The carob tree, which is a member of the Fabaceae family, is an agrosilvopastoral tree whose pre-Mediterranean tropical origin appears well established on the basis of genetic, fossil and physiological data. C. siliqua has recently been successfully introduced from the Mediterranean basin to other parts of the world that have a Mediterranean climate. In terms of its domestication, there is paleobotanical, philological, ecological and historical evidence to suggest that the species was spread by people from Arabia, where it took refuge during the Ice Age, to Mesopotamia and then on to the western Mediterranean. This ?eastern refugium hypothesis? (ERH) postulates the existence of a single refuge for the carob tree in the eastern Mediterranean and a dissemination by humans to the west of the region concomitant with its domestication. However, recent results of phylogenetic and fossil analyses have revealed the existence of a western refuge, thus refuting the single ERH hypothesis and supporting local use and domestication of the carob tree from native populations throughout the Mediterranean. This paper advances other arguments of a historical, philological, ecological and sociocultural nature that support the existence of a western refugium and also emphasise the important role played by the Romans and particularly by the Arabs and Andalusians in the propagation and domestication of the carob tree in the western Mediterranean.

The decline in the performance of spiral-wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes is frequently due to biofouling. This study focus on qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of SWRO membrane biofouling. Bacterial counts on the different surfaces of the fouled membranes were carried out. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was performed to highlight clogging materials as well as their natures and identity. The topography of the fouled membranes and the structures of biofilms were visualized by fluorescence microscopy (FM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated the presence of bacteria in the different SWRO membrane areas. Those strongly adhered were significantly higher than those weakly. It varied between 26 × 10⁵ and 262 × 10⁵ CFU m⁻². However, SERS mapping showed different fouling levels and the thickness of the fouling layer was 5 µm. Microscopic imaging revealed biotic and abiotic deposits. These data can together allow better management of the seawater desalination process.

Historically, multi-junction solar cells have evolved to capture a broader spectrum of sunlight, significantly enhancing efficiency beyond conventional solar technologies. In this study, we utilized Silvaco TCAD tools to optimize a five-junction solar cell composed of AlInP, AlGaInP, AlGaInAs, GaInP, GaAs, InGaAs, and Ge, drawing on advancements documented in the literature. Our research focused on optimizing these cells through sophisticated statistical modeling and material innovation, particularly examining the relationship between layer thickness and electrical yield under one sun illumination. Employing III-V tandem solar cells, renowned for their superior efficiency in converting sunlight to electricity, we applied advanced statistical models to a reference solar cell configured with predefined layer thicknesses. Our analysis revealed significant positive correlations between layer thickness and electrical performance, with correlation coefficients (R² values) impressively ranging from 0.86 to 0.96 across different regions. This detailed statistical insight led to an improvement in overall cell efficiency to 44.2. A key innovation in our approach was replacing the traditional germanium (Ge) substrate with Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS), known for its adjustable bandgap and superior absorption of long-wavelength photons. This strategic modification not only broadened the absorption spectrum but also elevated the overall cell efficiency to 47%. Additionally, the optimization process involved simulations using predictive profilers and Silvaco Atlas tools, which systematically assessed various configurations for their spectral absorption and current–voltage characteristics, further enhancing the cell’s performance. These findings underscore the critical role of precise material engineering and sophisticated statistical analyses in advancing solar cell technology, setting new efficiency benchmarks, and driving further developments in the field.

In the context of the escalating global climate crisis and the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions, this study explores the integration of wind energy as a supplementary source to solar photovoltaic energy in Naama, Algeria. The research utilizes a decade-long anemometric dataset, along with concurrent solar radiation data, to investigate the potential of harnessing wind energy, particularly during periods of low solar irradiance. Employing advanced statistical methods, including the Weibull distribution, the study assesses the wind power generation potential of a 2 kW/day turbine. The research highlights an average evening increase in wind speeds, which inversely correlates with the diminished solar energy production after sunset. This seasonal pattern is further substantiated by a significant negative correlation between wind speed and solar radiation for most of the year (January to May and September to December), with Pearson coefficients ranging from −0.713 to −0.524 (p < 0.05). However, the study also notes an absence of a notable correlation during the summer months (June to August) attributed to seasonal wind variations and the peak of solar irradiance. These findings confirm Naama as an ideal location for integrated renewable energy systems, thereby demonstrating the natural synergy between solar and wind energy. This synergy is particularly effective in mitigating the intermittency of solar power, thus highlighting the potential of wind energy during periods of low solar activity.

Sixty-six carob accessions from 19 sites throughout Algeria were analysed by leaf, pod and seed characteristics to assess their genetic diversity and identify the first Algerian carob cultivars that could be used as germplasms for breeding programmes. We compared Algerian accessions with carobs from different Mediterranean countries, and our results showed a high level of morphological similarity between Algerian and Spanish carob pods. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences (p ˂ 0.001) between accessions for all the quantitative traits. Correlation analysis between variables indicated that seed yield could be improved by selecting light, thin and narrow carob pods. Multiple correspondence analysis explained a total variance of 30.22 % and illustrated three distinct leaf classes. Principal component analysis proposed two main groups of variables, one based on seed performance and the other targeting pod potential. Hierarchical classification with seven clusters revealed considerable genetic diversity among the Algerian carob accessions studied, and indicated that the type of bioclimate did not influence their distribution, suggesting that morphometric traits are probably controlled more by genes that by bioclimate. Linear discriminant analysis, clustering and heatmap plotting identified 11 potential cultivars, 10 female and one hermaphroditic.