Assessing groundwater contamination risk using the DASTI/IDRISI GIS method: coastal system of western Mamora, Morocco

In this study, the DASTI method was used to evaluate vulnerability to groundwater pollution in the vicinity of Rabat, western Morocco. The model is based on the characterization of five intrinsic parameters: unsaturated zone thickness, saturated zone thickness and lithology, soil texture, topography and hydraulic gradient. A system of classes of the hydrogeological characteristics was applied to evaluate relative vulnerability to groundwater contamination and a susceptibility map was prepared based on land use and the vulnerability index map. The study showed the DASTI method (applied using IDRISI software) can serve as a tool to evaluate vulnerability to pollution and thus facilitate programs to protect groundwater resources. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Feasibility and performance evaluation of a 6LoWPAN‐enabled platform for ubiquitous healthcare monitoring

Technology has revolutionized medical practices by enabling more convenient and non‐intrusive monitoring of patient's health, leading to next generation ubiquitous healthcare (u‐healthcare). The exploitation of the Internet protocol version 6 addressing space along with the miniaturization of electronic devices has fostered providing interoperability and connectivity of wearable sensor devices in wireless body area networks to the Internet of Things. In this paper, we propose to integrate the IPv6 over low power wireless personal area network (6LoWPAN) to the u‐healthcare monitoring system architecture. The main objective is to study the feasibility of the 6LoWPAN‐enabled platform in real‐world scenarios dealing with medical data. The performance evaluation of this platform is carried out initially through simulations using OMNet++ and then supported by an experimental study using sensor motes and a customized micro‐computing unit. Performance metrics such as throughput, end‐to‐end delay, packet error rate, and energy consumption are investigated under acute health conditions, where patient's health information has to be sent continuously and at maximum rate to the care provider. The obtained results show that the proposed 6LoWPAN solution fulfills the main quality of service requirements of u‐healthcare applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Data‐driven model for river flood forecasting based on a Bayesian network approach

Uncertainty analysis of hydrological models often requires a large number of model runs, which can be time consuming and computationally intensive. In order to reduce the number of runs required for uncertainty prediction, Bayesian networks (BNs) are used to graphically represent conditional probability dependence between the set of variables characterizing a flood event. Bayesian networks (BNs) are relevant due to their capacity to handle uncertainty, combine statistical data and expertise and introduce evidences in real‐time flood forecasting. In the present study, a runoff–runoff model is considered. The discharge at a gauging station located is estimated at the outlet of a basin catchment based on discharge measurements at the gauging stations upstream. The BN model shows good performances in estimating the discharges at the basin outlet. Another application of the BN model is to be used as a reverse method. Knowing discharges values at the outlet of the basin, we can propagate back these values through the model to estimate discharges at upstream stations. This turns out to be a practical method to fill the missing data in streamflow records which are critical to the sustainable management of water and the development of hydrological models.     

The pleural thickening approximation from thoracic CT scans

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The involvement of medical imaging in medical procedures plays an important role in the diagnosis and planning of a therapeutic treatment. Computerized...     

Osmotic Dehydration Kinetics of Pomegranate Seeds Using Date Juice as an Immersion Solution Base

Pomegranate seeds were osmodehydrated using date juice added with sucrose (final °Brix, 55) as immersion solution. The kinetics of osmotic dehydration showed that the most significant changes of mass transfer took place during the first 20 min of the process, regardless of date juice varieties. During this time, seed water loss and solid gain were estimated to be ∼39% and ∼6%, respectively. After 20 min of the process, the percentage of water loss and solid gain varied slightly and ranged on average close to ∼40% and ∼9%, respectively. During osmotic dehydration, there was a leaching of natural solutes from seeds into the solution, which is quantitatively not negligible, and might have an important impact on the sensorial and nutritional value of seeds and date juices. Both scanning electron microscopy and texture (compression) analysis revealed that osmotic dehydration process induced modifications of seed texture and cell structure. Sucrose was found to be the essential element which influences the texture of seed and the viscosity of date juice. Additionally, natural sugar present in date juice permits substituting 35% of the total quantity of sucrose added to the osmotic solution.