Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate change would prevail over land use change in shaping the future distribution of Triturus marmoratus in France

Climate and land use/land cover (LULC) change are two major global change factors driving shifts in the location of suitable areas for many species. Here, we assessed if a low‐vagility newt, Triturus marmoratus, can track displacement of suitable areas by 2100, and tested whether climate or LULC changes are primary drivers of the species’ future distribution. We combined niche modelling with the process‐based model simRShift to improve biological relevance and simulate species dispersal by 2100 under scenarios of climate and LULC changes at high spatial resolution. Our results show that T. marmoratus could lose a significant part of its current French range in the coming decades, and that the range loss will primarily be driven by climate change, with LULC change playing a secondary role. The species seems unlikely to be able to track the northern shift of its suitable habitat as rapidly as required given the rate of climate warming during the 21st century. This is due to insufficient dispersal ability, which is compounded by the magnitude of habitat fragmentation in the human‐dominated landscape. We highlight the need to assess vulnerability and anticipate threats arising from global change even for species that are not currently considered endangered. We identified areas where the species is most likely to occur and be extinct in the future, which can serve as a guide for population monitoring. Our framework can support conservation strategy development by defining ecological corridors that would assist species to track their required habitats in the face of global change.
Selective Oxidation of Thioanisole with Hydrogen Peroxide using Copper Complexes Encapsulated in Zeolite: Formation of a Thermally Stable and Reactive Copper Hydroperoxo Species

[Cu(terpy)]2+ complexes encapsulated into Na-Y zeolite ([Cu(terpy)]2+@Y) were prepared, and their catalytic activities for the oxidation of sulfides using hydrogen peroxide were investigated. Several spectroscopic results, as well as elemental analysis, demonstrated the formation of [Cu(terpy)]2+ complexes in supercages of Y-zeolite. [Cu(terpy)]2+@Y exhibited high selectivity for the oxidation of thioanisole into methylphenylsulfoxide when H2O2 was used. The kinetic study of this oxidation at the catalyst [Cu(terpy)]2+@Y suggests that the reaction of [Cu(terpy)]2+ species with H2O2 is the rate-determining step. The oxidation of thioanisole, benzene, and 2-phenylethylamine using [[Cu(terpy)]2+@Y]*, which was prepared from the reaction between [Cu(terpy)]2+@Y and H2O2, quantitatively proceeded to methylphenylsulfoxide, phenol, and 2-amino-1-phenylethanol, respectively. The reaction of [Cu(terpy)]2+@Y and H2O2 was found to yield thermally stable but active CuII-OOH species in [Cu(terpy)]2+@Y.
Pyrolysis of Napier grass to bio-oil and catalytic upgrading to high grade bio-fuel

