Passive solar house prototype design with a new bio-based material for a semi-arid climate

In this study, a passive solar house prototype was built using Trombe wall and was tested in the semi-arid region of Batna, in eastern Algeria. Traditional local materials (stone and adobe) were used for the construction of the thermal storage wall. A new local bio-based material made from date palm trunks was used for the insulation of the passive house prototype. For a better understanding of passive house heating and for a comparative study, a numerical simulation, using Fluent, was carried out. The aim of this study was to supply recommendations for improving the passive systems and to participate to the energy consumption control in the building sector. The results show that the experimental and numerical simulation results are in good agreement. The optimal orientation of the solar passive house has been determined, which is at 160° southeast. The use of local and bio-based materials has proven its effectiveness in the construction of the passive house. The thermal behavior of date palm wood has been found to be close to those of insulation materials commonly used in buildings. That means it has the same thermal insulation ability (thermal conductivity). On the other hand, the results show that the thermal efficiency of the passive solar heating system, with an adobe wall is significantly higher (50%) than that with a stone wall (30.7%).

Investigation of Groundwater Potential Using Remote Sensing and Hydro-geophysical Techniques: A Case Study of the Telidjene Basin (Eastern Algeria)

The present study aims to assess groundwater potential in the Telidjene Basin located in the semi-arid part of eastern Algeria, applying an innovative approach combining both remote sensing and hydrogeophysics methods. A re-interpretation of geophysical data and vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements were applied and calibrated with the borehole data to map the deep structures that may control the presence of groundwater and identify the geological and hydrogeological setting. Morphometric factors affecting recharge were mapped using several types of remote sensing data (SRTM DEM, Landsat-8). Thematic maps were overlaid using the multicriteria method and GIS to detect potential recharge areas. The results show that the main factors influencing recharge are fracturing and drainage density. Four potential recharge areas were identified over a 547 km2 area of the basin. 20% of the area falls in the weakest class, 32% in the weak class, 3% in the moderate, and 16% in the strongest. Furthermore, the study reveals that an alluvial aquifer with a thickness of up to 60m, spreading over the surface, along the Wadi Telijene and the alluvial soil, is deposited unconformably on Cretaceous terrain containing aquifer horizons of varying thickness and different electrical resistivities (10–150 Ωm), drawing an anticlinal structure with lithostratigraphy interrupted by a series of faults and spurs of Aptian and Triassic age. The south-western part of the basin has a high to moderate recharge and storage capacity. Its alluvial cover is directly fed by precipitation and fractured limestones deposited in a syncline outcropping on the edges forming an alluvial and carbonate bilayer aquifer. This study concluded that an integrated approach, involving recent, efficient, and inexpensive technology, such as remote sensing and conventional geophysical method, can be successfully used to identify groundwater potential in the study area.

Emergence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST239/241 SCCmec-III Mercury in Eastern Algeria

In this paper, we investigate the epidemiology of infections-associated Staphylococcusaureus (S. aureus) from the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at University Hospital Center of Constantine (UHCC) in Algeria, with a special emphasis on methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) revealed by cefoxitin disks (30 μg), then confirmed by penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) agglutination and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting mecA and mecC genes. Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec type), staphylococcal protein A (spa-type), multilocus sequence type (MLST), Panton–Valentine Leucocidin (PVL), and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) were further investigated in all isolates, and whole genome sequencing was performed for a selected subset of three hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) isolates. A measurement of 80% out of the 50 S. aureus isolates were identified as HA-MRSA harbouring the mecA gene, and 72.5% of them were multidrug resistant (MDR). Twelve STs, four different SCCmec cassettes, fourteen spa types, ten isolates Panton–Valentine Leukocidin (PVL)-positive, and three isolates TSST-1 were identified. Interestingly, there was a high prevalence (n = 29; 72.5%) of a worrisome emerging clone: the HA-MRSA ST239/241 SCCmec-III mercury with PVL negative, resistant to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, and tetracyclines. Other clones of HA-MRSA isolates were also identified, including PVL-positive ST80 SCCmec-IV/SCCmec-unknown (22.5%), ST34 SCCmec-V with TSST-1 positive (2.5%), and PVL-negative ST72 SCCmec-II (2.5%). Genome analysis enables us to describe the first detection of both PVL-negative HA-MRSA ST239/241 SCCmec-III mercury carrying ccrC, as well as SCCmec-V cassette, which dramatically changes the epidemiology of S. aureus infections in one of the hospitals in eastern Algeria.

Using the Archydro tool for watershed delineationCase of the Kherzet Youcef mine, North-eastern Algeria

This research article is attempted on the study of the morphological characteristics of the oued Loussif sub-watershed, located in the Wilaya of Sétif, Algeria. This study is part of a more general study on the hydrogeological study of the Kherzet Youcef deposit. In all fields interested in the study of spatial phenomena, a need for automation is emerging, especially for geographical structures of the ‘network’ type, given their systemic organization of space that is not explained in databases of geographical data. In order to meet this need for automation, the use of Geographic Information Systems has proven to be cost-effective. Morphological characteristics such as flow accumulation, flow direction and stream network were extracted on the basis of the digital elevation model (DEM), and the results were interpreted and analyzed. The geographic information system (GIS) based approach with the use of DME facilitates the understanding of the different morphological features represented in the thematic matrix data maps, and the correlation between flow accumulations, flow direction, stream order and stream network has been well explored. The study represents the morphological characteristics extracted from the DEM. The software used to perform the global analysis was ESRI ArcGIS version 10.8 with the ESRI Spatial Analyst and ArcHydro extension. Morphological features are effective in understanding the spatial distribution of the watercourse network and identifying potential groundwater locations.

Kherzet Youcef Mine Flooding of 2nd June 1990 Revisited (Northeastern of Algeria) Origine and Hydrogeological Consequences

This work is part of the hydro geological study of the Kherzet Youcef deposit. The polymetallic deposit of Kherzet Youcef is known since the beginning of the 20th century. It is known by the exploitation of Lead and Zinc ore. It is located 50 Km southeast of Setif (North-eastern Algeria) and 5.5 Km west of Ain Azel. Mineralization can be described by some ore bodies (about 25). The thickness variate from a few centimeters up to 3 m. These bodies are located on the layers of dolomite and dolomitized marl and along the Kherzet Youcef fault. The geological reserves of Zinc and Lead ore are of the order of 1.6 million tons. This ore has a Pb content of 3.6% and Zn content of 18.4%. The projected annual exploitation was 100 thousand tons per year. Hydro geological studies carried out successively (1973-1977) and (1981-1983) revealed the existence of an aquifer system located west of the Kherzet Youssef fault. It is characterized by the presence of Karts and by strong cracking due to local brittle tectonics. These two characteristics define the filtration and storage capacity of very abundant groundwater. This groundwater represented a major handicap for mining in view of the large amounts of water that required the installation of major pumping and drainage devices. The Kherzet Youssef mine has experienced frequent flooding in the past at a time when technology could not pump efficiently. It caused the mine to close several times. In June 1990, the mine experienced a flood of great magnitude that has never been observed and despite the large installed means of pumping, this 'water costled to the total drowning of the mine, the death of 19 workers and the stoppage of the exploitation of this deposit since. Pitting attempts were carried out with a pumping capacity of 1100 m3/h, then 1800 m3/h but without success. The interpretation of the drawdown data and field observations made it possible to conclude that this accident was only the result of the general destabilization of the massif. Our complementary work by geophysical prospecting made it possible to represent the configuration of the underground layers and demonstrate the hydrodynamic communication between the two East and West compartments of the deposit.