The Comparison of One-stage and Two-stage Selection Rules in a Bayes Approach

The comparison of one-stage and two-stage selection rules was carried out using the Bayes look-ahead approach. Loss functions including subset size and costs of sampling were used in the work. The comparison was made under the assumptions of balanced models, reduction by sufficiency, permutation invariance and decreasing in transposition of distributions, permutation invariance, and selecting in favor of larger values of loss functions. The results were applied to normal models and binomial models. Everything was done with fixed sample sizes

A skull of <i>Plesiaceratherium gracile</i> (Rhinocerotidae, Perissodactyla) from a new lower Miocene locality in Shandong Province, China, and the phylogenetic position of <i>Plesiaceratherium</i>

<p>A well-preserved fossil skull from a new locality in Jijiazhuang, Changle County, Shandong Province, China, is attributable to <i>Plesiaceratherium gracile</i>. Other rhinoceroses from the nearby Shanwang Basin of Linqu County, Shandong, formerly described as <i>Aceratherium</i> sp. and <i>Plesiaceratherium shanwangensis</i> are also referable to <i>P. gracile</i>. The new skull demonstrates the presence in <i>P. gracile</i> of the following characters: continuous labial cingula on lower cheek teeth; skull roof with nearly flat profile; and external auditory pseudomeatus ventrally closed, proceeding dorsocaudally in a shallow groove. Comparison of <i>Plesiaceratherium</i> with <i>Brachypotherium pugnator</i> Matsumoto, <a href="#cit0034" target="_blank">1921</a>, suggests that referral of the latter to <i>Plesiaceratherium</i> should be reconsidered. A phylogenetic analysis based on 314 characters scored for 39 terminal taxa places <i>Plesiaceratherium mirallesi</i> in a basal position within Rhinocerotidae, and recovers other species of <i>Plesiaceratherium</i> as a clade that is well separated from <i>B. pugnator</i> and is sister to the [<i>Subchilotherium</i> [<i>Acerorhinus</i> [<i>Shansirhinus, B</i>. <i>pugnator</i> [<i>Chilotherium</i>]]]] grouping. Based on this result and a reevaluation of the anatomy of ‘<i>P</i>.’ <i>mirallesi</i>, we propose that the genus <i>Dromoceratherium</i> should be revived to accommodate this species as <i>D. mirallesi</i>. The occurrence of <i>P. gracile</i> at Jijiazhuang indicates that the fossiliferous diatomaceous shales of this locality were deposited during the lower Miocene.</p> <p>SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/UJVP" target="_blank">www.tandfonline.com/UJVP</a></p> <p>Citation for this article: Lu, X., X. Zheng, C. Sullivan, and J. Tan. 2016. A skull of <i>Plesiaceratherium gracile</i> (Rhinocerotidae, Perissodactyla) from a new lower Miocene locality in Shandong Province, China, and the phylogenetic position of <i>Plesiaceratherium</i>. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2016.1095201.</p

One-Pot Condensation of Furfural and Levulinates: A Novel Method for Cassava Use in Synthesis of Biofuel Precursors

A novel and efficient method for the use of non-edible cassava to synthesize biofuel precursors with long carbon chains in two steps was proposed. The finally produced precursors were based on the decomposition of cassava and condensation between furans and levulinates. The reaction parameters for levulinate production from cassava were optimized, and the results showed that the highest carbon mole yield of levulinates was up to 51.3% at 473 K, 4.0 MPa N₂, and 6.0 h. After that, precursors with yields of 88.0 and 90.5% could be obtained when the mole ratios between furans and levulinates were 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. Characterization of precursors using elemental analysis, ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that different and intersecting routes of condensation resulted in the complex components of precursors. Moreover, the mechanism of condensation was proven to excessively depend upon the mole ratio between furans and levulinates in this investigation. This technical route indicates a simple and feasible method to produce renewable biofuel with long carbon chains from cassava directly

Production of C₅/C₆ Sugar Alcohols by Hydrolytic Hydrogenation of Raw Lignocellulosic Biomass over Zr Based Solid Acids Combined with Ru/C

Producing chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is important in view of the huge availability of biomass and positive environmental significance by reducing carbon emission due to fast carbon cycle during biomass growth and applications. Here, we prepared zirconium based solid acids for hydrolytic hydrogenation of raw lignocelluloses to coproduce C₅/C₆ sugar alcohols (the important platform for downstream chemicals and fuel production) as combined with commercial Ru/C. Among these solid acids, the amorphous zirconium phosphate (ZrP) presented the largest acidic sites, with medium and strong acidity as the majority, showing the highest goal sugar alcohols yield of 70% at optimal reaction conditions. During pennisetum transformation, this combined catalyst was reusable despite the activity of the second run being lower than the initial one, and the activity could be recovered by recalcination of spent ZrP. The primary structure of surviving lignin remained after cellulose and hemicellulose were converted, showing the significance for fractional biomass applications if considering the further transformation of lignin