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Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing with Index Modulation (OFDM-IM) holds significant importance in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, with its main advantages being outstanding spectral efficiency and strong interference resistance. However, the existing OFDM-IM systems in vehicular networks overlook actual vehicular network channels and the impact of scatterers, thus failing to accurately reflect the system performance. Moreover, these systems focus solely on the bit error rate (BER) and ignore user requirements for low energy consumption and high spectral efficiency. To address these issues, we propose a user demand- and scenario-adaptive OFDM-IM method that optimizes the OFDM-IM index parameter by considering the spectral efficiency, BER, and energy consumption. Firstly, considering non-line-of-sight components and roadside reflectors, we establish a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication channel model for straight road scenarios. Then, we construct a transmission framework for vehicular network communication using OFDM-IM. Specifically, we develop an energy efficiency maximization formula, in which fuzzy logic is used to adjust the weights of the three performance indicators to meet various environmental and user requirements. In detail, we discuss the minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required for OFDM-IM to achieve a lower BER than traditional OFDM in various vehicular communication scenarios. Thus, we can make appropriate choices based on the robustness of the simulation results. The simulation results presented in this paper indicate our method’s effectiveness in enhancing the system’s reliability, efficiency, and flexibility.

Introduction: this cross-sectional study examines the implementation of the competency-based approach (CBA) in lower-secondary physical education (PE) in morocco and identifies the structural factors that limit its effectiveness in everyday teaching conditions. Objective: two hypotheses were tested: the association between training indicators and perceived relevance, and the association between students’ initial motor level and reported difficulties. Methodology: a questionnaire administered to 131 PE teachers from six regional academies assessed perceived relevance of the CBA, training received, students’ initial motor skills, and reported teaching difficulties, complemented by two open-ended questions. Results: both hypotheses were supported. Teachers who reported sufficient training were more likely to judge the CBA as relevant (ρ ≈ .36, p < .001), while higher perceived initial motor skills were associated with fewer difficulties (ρ = −.41, p < .001). Open-ended responses highlight three recurring issues: insufficient motor foundations at entry into lower secondary school, a mismatch between curricular prescriptions and actual teaching conditions, and the need to adapt targeted competencies to heterogeneous student profiles. Discussion: the patterns observed confirmed the central role of motor foundations, showed convergence between questionnaire and open responses, and highlighted that contextualised training and differentiated progression were key levers for implementing the competency-based approach under real classroom constraints. Conclusions: there is a gap between ambitious curricula and weak motor foundations; rebuilding these foundations and supporting teachers through contextualised training is crucial for equitable implementation. Introducción. Este estudio transversal examina la implementación del enfoque basado en competencias (EBC) en la educación física del primer ciclo de secundaria en marruecos e identifica los factores estructurales que limitan su eficacia en las condiciones habituales de enseñanza. Objetivo: Se pusieron a prueba dos hipótesis: la asociación entre los indicadores de formación y la relevancia percibida, y la asociación entre el nivel motor inicial del alumnado y las dificultades declaradas. Metodología: se administró un cuestionario a 131 docentes de educación física de seis academias regionales que evaluó la relevancia percibida del ebc, la formación recibida, las destrezas motoras iniciales del alumnado y las dificultades de enseñanza declaradas, complementado con dos preguntas abiertas. Resultados: ambas hipótesis fueron respaldadas. el profesorado que declaró haber recibido una formación suficiente tendía en mayor medida a considerar pertinente el ebc (ρ ≈ .36, p < .001), mientras que unas destrezas motoras iniciales más altas se asociaron con menos dificultades (ρ = −.41, p < .001). las respuestas a las preguntas abiertas pusieron de relieve tres problemas recurrentes: la insuficiencia de las bases motoras al ingresar en el primer ciclo de secundaria, la desalineación entre las prescripciones curriculares y las condiciones reales de enseñanza, y la necesidad de adaptar las competencias objetivo a perfiles estudiantiles heterogéneos. Discusión: los patrones observados confirmaron el papel central de las bases motoras, mostraron convergencia entre las respuestas al cuestionario y las preguntas abiertas, y destacaron que la formación contextualizada y la progresión diferenciada constituyen palancas clave para implementar el enfoque basado en competencias bajo las restricciones reales del aula. Conclusiones: existe una brecha entre unos currículos ambiciosos y unas bases motoras débiles; reconstruir dichas bases y apoyar al profesorado mediante formación contextualizada resulta crucial para una implementación equitativa. Introdução. Este estudo transversal examina a implementação da abordagem baseada em competências (ABC) no ensino da Educação Física do Ensino Básico II em Marrocos e identifica os factores estruturais que limitam a sua eficácia em condições típicas de ensino. Objectivo: Foram testadas duas hipóteses: a associação entre os indicadores de formação e a relevância percebida, e a associação entre as capacidades motoras iniciais dos alunos e as dificuldades relatadas. Metodologia: Foi aplicado um questionário a 131 professores de Educação Física de seis escolas regionais. O questionário avaliou a relevância percebida da ABC, a formação recebida, as capacidades motoras iniciais dos alunos e as dificuldades de ensino relatadas, e incluiu duas questões abertas. Resultados: Ambas as hipóteses foram confirmadas. Os professores que referiram ter recebido formação suficiente apresentaram maior probabilidade de considerar a aprendizagem baseada em competências (ABC) relevante (ρ ≈ 0,36, p < 0,001), enquanto que competências motoras iniciais mais elevadas estiveram associadas a menos dificuldades (ρ = −0,41, p < 0,001). As respostas às questões abertas evidenciaram três problemas recorrentes: competências motoras insuficientes ao ingressar no primeiro ciclo do ensino secundário, um desalinhamento entre as orientações curriculares e as condições reais de ensino, e a necessidade de adaptar as competências-alvo aos perfis heterogéneos dos alunos. Discussão: Os padrões observados confirmaram o papel central das competências motoras, mostraram convergência entre as respostas do questionário e as questões abertas e destacaram que o treino contextualizado e a progressão diferenciada são alavancas essenciais para a implementação de uma abordagem baseada em competências dentro das limitações reais da sala de aula. Conclusões: Existe um fosso entre os currículos ambiciosos e as competências motoras deficientes. Reconstruir estas bases e apoiar os professores através de uma formação contextualizada é crucial para uma implementação equitativa.