Biomass is one of the renewable energy resources that has carbon in its building blocks that can be processed into liquid fuel. Napier grass biomass is a herbaceous lignocellulosic material with potentials of high biomass yield. Utilization of Napier grass for bio-oil production via pyrolysis is very limited. Bio-oil generally has poor physicochemical properties such as low pH value, high water content, poor chemical and thermal stabilities which makes it unsuitable for direct use as fuel and therefore requires further processing. Upgrading of bio-oil to liquid fuel is still at early stage of research. Several studies are being carried out to upgrade bio-oil to transportation fuel. However, issues regarding reaction mechanisms and catalyst deactivation amongst others remain a challenge. This thesis gives insights and understanding of conversion of Napier grass biomass to liquid biofuel. The material was assessed as received and characterized using standard techniques. Pyrolysis was conducted in a fixed bed reactor and effect of pyrolysis temperature, nitrogen flow rate and heating rate on product distribution and characteristics were investigated collectively and pyrolysis products characterized. Effects of different aqueous pre-treatments on the pyrolysis product distribution and characteristics was evaluated. Subsequently, in-situ catalytic and non-catalytic, and ex-situ catalytic upgrading of bio-oil derived from Napier grass using Zeolite based catalysts (microporous and mesoporous) were investigated. Upgraded bio-oil was further fractionated in a micro-laboratory distillation apparatus. The experimental results showed that high bio-oil yield up to 51 wt% can be obtained from intermediate pyrolysis of Napier grass at 600 oC, 50 oC/min and 5 L/min nitrogen flow in a fixed bed reactor. The bio-oil collected was a two-phase liquid, organic (16 wt%) and aqueous (35 wt%) phase. The organic phase consists mainly of various benzene derivatives and hydrocarbons while the aqueous phase was predominantly water, acids, ketones, aldehydes and some phenolics and other water-soluble organics. Non-condensable gas (29 wt%) was made-up of methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide with high hydrogen/carbon monoxide ratio. Bio-char (20 wt%) was a porous carbonaceous material, rich in mineral elements. Aqueous pre-treatment of Napier grass with deionized water at severity factor of 0.9 reduced ash content by 64 wt% and produced bio-oil with 71 % reduction in acid and ketones. Performance of mesoporous zeolites during both in-situ and ex-situ upgrading outweighed that of microporous zeolite, producing less solid and highly deoxygenated organic bio-oil rich in alkanes and monoaromatic hydrocarbons. The Upgraded bio-oil produced 38 wt% light fraction, 48 wt% middle distillate and 7.0wt% bottom product. This study demonstrated that bio-oil derived from Napier grass can be transformed to that high-grade bio-oil via catalytic upgrading over hierarchical mesoporous zeolite.
Raman spectroscopy characterization of 10-cash productions from the late Chinese emperors to the Republic

The use of Raman spectroscopy for discriminating monetary emissions, a recurrent problem in much archaeological studies, is described. The method involves the record of Raman signatures of tenorite and crystalline and defective cuprite in the patina based on the idea that subtle, mint-characteristic variations in the composition and metallography of the base metal during the manufacturing process are reflected in the variation in depth of the composition and crystallinity of the corrosion patina. The technique was applied to a series of 10-cash copper coins produced around the transition between the Kuang Hsu and Hsuan T'ung last Chinese emperors and the first Republic whose averaged composition was 95 ± 1% wt Cu plus 5 ± 1% wt Zn often accompanied by traces of Sn and Pb. Raman data, corroborated by focusing ion beam-field emission scanning electron microscopy and voltammetry of immobilized particles measurements, suggested the possibility of discerning between different provincial and regular unified currency productions.
Structure Prediction of Li–Sn and Li–Sb Intermetallics for Lithium-Ion Batteries Anodes

A variety of new stable and metastable Li–Sn and Li–Sb intermetallics are presented using the ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS) and species swapping methods. These include LiSn2–P4/mmm, Li2Sn3–P1, Li7Sn9–P42/n, Li3Sn2–P21/m, Li5Sn3–Im3m, Li2Sn–Cmcm, Li8Sn3–R3m, Li3Sn–P32, Li7Sn2– P1, Li4Sn–P21, Li5Sn–P6/mmm, Li7Sn–Fmmm, LiSb–P4/mmm, Li8Sb5–Fd3m, Li8Sb3–P2/c, Li4Sb–C2/m, Li9Sb2–P3m1, Li5Sb–P6/mmm, Li6Sb–R3m, Li8Sb–Pc, and Li9Sb–Cmcm. The Li–Sn theoretical voltage curve was calculated to high accuracy mainly from experimentally known structures and shows excellent agreement with experimental electrochemical cycling measurements previously reported. Li2Sn was found on the convex hull to within density-functional theory accuracy, and its mechanical stability was investigated by calculating the density of states of the phonon spectrum. The new structures obtained by AIRSS show a consistent structural evolution of Li–Sn phases as Li concentration is increased. First-principles NMR calculations.
Effect of Mineral Nitrogen on Transfer of 13C-Carbon from Eucalyptus Harvest Residue Components to Soil Organic Matter Fractions

