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A new high-porosity MOF of [Ni2.3Zn0.7(tzba)3 (H2 O)6 ]·12DMF (NiZn-MOF) processes 2D (3,6)-grid layers constructed from rare [M2 (tz)3 (H2 O)3 ] and [M(COO)3 ] nodes. The metal doping of Ni2+ and Zn2+ are crucial for the formation of the two kinds of metal nodes and subsequent synergistical assembly into the mesoporous MOF, in contrast to the formation of MIL-88-topology resembled compound of {(Me2 NH2 )[Ni3 (μ3 -OH)(tzba)3 (H2 O)3 ]·8DMF (Ni3-MOF) using single Ni2+ as metal source. The regular 2D layers stacked in parallel and ABAB fashion through interlayer hydrogen bonding, leading to a neutral framework with void fraction up to 72.1% and 1D mesoporous hexagonal channels sized at 24.0 Å in diameter. The large gas accessible porosity was revealed by the saturated N2 and CO2 uptake of 720 and 708 cm3 g-1, at 77 K and 195 K, respectively, giving a high Langmuir surface area of 2066 m2 g-1. The varying gas sorption amounts dependent on accommodated solvents and activation temperature, as well as the gate-opening behaviors in sorption isotherms, well confirm the dynamic structure response to guest species of the flexible framework.

AbstractIn this study, we used a predator-enabled metagenomics strategy to sample the virome of a remote and difficult-to-access densely forested African tropical region. Specifically, we focused our study on the use of army ants of the genusDorylusthat are obligate collective foragers and group predators that attack and overwhelm a broad array of animal prey. Using 209 army ant samples collected from 29 colonies and the virion-associated nucleic acid-based metagenomics approach, we showed that a broad diversity of bacterial, plant, invertebrate and vertebrate viral sequences were accumulated by army ants: including sequences from 157 different viral genera in 56 viral families. This suggests that using predators and scavengers such as army ants to sample broad swathes of tropical forest viromes can shed light on the composition and the structure of viral populations of these complex and inaccessible ecosystems.

Abstract Craquelure is the most common defect on ancient polychrome paintings, which may deteriorate further to paint loss. Previous image processing methods, which can accurately recognize paint loss, have limited precision and efficiency in segmenting craquelure. This paper proposes a semantic segmentation method, Res-UNet, for the recognition of craquelure and paint loss in the Palace Museum, Beijing. The residual structure of ResNet-50 enables the avoidance of network degradation, and image features can be fully extracted. Using the unique skip connection module of U-Net, features of different levels are fused to improve segmentation accuracy and provide smoother craquelure edges. Three loss functions are combined to accelerate stable convergence. The model was trained on a newly built dataset based on 600 images, and tested on images both in and out of the dataset. Experimental results supported by statistical tests show that Res-UNet is a capable method of craquelure recognition, with an accuracy rate of 98.19%, and mean pixel accuracy = 93.67%. Hence, the proposed hybrid approach is a promising tool to support the preservation and restoration of valuable traditional Chinese polychrome architectural paintings.

The agricultural sector play important role in the development of Houeyogbe municipality. This study aims to analyze the production and marketing of palm oil in Houeyogbe. The methodological approach is based on data collection, processing, analysis and interpretation. A total of 294 farmers were interviewed and, the data collected was processed using Excel software. Finally, the SWOT analysis was used. The results reveal that, oil palm exploitation is an activity carried out primarily by women. 30 % of the earnings from the sale of palm oil are intended for home-consumption and the remaining 70 % for sale and export. In addition, for a production of 15 liters of palm oil in the dry season, the producers make a revenue from 135000 FCFA (245.45 $) to 330000 FCFA (600 $) with an estimated expense of 80000 FCFA (145.45 $). The profit margin varies from 55000 FCFA (100 $) to 250000 FCFA (454.54 $) in the dry season. In the rainy season, the processing of 200 measures of palm nuts yields a quantity of 150 liters of red oil, the selling price is 9000 FCFA (16.36 $) per 25 liter can, which gives a revenue of 135000 FCFA (245.45 $) with an estimated expense of 60000 FCFA (109.9 $). The profit margin is 75000 FCFA (136.36 $). Retail marketing of palm oil is not developed in Houeyogbe’s municipality. Most retail marketing is directly linked to consumption. Most of the wholesalers are beginners who come from urban areas with trucks to buy palm oil in bulk. They sell for the most part in the markets of Lokossa, Azovè, Dogbo, Athiémè, and sometimes in Cotonou. It is recommended that actors at various levels take into account the various constraints that constitute bottlenecks so that appropriate solutions are provided to improve the performance of the various actors in the palm oil sector in the commune of Houéyogbé.

The archaeology of the immediate coastline of West Africa remains surprisingly little understood, and what research has been undertaken has often focused on questions relating to sea-based interactions and the precolonial polities lying slightly inland. This paper reports the results of excavations on Ohlinhoué, a small lagoonal island in the western Republic of Bénin. A locally manufactured ceramic assemblage was recovered, together with a small suite of artifacts, including glass, metal, shell, and smoking pipes. These archaeological data provide insights into a small-scale, likely fishing and salt-producing community in this area between sea and river. As such, they provide an alternative to historical readings relating to well-known precolonial polities and trade entrepôts that feed popular historical narratives.