will be developed for this purpose. The tool proposed in this research work makes it possible to evaluate the solar irradiation on a part of the territory of Casablanca with a sufficiently satisfactory precision and reliability, this thanks to the precise reconstruction of the territory in 3D urban model called digital surface model (DSM) at 50 cm resolution by techniques known as photogrammetry which makes it possible to carry out measurements extracted from a stereoscopic pairs, by using the parallax and the correlation between the digital images taken from various points of view. The analysis was used on the basis of specific algorithms and several factors including geographical location, shade, tilt, orientation, roof accessibility and topography which are the main factors influencing the productivity of solar panels.

A Reliable Low Power Multiplier Using Fixed Width Scalable Approximation

Recent Approximate computing is a change in perspective in energy-effective frameworks plan and activity, in light of the possibility that we are upsetting PC frameworks effectiveness by requesting a lot of precision from them. Curiously, enormous number of utilization areas, like DSP, insights, and AI. Surmised figuring is appropriate for proficient information handling and mistake strong applications, for example, sign and picture preparing, PC vision, AI, information mining and so forth Inexact registering circuits are considered as a promising answer for lessen the force utilization in inserted information preparing. This paper proposes a FPGA execution for a rough multiplier dependent on specific partial part-based truncation multiplier circuits. The presentation of the proposed multiplier is assessed by contrasting the force utilization, the precision of calculation, and the time delay with those of a rough multiplier dependent on definite calculation introduced. The estimated configuration acquired energy effective mode with satisfactory precision. When contrasted with ordinary direct truncation proposed model fundamentally impacts the presentation. Thusly, this novel energy proficient adjusting based inexact multiplier design outflanked another cutthroat model.

Modeling Impact of Climate Change on Surface Water Availability Using SWAT Model in a Semi-Arid Basin: Case of El Kalb River, Lebanon

Assessing the impact of climate change on streamflow is crucial for depicting the vulnerability of water resources and for identifying proper adaptation measures. This study used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate the impact of climate change on the streamflow of El Kalb river, a major perennial river in Lebanon. The model performance was tested for monthly flow at two stations under a nine-year calibration period (2003–2011) and a four-year validation period (2012–2015). The model results indicated satisfactory precision in fitting observed and simulated flow using various acceptable statistical indices. Future projections of climate change were obtained for three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) (2.6, 4.5, and 8.5). The model indicated that the average annual discharge of El Kalb River in the near future (2021–2040) will decrease by around 28–29% under the three RCP scenarios. End-of-century projections (2081–2100) indicated that the flow will decrease by 23%, 28%, and 45% under RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5, respectively.

A Simple Method for Evaluating the Bioactive Phenolic Compounds’ Presence in Brazilian Craft Beers

There are a significant number of analytical methodologies employing different techniques to determine phenolic compounds in beverages. However, these methods employ long sample preparation processes and great time consumption. The aim of this paper was the development of a simple method for evaluating the phenolic compounds’ presence in Brazilian craft beers without a previous extraction step. Catechin, caffeic acid, epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, hydrated rutin, trans-ferulic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, and formononetin were analyzed in fifteen different craft beers. The method showed good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.9966). The limit of detection ranged from 0.08 to 0.83 mg L−1, and limits of quantification were between 0.27 and 2.78 mg L−1. The method showed a satisfactory precision (RSD ≤ 16.2%). A good accuracy was obtained by the proposed method for all phenolic compounds in craft beer (68.6% ˂ accuracy ˂ 112%). Catechin showed higher concentrations (up to 124.8 mg L−1) in the samples, followed by epicatechin (up to 51.1 mg L−1) and caffeic acid (up to 8.13 mg L−1). Rutin and formononetin were observed in all analyzed samples (0.52 mg L−1 to 2.40 mg L−1), and kaempferol was less present in the samples. The presence of plant origin products was determinant for the occurrence of the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds in Brazilian craft beers.