ABSTRACT The amount of harvest residues retained in Eucalyptus plantations strongly influences soil organic matter (SOM), but the efficiency of conversion to SOM may vary according to the type of residue. This study evaluated the recovery of C from Eucalyptus residue components – leaves, bark, branches, roots, and a mix of all residues – in different SOM fractions with or without mineral-N supplementation (200 mg kg-1 of N). Variation in natural 13C abundance was used to trace the destination of [. ]
NONPARAMETRIC ONE-SIDED TESTS FOR MULTIVARIATE DATA

SUMMARY. We propose nonparametric one-sided test procedures for multivariate data. For small sample case, we may obtain the exact null distribution by applying the permutation principle. For large sample case, we consider the normal approximation for obtaining asymptotic tail probability or p-value. We illustrate our procedures through an example. Then we discuss the consistency and asymptotic power of our proposed test. Also we consider the cases when the directions of the unequal signs are reversed or are alternating in the hypotheses. Finally, we compare the performances of our test with those of the test based on the layer ranks through the empirical powers by computer simulations for some bivariate distributions.
Poor response in ART is associated with pregnancy complications

Introduction : It is generally accepted that obstetric and perinatal complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and IUGR are more common in older women. The results of studies that investigated this issue were inconclusive. The term "poor responder" refers to patients with diminished ovarian reserve, usually older women. Our study aimed to study whether there is an association between poor ovarian response in artificial reproductive technology and pregnancy complications. Material and methods: Retrospective, case-control study , at a tertiary, university-affiliated IVF centre, from 2011 to 2017. Patients who conceived and delivered after ART treatment were analysed. 75 poor responders (≤3 oocytes retrieved) after stimulation with gonadotropins (study group) were matched by day of ovum pick-up (OPU) to 75 normo-responders (≥4 oocytes retrieved). Main outcome measures were incidence of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and neonatal birth weight. Results: There were no significant differences in maternal age, gravidity, parity, BMI, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery and Apgar score between groups. Poor responders had higher incidence of GDM (27% compared to 6.8%, P=0.001) and of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (13.5% compared to 4.1%, P=0.04) than did normo-responders. Although poor responder patients experienced higher incidence of preeclampsia (8.1% compared to 5.4%), this did not achieve statistically significance (P=0.74). Poor responders with GDM were of similar age (34.6 ± 5.6 vs. 34.4 ± 5.1, P=0.8) and BMI (27.8 ± 6 vs. 24.8 ± 5.4, P=0.06) as poor responders without GDM. However, normo-responders with GDM were older (34.6 ± 3.7 vs. 32.4 ± 5.8, P=0.01) and had higher BMI (29.5 ± 0.6 vs. 22.9 ± 4.7, P=0.008) than normo-responders without GDM. Conclusions: Poor responders had higher incidence of GDM and IUGR compared to women with normal ovarian response. Poor response in ART is an independent risk factor for GDM and IUGR. This finding may have wider implications on the mother and the fetus, and appropriate counselling should be considered.
Online quality monitoring and smart manufacturing

: The purpose of this study was to develop an innovative supervisor system to assist the operators in an industrial manufacturing process to help discover new alternative solutions for improving both the products and the manufacturing process. This paper presents the solution for integrating di ﬀ erent types of statistical modelling methods for a usable industrial application in quality monitoring. The usability of the tool was tested both o ﬄ ine and online in two case studies.
Échoendoscopie et tumeurs neuroendocrines du pancréas Endoscopic ultrasound and neuroendocrine tumors of the GI tract

The place of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is fundamental in neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and indeed EUS is the most performed examination for the diagnosis of location of these tumors. All the data of the literature shows that the EUS is superior to the other conventional techniques as the percutaneous echography, the helical scanner, and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Besi- des, the development of the EUS- guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) allows to confirm by cytolo- gy the diagnosis carried out by EUS imaging. It is advisable to dif- ferentiate the well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (NET), where the indication of the EUS is done in front of an endocrine syn- drome (hypoglycemia, hypergas-
GALLIUM-67 CITRATE USED AS A TRACER OF ACETONE PRODUCTION ROUTE

