New potential hydrocarbon source-rocks in the Lower Eocene Metlaoui Formation (Central-Northern Tunisia, Northern Africa)

New potential hydrocarbon source-rocks in the Lower EoceneMetlaoui Formation (Central-Northern Tunisia, Northern Africa)Significant quantities of organic matter accumulated and were preserved in central-northern Tunisia during theYpresian (Early Eocene). The organic geochemical characterization of the organic-rich facies of the YpresianMetlaoui Formation (Ousselat and Es-Sfeïa sections) shows their significant potential as source rocks andincreases interest in the Central-Northern Tunisia oil play. The TOC content in these rocks ranges from 0.09 to3.71% suggesting their petroleum potential, whereas their T maxfluctuates from 429 to 439°C. These values andthe predominance of the hetero compounds (NSO; 2-95%) point to low organic matter maturation. The diversematurity levels reported for these organic-rich rocks never reached the conventional oil window peak stage andresulted from their different locationswithin the basin. The HI values and the high saturate concentrations(1-91%) compared to aromatics (1-33%), as well as the predominance of short-chain n-alkanes centered at n-C18 and n-C20 are indicative of unequivocal type-II kerogen. The fluctuation of the pristane/phytane ratio(0.97-2.53) records changes of the basin redox conditions, which mainly evolved around the sub-oxic rang

IMPACT OF MENTAL SKILLS ON MOTOR LEARNING IN MOROCCAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The issue of motor learning and underlying factors are widely debated. This work has a double aim, to bring out the profile of mental skills and to evaluate their correlation with performance in sport and physical education in Moroccan secondary school students. The study was based on a sample of 202 Moroccan students. We used the test Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3) to assess mental skills.According to the results, the OMSAT-3 displayed a very satisfactory internal consistency, which confirms the reliability of the measurement tool. Moreover, students displayed low to moderate levels of mental skills. The statistical analysis showed that the profile of mental skills is significantly different between males and females. Also, the students of more than 17 years old had profiles different from those of 17 years old and less. Furthermore, the sport performance was positively associated with goal setting, commitment, relaxation, activation, mental imagery, mental practice and planning.In conclusion, this work showed that mental skills influence significantly the performance of students and consequently their learning. Hard work should be done to improve these skills in high school students.  Article visualizations

Distributed Testing of Excluded Subgraphs

We study property testing in the context of distributed computing, under the classical CONGEST model. It is known that testing whether a graph is triangle-free can be done in a constant number of rounds, where the constant depends on how far the input graph is from being triangle-free. We show that, for every connected 4-node graph H, testing whether a graph is H-free can be done in a constant number of rounds too. The constant also depends on how far the input graph is from being H-free, and the dependence is identical to the one in the case of testing triangles. Hence, in particular, testing whether a graph is K_4-free, and testing whether a graph is C_4-free can be done in a constant number of rounds (where K_k denotes the k-node clique, and C_k denotes the k-node cycle). On the other hand, we show that testing K_k-freeness and C_k-freeness for k>4 appear to be much harder. Specifically, we investigate two natural types of generic algorithms for testing H-freeness, called DFS tester and BFS tester. The latter captures the previously known algorithm to test the presence of triangles, while the former captures our generic algorithm to test the presence of a 4-node graph pattern H. We prove that both DFS and BFS testers fail to test K_k-freeness and C_k-freeness in a constant number of rounds for k>4

Influence of annealing and processing conditions on nano-structured thin films of tungsten trioxide

Transition metal oxides represent a novel class of compounds which have attracted a considerable interest in the recent literature. Among these materials, tungsten trioxide has shown great potential due to photo-oxidation of water with visible light, high photocurrent with nano-crystals and good sensing properties towards several gases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of conditions of heat treatment on properties of WO3 thin films prepared by hermal evaporation under vacuum. Physico-chemical properties of WO3 thin layers for different heat processing conditions were determined by X-ray diffraction XRD, microprobe electronics and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Optical measurement yieldedt ransmission and reflection measurements. The study of the physicochemical properties of thin layers of thermally post-treated tungsten trioxide showed that layers processed under vacuum have an unidentifiable structure than those annealed in air and crystallized under different crystallographic structures depending on processing temperature. Layers annealed in oxygen hadmonoclinic crystalline structures.It has been recorded that crystallinity and transmission of these films were drastically improved

Annealing effect on physical properties of evaporated molybdenum oxide thin films for ethanol sensing

