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Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a great threat to public health and the economy worldwide. Currently, COVID-19 evolves in many countries to a second stage, characterized by the need for the liberation of the economy and relaxation of the human psychological effects. To this end, numerous countries decided to implement adequate deconfinement strategies. After the first prolongation of the established confinement, Morocco moves to the deconfinement stage on May 20, 2020. The relevant question concerns the impact on the COVID-19 propagation by considering an additional degree of realism related to stochastic noises due to the effectiveness level of the adapted measures. In this paper, we propose a delayed stochastic mathematical model to predict the epidemiological trend of COVID-19 in Morocco after the deconfinement. To ensure the well-posedness of the model, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a positive solution. Based on the large number theorem for martingales, we discuss the extinction of the disease under an appropriate threshold parameter. Moreover, numerical simulations are performed in order to test the efficiency of the deconfinement strategies chosen by the Moroccan authorities to help the policy makers and public health administration to make suitable decisions in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) based on hybrid algorithm combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) with back-propagation (BP) is proposed to forecast the daily streamflows in a catchment located in a semi-arid region in Morocco. The PSO algorithm has a rapid convergence during the initial stages of a global search, while the BP algorithm can achieve faster convergent speed around the global optimum. By combining the PSO with the BP, the hybrid algorithm referred to as BP-PSO algorithm is presented in this paper. To evaluate the performance of the hybrid algorithm, BP neural network is also involved for a comparison purposes. The results show that the neural network model evolved by PSO-BP algorithm has a good predictions and better convergence performances [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Natures Sciences Sociétés is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research presents a comprehensive investigation into the diverse coastal sands of the Doukkala region, encompassing El Jadida, El Haouzia, Lala Aicha El Bahria, Sidi Bounnayem, and Mazagan Beach. To achieve this, we employed a range of analytical techniques, including sieving granulometry, bulk density, absolute density, water absorption, pH measurement, electrical conductivity (EC), total soluble solids (TSS), salinity, X-ray diffraction (XDR), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The findings of this study unveiled that the predominant component in these sands is silicon dioxide (SiO2), with the presence of impurities such as iron, clay, and organic matter. This research holds significant value in the context of materials used in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morocco is leading the charge towards a more sustainable future through its investments in Renewable Energy. The NOOR 1 solar project in Ouarzazate serves as a shining example of this commitment, with a planned capacity of 160 MW and the potential to provide energy to over 1 million people. This study delves into the impact of this ground-breaking project on the environment and biodiversity in the southern region, as well as its role in combating global warming. The results show that the project has both positive and negative impacts, but its innovative concentrated solar power technology is the driving force behind these changes. Despite causing loss of native vegetation and wildlife habitat, changes to water resources and air quality, the NOOR 1 project also has many benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing energy security, providing economic benefits, improving access to electricity, and providing educational opportunities. The research emphasizes the crucial need to assess future renewable energy projects in a holistic manner, considering both environmental preservation and progress. This means taking into account both the positive and negative impacts that such projects may have on the environment and biodiversity and implementing measures to mitigate the negative impacts while maximizing the positive ones. The study suggests that a well-planned and executed renewable energy project can bring about significant benefits, such as increased energy security and economic benefits, while still being mindful of preserving the natural environment. By carefully balancing environmental preservation and progress, the study argues that renewable energy projects can help create a sustainable future for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Institutional investors normally define the market segments that present more opportunities for profitability based on their commitments, their financial and accounting situations and the regulations that govern the structure of their investments in equities, bonds, real estate and infrastructure. Their investment strategies consist of defining the allocation of their assets after having fixed the proportion to be invested in each segment. We will try through this work to estimate and optimize the parts of assets invested in shares of pension funds, insurance companies and UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities), according to their degree of integration into the Moroccan economy, weight of their assets in market capitalization and by the heterogeneity that characterizes their investment decisions on the capital market. Panel data are well suited to our analysis in the sense that they allow us to measure the impact of several actions (stimuli), alone or simultaneously, and the synergies (interactions) of data, which are numerous on investors and on market indicators on the financial market. The results obtained illustrate that the weight of equity investments in portfolios under management of institutional investors are impacted by the share of investors' equity portfolio in market capitalization and by the total assets of this category of investors compared to Morocco's GDP (Gross domestic product). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is conventionally stated that organized action is impossible in large-scale irrigation schemes in North Africa, at a time of profound changes in these schemes (decline of central coordination modes, appearance of new actors, diminishing role of the State), and of negative experiences with state-created cooperatives and water users' associations. We believe, on the contrary, that organized action plays a central role in these changes. We analyze the process by which formal and informal cooperative practices of irrigators are crafted, stabilized and coordinated in large-scale irrigation schemes in Morocco and Algeria. There exists a wide range of organized action, often informal but enabling farmers to adapt progressively to change. These practices concern land and water management, purchase of inputs and marketing, as well as local development. In agriculture and social development, these cooperative practices are increasingly institutionalized. The paper shows that organized action enables irrigators to reinforce their autonomy and to renegotiate their dependence with respect to the State. Given the vigour of organized action in irrigation schemes, we recommend that its contribution to the formulation of public policies be analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and caused a serious threat to global public health. In Morocco, the first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported on March 2, 2020. Since then, several non-pharmaceutical interventions were used to slow down the spread of the disease. In this work, we use a previously developed multi-scale model of COVID-19 transmission dynamics to quantify the effects of restricting population movement and wearing face masks on disease spread in Morocco. In this model, individuals are represented as agents that move, become infected, transmit the disease, develop symptoms, go into quarantine, die by the disease, or become immunized. We describe the movement of agents using a social force model and we consider both modes of direct and indirect transmission. We use the model to simulate the impact of restricting the movement of the population movement and mandating the wearing of masks on the spread of COVID-19. The model predicts that adopting these two measures would reduce the total number of cases by 64%. Furthermore, the relative incidence of indirect transmission increases when control measures are adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building materials used in Morocco characterized by a low thermal resistance which generates a huge expense in terms of energy consumption. Promoting new sustainable construction and insulation materials become a necessity. This research study aimed to develop the thermal proprieties of plaster building material by mixing it with waste chicken feathers (WCF) in order to be used as wall exterior rendering. For the purpose of determining the thermal properties of the biocomposite material Plaster-WCF, several experimental measurements of thermophysical proprieties had been performed in order to determine apparent density, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity using the hot plate method in steady-state regime and the Flash method, respectively. The results showed that the addition of waste chicken feathers leads to a remarkable reduction in apparent density of about 12.3%, the thermal conductivity and diffusivity have been reduced by about 30.2% and 18%, respectively, which shows the interest of using this biocomposite material in the construction buildings in order to ensure thermal comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)