In this work the pathway of the chemical product and the kinetics parameters were evaluated in a laboratory plant settled, using 0.4 GBq (10 mL) of 67Ga citrate as radiotracer and 18 NaI(Tl) radiation detectors. The AnaComp program was used to estimate the kinetic para ameters of the acetone production. The yield of the acetone production was estimated by the percentage ratio between the areas under the curve (AUC) of the curve profiles of the final product compartment divided by the concentration found inside the chemical reactor whose result was 87% yield during the first 30 minutes of reaction.
Shared International Partnership Experience between Taibah University, KSA and George Washington University, USA: A SWOT Analysis and Strategic Plan

The present research clarifies the strategic plan developed informing the basis of the partnership between TaibahU and GWU, and identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that emerged in the planning stages, concluding with the pre-implementation stage. The researcher uses Sallis’ model to clarify the strategic plan for the partnership, employing eight steps: Select team members, Specify the horizon, Set objectives, Establish present position, Undertake the SWOT analysis, Develop a strategy, Produce a plan and Monitor progress. The findings from the SWOT revealed strengths present in the partnership, such as GWU’s enthusiasm, cooperativeness, flexibility, benefits of workshops and students’ enthusiasm about studying on a program based on a partnership project, suitability for female students who cannot access study abroad, and strong support from TaibahU leaders. Weakness to address included the extensive bureaucracy, resistance to change, and the lack of qualified members of staff available to teach courses. However, the current research also showed that some weaknesses threats readily be transformed into opportunities.
Analysis of hydrolysis process of g-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and its influence on the formation of silane coatings on 6063 aluminum alloy

In this paper the hydrolysis process of ? -methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) at 1% in an aqueous solution by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was studied. The aim of this work is to determine the hydrolysis time for which a greater number of Si–OH groups has been obtained. Different hydrolysis times at pH 4 were studied to establish the most optimal application conditions for bonding to the substrate. It was possible to observe how the bands corresponding to the Si–O–C groups present in the pure silane spectrum continued to appear after short periods of hydrolysis. However these bands practically disappeared upon increasing of this hydrolysis time, with other new ones appearing corresponding to the Si–OH vibration. The silanization of 6063 aluminum alloy samples was also carried out. Analysis of the silane layers by means of FTIR indicated that the immersion time may be important according to the hydrolysis conditions, and it also allowed optimizing the drying time.
Erratum: Terpenoid metabolite profiling in Sitka spruce identifies association of dehydroabietic acid, (+)-3-carene and terpinolene with resistance against white pine weevil

The white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi Peck) is an important insect pest in the Pacific Northwest that attacks the apical stem leaders of spruce (Picea spp.) causing damage to tree form, growth, and stand development. Because of attacks by weevils, Sitka spruce (P. sitchensis Bong.) is not commonly replanted as a commercial species in coastal British Columbia, despite its economic and ecological importance. In the last decade, the focus of research on Sitka spruce resistance against weevils has moved from silvicultural approaches to breeding for resistance. The British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range, in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service, has developed a successful program to screen populations and select tree genotypes for resistance to weevil attack. Part of this effort has been the establishment of clonebanks that contain genotypes from throughout the range of Sitka spruce. For metabolite profiling, using gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection or mass spectrometr.
Heightened sensitivity to low-level visual information in autism during an emotional attentional blink task