Capillary Liquid Chromatography for the Determination of Terpenes in Botanical Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements of botanical origin are increasingly consumed due to their content of plant constituents with potential benefits on health and wellness. Among those constituents, terpenes are gaining attention because of their diverse biological activities (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, geroprotective, and others). While most of the existing analytical methods have focused on establishing the terpenic fingerprint of some plants, typically by gas chromatography, methods capable of quantifying representative terpenes in herbal preparations and dietary supplements with combined high sensitivity and precision, simplicity, and high throughput are still necessary. In this study, we have explored the utility of capillary liquid chromatography (CapLC) with diode array detection (DAD) for the determination of different terpenes, namely limonene, linalool, farnesene, α-pinene, and myrcene. An innovative method is proposed that can be applied to quantify the targets at concentration levels as low as 0.006 mg per gram of sample with satisfactory precision, and a total analysis time <30 min per sample. The reliability of the proposed method has been tested by analyzing different dietary supplements of botanical origin, namely three green coffee extract-based products, two fat burnings containing Citrus aurantium (bitter orange), and an herbal preparation containing lime and leaves of orange trees.

Solvent bar microextraction combined with HPLC-DAD for simultaneous determination of diuretics in human urine and plasma samples

Background: A simple and powerful microextraction procedure, the solvent bar microextraction (SBME), was used for the simultaneous determination of two diuretics, furosemide and spironolactone in human urine and plasma samples, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Methods: The appropriate amount (2 µL) of 1-octanol as an organic solvent confined within (2.5 cm) of a porous hollow fiber micro-tube, sealed at both ends was used for this procedure. The conditions for the SBME were optimized in water and the analytical performance were examined in spiked human urine and plasma samples. Results: The optimized method exhibited good linearity (R2 > 0.997) over the studied range of higher than 33 to 104 µg L-1 for furosemide and spironolactone in urine and plasma samples, illustrating a satisfactory precision level with RSD values between 2.1% and 9.1%. Discussion: The values of the limits of detection were found to be in the range of 6.39 to 9.67 µg L-1, and extraction recovery˃ 58.8% for both diuretics in urine and plasma samples. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method for the determination of furosemide and spironolactone in patient urine samples were tested. Conclusion: In comparison with reference methods, the attained results demonstrated that SBME combined with HPLC-DAD was proved to be simple, inexpensive, and promising analytical technology for the simultaneous determination of furosemide and spironolactone in urine and plasma samples.

Navigation Grade MEMS IMU for A Satellite

This paper presents a navigation grade micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) that was successfully applied for the first time in the Lobster-Eye X-ray Satellite in July 2020. A six-axis MEMS gyroscope redundant configuration is adopted in the unit to improve the performance through mutual calibration of a set of two-axis gyroscopes in the same direction. In the paper, a satisfactory precision of the gyroscope is achieved by customized and self-calibration gyroscopes whose parameters are adjusted at the expense of bandwidth and dynamics. According to the in-orbit measured data, the MEMS IMU provides an outstanding precision of better than 0.02 °/h (1σ) with excellent bias instability of 0.006 °/h and angle random walk (ARW) of around 0.003 °/h1/2. It is the highest precision MEMS IMU for commercial aerospace use ever publicly reported in the world to date.

Caracterização morfométrica da Bacia Hidrográfica do rio Real pelo uso de dados SRTM e tecnologias SIG