Environmental Sound Classification (ESC) is a challenging and crucial task with various important real-world applications. Challenges arise from both inherent sound complexities and limitations in training data. Sound complexities in ESC comes from the fact that some audio frames can be misleading, requiring careful understanding of the full sound context. Additionally, data imbalances, limited samples, and large set of classes further complicate model training and generalization power. This paper proposes a novel Residual Self-Attention (RSA) model for robust end-to-end ESC. The proposed RSA model builds upon the Convolutional Self-Attention (CSA) architecture by incorporating residual connections between self-attention layers. This addition enhances information flow and facilitates faster convergence, reducing training time by 26% compared to CSA. Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) were used as input features and Softmax was used for classification. The proposed RSA model is evaluated on the three benchmark datasets: imbalanced UrbanSound8k, limited-sample ESC-10, and ESC-50 which have 50 classes. Remarkably, the proposed RSA model achieves impressive accuracies of 97.8%, 96.25%, and 93.31% on these datasets respectively, demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing diverse ESC challenges.

In response to global energy demand, the enhancement of transport capacity in electrical transmission lines is deemed essential. The conventional method of constructing new lines is considered costly, time-consuming, and subject to constraints imposed by economic and environmental factors. Among various emerging solutions aimed at enhancing the passive capacity of transmission lines, the technology of flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) has been demonstrated to be highly effective. This paper proposes the utilization of the static synchronous series compensator (SSSC), a closed-loop control system and a type of FACTS, to alleviate the overloading of transmission lines in the Syrian electrical network. To achieve this objective, the network is first modeled to identify the overloaded transmission lines. Subsequently, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed for the optimal sizing and allocation of SSSCs within the network. The findings showcase the significant reduction in loads on critically overloaded transmission lines subsequent to the successful implementation of SSSC devices. This serves to validate the improvements made to the existing infrastructure of the Syrian electrical network’s transmission lines, without necessitating the construction of new transmission lines.

AimThe prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) and their contributing factors among Syrian children has not been explored in any previous epidemiological studies since the onset of the crisis. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of TDIs and their associated characteristics among schoolchildren aged 9 to 12 in Damascus, Syria.Materials and MethodsWe conducted this cross-sectional study from 2023 to 2024, collecting sociodemographic data and performing dental examinations, and the presence of TDIs, which were classified according to the World Health Organization’s guidelines. We recorded Screen time and categorized it into two groups. We measured Overjet in millimeters, and the statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.ResultsWe identified TDIs in 17.6% of children, with uncomplicated crown fractures being the most common. Falls were the leading cause, and the home was the most frequent injury location. Significant risk factors included age, gender, socioeconomic status, screen time, Body Mass Index, and overjet. Males had twice the risk of TDIs compared to females (OR = 2.104, 95% CI: 1.399–3.165), and children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had a 2.29 times higher risk (OR = 2.299, 95% CI: 1.364–3.877).ConclusionThis study found that a significant proportion (17.6%) of Syrian children experienced TDIs, highlighting the urgent need for preventive programs and improved dental care for Syrian children affected by TDIs.Clinical RelevanceEarly identification of children at higher risk, prompt management of dental trauma, and educational initiatives for parents and educators are essential. Schools, as primary injury sites, should adopt safety measures, while dentists should engage in community outreach to enhance awareness, early diagnosis, and intervention.