Background Impairments in facial emotion recognition have been a hallmark of autism, which may contribute to the difficulty in social engagement and interpersonal interaction. Impaired facial emotion recognition in autism could be partly due to the asymmetrical perceptual bias to High Spatial Frequencies (HSF) information observed during visual perception. While Low Spatial Frequencies (LSF) convey coarse information, which would be critical for a fast analysis and categorization of emotional faces, HSF convey local information, which may serve a critical role in visual consciousness. However, to our knowledge, the effect of HSF on visual consciousness in autism has not been specifically studied so far. Methods Thirty-three adult autistic participants and 35 typically developing (TD) control participants performed an emotional attentional blink paradigm. Participants had to identify and report two targets (happy faces, T1 and T2) embedded in a stream of distractors (angry faces). The distractors between T1 and T2 were unfiltered or filtered in HSF or LSF. We used ANOVA to compare the impact of spatial frequency information on visual consciousness in the two groups of participants. Results TD control participants showed significantly reduced T2 accuracy (i.e., accuracy for the second target given the correct report of the first target T1) after unfiltered and HSF distractors compared to LSF distractors. As predicted, reduced T2 accuracy was observed after HSF distractors in the autistic group as compared to the TD group. Although we did not hypothesized, we also found reduced T2 accuracy after LSF distractors in the autistic group. The accuracy between the two groups did not differ regarding unfiltered distractors. Limitations Our sample was adult, high functioning and mainly late diagnosed. Therefore, our findings may not generalize to the whole autistic population. Conclusion Results confirm that HSF plays a critical role in visual consciousness in both TD and autistic participants. More importantly, autistic participants demonstrated impaired target detections after filtered distractors, suggesting that they have enhanced sensitivity for low-level characteristics, such as high and low spatial frequencies filtering. These findings are discussed in the context of the Enhanced Perceptual Functioning theory and predictive coding frameworks.
Linking diagnostic features to soil microbial biomass and respiration in agricultural grassland soil: a large‐scale study in Ireland

The functional potential of soil ecosystems can be predicted from the activity and abundance of the microbial community in relation to key soil properties. When describing microbial community dynamics, soil physicochemical properties have traditionally been used. The extent of correlations between properties, however, differs between studies, especially across larger spatial scales. In this research we analysed soil microbial biomass and substrate‐induced respiration of 156 samples from Irish grasslands. In addition to the standard physicochemical, soil type and land management variables, soil diagnostic properties were included to identify if these important soil–landscape genesis classes affected microbial biomass and respiration dynamics in Irish soil. Apart from physicochemical properties, soil drainage class was identified as having an important effect on microbial properties. In particular, biomass‐specific basal (qCO2) and substrate‐induced respiration (SIR:CFE) were explained best by the soil drainage. Poorly drained soil had smaller values of these respiration measures than well‐drained soil. We concluded that this resulted from different groups within the microbial community that could use readily available carbon sources, which suggests a change in microbial community dynamics associated with soil texture and periods of water stress. Overall, our results indicate that soil quality assessments should include both physicochemical properties and diagnostic classes, to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of soil microbial communities.
Working capital management and its impact on profitability: A study of selected listed manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka

Main purpose of the study is to identify the impact of working capital management on profitability of selected listed manufacturing companies from financial year 2003-2007. Correlation and regression analysis were performed. Results reveals that cash conversion cycle (CCC) and return on assets (ROA) are negatively correlated the value of -0.127 which is highly significant at 1 percent level of significance, which means that as the cash conversion cycle increases ROA decreases. In addition inventory conversion period (ICP) is highly significant at 1 percent level. It indicates that with increasing level of ICP, ROA will be increased -0.065 levels. Further the coefficient of the CCC variable is negative at a value of -0.0503 and p value is 0.006. This implies that an increase in the number of dayâ€™s cash conversion cycle by 1 day is associated with a decline in ROA by 5.03%. The results suggest that managers can increase profitability of manufacturing firms by reducing the number of dayâ€™s inventories and accounts receivable
VALUE AT RISK USING SMOOTHING TECHNIQUES: A PROPOSAL IN THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET

Uno de los principales problemas a los que se encuentran expuestas las empresas e instituciones financieras en Mexico, es la volatilidad en el tipo de cambio Peso/Dolar al realizar operaciones o en la valuacion de activos financieros. En el presente articulo se analiza y se compara el comportamiento del Valor en Riesgo [VaR] bajo tres metodologias diferentes: Simulacion Historica, Simulacion Montecarlo y Alisado. Se realiza una aplicacion al tipo de cambio en los periodos de Pre crisis, Crisis y Pos crisis economica de 2008 para observar las implicaciones del calculo del Valor en Riesgo. Se concluye que la metodologia del VaR alisado es mas precisa.