O conhecimento das variáveis hidrológicas é imprescindível para a gestão adequada dos recursos hídricos. Dentre essas variáveis, as características morfométricas de uma bacia desempenham um papel importante quando se trata de avaliar seu comportamento hidrológico. Visando preencher o gap acerca de informações a respeito de pequenas bacias hidrográficas, o presente trabalho objetiva realizar a delimitação automática da bacia hidrográfica do rio Real, localizada nos estados de Sergipe e Bahia, com o uso da ferramenta de delimitação GrassGis 7.6.1 e apresentar as principais variáveis morfométricas da bacia obtidas pelo software QGIS. A bacia possui uma área de drenagem de 4.808,16 km², perímetro de 595,60 km e rio principal com 278,39 km. Verificou-se que a delimitação automática com o GrassGis apresentou precisão satisfatória ao comparar com dados oficiais. A forma alongada da bacia induz a baixo potencial para ocorrência de inundações, principalmente nas regiões próximos da foz, e sua rede de drenagem possui capacidade mediana de drenagem e baixas velocidades de escoamento devido a sinuosidade dos rios, indicando maiores tempos de concentração. Além disso foi constatado que a bacia apresenta poucas variações altimétricas, indicando um relevo plano com declividades majoritariamente entre 0 e 2% apontando baixa suscetibilidade a erosão. Espera-se que este estudo auxilie em pesquisas futuras nessa área, além de apoiar a modelagem, planejamento e gerenciamento dos recursos hídricos nessa bacia hidrográfica. Morphometric characterization of the Real River Basin using SRTM data and GIS technologies A B S T R A C TMorphometric characteristics of a watershed are essential for assessment of its hydrological behavior. In order to fill the gap regarding information about Brazilian’s hydrographic basins, mainly in Northeast region, this work aims to present a morphometric study about Real River watershed using the GrassGis 7.6.1 automatic delimitation tool and present the morphometric indicators obtained on the QGIS platform 3.4.11. Located in the states of Sergipe and Bahia, the basin has a drainage area of 4,808.16 km², a perimeter of 595.60 km and a main river with 278.39 km. It was noted that the use of SRTM_90m data for automatic delimitation with GrassGis have a satisfactory precision when compared to official data. The elongated shape of the basin induces low potential for flooding, especially in the regions close to the river mouth, and its drainage network has a medium drainage capacity, with low flow speeds due to the winding rivers, leading to longer concentration times. In addition, it was found that the watershed has little altimetric variation, indicating a flat relief, with slopes mostly between 0 and 3%, that indicates low susceptibility to erosion. This study is expected to assist in future research in this area, in addition to supporting the modeling, planning and management of water resources in this watershed.Keywords: Hydrology, Morphometry, QGIS, GrassGIS.

An Analysis, Numerical Modeling and Experimental Verification of Low-Temperature Thermofoil Heaters

In this paper, an analysis of the geometry, numerical modeling, and experimental verification of thermofoil heaters for low-temperature applications is presented. The research suggests a calculation procedure of the thermofoil traces’ geometry, comprising the necessary electrical and thermal parameters in order for the characteristics of the heater to be fully defined according to the stipulated conditions required. The derived heaters’ geometry analysis procedure is depicted with two case studies, giving the sequence of the necessary calculations and their applications as part of a design task. Its continuation, the design approach, is developed with numerical modeling, based on Finite Element Methods (FEM) used for multiphysics simulations, including the thermal and electrical heaters parameters. The realized 3D models are used to depict the uniformity of the thermal field in the system heatsink-thermofoil heater. The results from analysis, modeling, and simulations are tested experimentally. The suggested geometry analysis and modeling approach are experimentally verified. The final results demonstrate satisfactory precision with a simulation–experiment mismatch in a range of 5–7%. As a vital product of experimental research, the maximum power density for the studied thermofoil heaters is derived for a range of temperatures and material characteristics.

Simultaneous Determination of Phenolic Acids, Anthraquinones, Flavonoids, and Triterpenes of Cynomorii Herba in Different Harvest Times by LC-MS/MS

A sensitive and accurate method was developed for the simultaneous determination of twelve components including phenolic acids (gallic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid), flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin, rutin, luteolin, luteolin-7-glucoside, and epicatechin gallate), anthraquinones (emodin), and triterpenes (ursolic acid) in Cynomorii herba in different harvest times by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Eclipse plus C18 (3.0 mm × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) column at 40°C. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.05% formic acid with a gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL·min −1. Under the optimized conditions, there was good linear relation (r ≥ 0.9944) and satisfactory precision (RSD values less than 5.65%). The recoveries of the twelve components were in the range of 93.5–105%. Moreover, the limits of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.003 to 21 ng mL−1 for the twelve analytes. In conclusion, the validated method was successfully applied to analyze the change regularity of the twelve components of Cynomorii herba in different harvest times. It provides a theoretical basis for choosing the suitable harvesting time of Cynomorii herba.