This paper deals with some physical investigations on molybdenum oxide thin films growing on glass substrates by the thermal evaporation method. These films have been subjected to an annealing process under vacuum, air and oxygen at various temperatures 673, 723 and 773 K. First, the physical properties of these layers were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical measurements. These techniques have been used to investigate the oxygen index in MoOx properties during the heat treatment. Second, from the reflectance and transmittance optical measurements, it was found that the direct band gap energy value increased from 3.16 to 3.90 eV. Finally, the heat treatments reveal that the oxygen index varies in such molybdenum oxides showing noticeably sensitivity toward ethanol gas

Risk factors caused by scorpion stings and envenomations in the province of Kelâa Des Sraghna (Morocco)

The present study aims to elucidate the risk factors involved in deaths caused by scorpion envenomation. A retrospective study was carried out in the province of Kelâa des Sraghna from 2003 to 2004. The hospital charts of scorpion envenomation cases treated in the Essalama Hospital in Kelâa des Sraghna were exhaustively analyzed. Our study contains 31 cases of death among 470 hospitalization cases. Most stings had occurred during the hot period peaking in July and August (54.6%). Moreover, the scorpion stings occurred at night in 60.1% of the cases, between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am. In addition, all age groups were affected by envenomation, with a higher frequency in children aged less than 15 years (68.3%). The envenomation rate (class II + class III) was 70.9%. The statistical analysis of the data shows that being less than 15 years old, having been stung during the night and belonging to class III are risk factors that aggravate vital prognosis of hospitalized patients. Furthermore, clinical severity factors, elicited by relative risk analysis, are cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological vital distresses, with relative risks of 14.84, 11.92 and 48.33, respectively. The results of our study clearly displayed the severity and extent of the scorpion envenomation problem. Thus, great attention must be paid to this region of Morocco by the national health authorities

Estabilización de aceite de oliva virgen extra ecológico con antioxidantes naturales de hojas de Artemisia absinthium obtenidos por maceración y extracción asistida por ultrasonido

Olive oil is the most popular product derived from Olea europaea L. due to its organoleptic characteristics and its beneficial effects on human health. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in olive oil enrichment with medicinal plants. In this regard, Artemisia absinthium L. is an edible source of antioxidants. The aim of the present study was to improve the oxidative stability and the nutritional value of Organic Tunisian Chetoui Olive oil by its enrichment with the phenolic compounds in Artemisia absinthium. The enrichment carried out by maceration and ultrasound-assisted extraction did not affect the organic criteria of olive oil. The comparative study, performed during one year of storage, showed that ultrasound-assisted extraction led to the lowest final peroxide and extinction coefficient values. At the end of storage, this method increased oleic acid content and biophenol contents. Furthermore, the anti-radical activities of enriched samples were higher than the control.El aceite de oliva es el producto derivado de Olea europaea L. muy popular debido a sus características organolépticas y sus efectos beneficiosos para la salud humana. En la actualidad existe un interés creciente por enriquecer el aceite de oliva con plantas medicinales. En este sentido, Artemisia absinthium L. es una fuente comestible de antioxidantes. El objetivo del presente estudio fue la mejora de la estabilidad oxidativa y el valor nutricional del aceite de oliva Chetoui tunecino orgánico mediante su enriquecimiento con compuestos fenólicos de Artemisia absinthium. El enriquecimiento realizado por maceración y extracción asistida por ultrasonidos no afectó a los criterios ecológicos del aceite de oliva. El estudio comparativo, realizado durante un año de almacenamiento, mostró que la extracción asistida por ultrasonidos condujo a los valores finales de peróxido y coeficientes de extinción más bajos. Al final del almacenamiento, este método aumentó el contenido de ácido oleico y de biofenoles. Además, las actividades antirradicales de las muestras enriquecidas fueron mayores que las del control

The commitment: A determinant basic mental skill in student’s performance in Physical Education and Sport

Background and Study Aim: Mental skills and motivation are key factors in learning and performance. This study aims to model their influence on performance in physical education and sport among Moroccan high school students. Material and Methods: A sample of 202 high school students including 100 boys and 102 girls participated in this study. In order to assess mental skills, we used the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3) test and to assess different forms of motivation, we used the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS-28). To evaluate the performance in physical education and sport, we chose an individual sport that is the high jump. Results : The multiple linear regression has as a dependent variable performance in physical education and sport and as explanatory variables mental skills and motivational forms retained only commitment. Conclusion : The commitment, as basic mental skill, is determinant in student’s performance in physical education and sport