Pumping water is one of the most popular technologies of solar energy for irrigation or drinking water supply. Its performance depends on the characteristics of the site (sunlight, ambient temperature, geographical obstacles), on the performance of the modules, as well as, on the characteristics of other equipment (converter and pump). The optimal sizing of a photovoltaic water pumping system makes it possible to guarantee the satisfaction of the water demand throughout the irrigation period and to model the electrical energy needs to supply the pump to irrigate the crops and water livestock. This paper proposed a novel algorithm for dimensioning the elements of an autonomous photovoltaic system equipped with irrigation water storage. The proposed algorithm determines the optimal surface area of the photovoltaic modules and the electrical power necessary to satisfy the water requirement for irrigation in the observed time. The results obtained from the proposed algorithm for optimal sizing are compared to calculation scenarios to show better results. A case study from the Fez-Meknes region in Morocco has been selected for applying the optimal sizing algorithm.

This case report details a pseudotumoral lesion of the lacrimal sac, serving as the initial manifestation of seronegative IgG4 disease. A 36-year-old female, without notable medical history, presented with a swelling located near the inner canthus and lacrimal crest associated with pain and skin redness. Despite two rounds of antibiotics, there was no improvement. Initially diagnosed as chronic dacryocystitis, antibiotic therapy with amoxicillin clavulanate was continued, and an orbital MRI was conducted for further evaluation. The MRI revealed a fibrous tissue process adjacent to the lacrimal sac, raising suspicion of malignancy. A biopsy under general anesthesia was performed due to a strong suspicion of squamous cell carcinoma of the sac. Biopsy revealed lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and storiform fibrosis, meeting ACR/EULAR criteria for IgG4 disease. Internal medicine evaluation found no extralacrimal organ involvement, and serum IgG levels were normal. Diagnostic criteria, including clinical presentation, imaging review, histological features, and exclusion criteria, confirmed IgG4 disease and ruled out malignancy. Systemic corticosteroid therapy resulted in rapid clinical improvement, supporting the diagnosis. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges of IgG4 disease, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach, including histological confirmation. Distinguishing it from malignancies is crucial, and biopsy should be considered in cases of diagnostic uncertainty before invasive or systemic treatments for suspected tumors.

Wind field characteristics in a complex topography are significantly influenced by the nature of the surrounding terrains. This study employs onsite measurements to investigate the wind field characteristics at a towering peak protruding out of a steep mountainside, where butterfly−lookalike landscape platform will be constructed; the impact of the surrounding topography on the wind flow is highlighted. The results showed that the blocking effect of the mountains in the mountainous side of the valley caused a significant drop in the mean wind speed from that direction. The stationary test (reverse arrangement test) indicated that the wind speed had a strong nonstationary characteristic, necessitating the employment of a steady and nonstationary wind speed model to assess the wind turbulence characteristics. The three directions’ wind turbulence integral scales were critically influenced by the occurrence of the wind speedup effect, unexpectedly resulting in the vertical turbulence integral scale being the greatest of the three. Furthermore, the measured wind turbulence properties under both wind speed models showed certain variations from the recommended specifications. Consequently, the impact of the local terrain and the speedup effect on the wind characteristics must be thoroughly evaluated to ensure the structural stability of structures installed at a similar topography.

In the extreme northwest of the Algerian territory the Traras Mountain the vernacular architecture of the houses is facing natural and human threats. with its loss, a synthesis of traditional rural life, imminent. This article is aimed at identifying and recording the characteristics of traditional vernacular architecture in housing to safeguard the knowledge and promote community awareness with respect to this architectural resource, thereby providing a context for future conservation work. The study involved an architectural survey to identify and document the architectural resources of the Traras mountains vernacular rural buildings. The survey included collection of relevant historical and geographic information, building description and analysis together with other data relating to spatial and functional organisation, construction methods and materials. The final product of this study is a conservation‑support plan detailing all the characteristic features of the Traras mountains rural vernacular buildings.