Dihydroxyacetone conversion into lactic acid in an aqueous medium in the presence of metal salts: influence of the ionic thermodynamic equilibrium on the reaction performance

International audienceThe catalytic conversion of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) to lactic acid (LA) via pyruvaldehyde (PA) in aqueous media was studied using different homogeneous metal salts. A kinetic model was developed and the parameters corresponding to each reaction steps were estimated. Agreement between experiments and simulated results was excellent and the performance of the different catalysts was consistent with previous studies described in the literature. Aluminium salts, which show the best performance, were tested in a whole range of concentrations and at different pH, in order to identify the catalytically active ionic species. It was confirmed that the DHA to pyruvaldehyde (PA) dehydration step is catalyzed by both Brønsted and Lewis acids whereas the consecutive reaction of PA to LA is solely catalyzed by Lewis acids. Moreover, comparing thermodynamic analysis of the reaction media and kinetic parameters demonstrated that cationic hydroxyl-aluminium complexes [Al(OH)h] (3-h)+ formed in situ by the hydrolysis of the aluminium aqua complexes like [Al(OH2)6] 3+ are the most active Lewis acids

Variation of the Western Equatorial Pacific ocean, 1986-1988

Twenty one oceanographic sections made along 165°E during 1984-1988 provide a unique picture of the 1986-1987 El Nino and the subsequent La Nina in the Western Equatorial Pacific. The mean of six cruises from January 1984 throught June 1986, a relatively normal period, provides a reference with which the later sections are compared... Changes in the stratification along 165°E were corresponddingly large, reflecting both the geostrophic balance of the strong zonal currents and the changes in the volume of warm water in the Western Equatorial Pacific. The anomaly of warm water volume corresponded closely to the time integral of the warm water transport across 165°E. Local wind forcing and remotely forced waves were both important causes of the transport fluctuations. Winds, precipitation, and currents were all important factors determining the depth of the surface mixed layer and the thickness of the underlying barrier layer. The way in which these factors interact is a strong function of latitude. (D'après résumé d'auteur

A complex storm system in Saturn’s north polar atmosphere in 2018

Producción CientíficaSaturn’s convective storms usually fall in two categories. One consists of mid-sized storms ∼2,000 km wide, appearing as irregular bright cloud systems that evolve rapidly, on scales of a few days. The other includes the Great White Spots, planetary-scale giant storms ten times larger than the mid-sized ones, which disturb a full latitude band, enduring several months, and have been observed only seven times since 1876. Here we report a new intermediate type, observed in 2018 in the north polar region. Four large storms with east–west lengths ∼4,000–8,000 km (the first one lasting longer than 200 days) formed sequentially in close latitudes, experiencing mutual encounters and leading to zonal disturbances affecting a full latitude band ∼8,000 km wide, during at least eight months. Dynamical simulations indicate that each storm required energies around ten times larger than mid-sized storms but ∼100 times smaller than those necessary for a Great White Spot. This event occurred at about the same latitude and season as the Great White Spot in 1960, in close correspondence with the cycle of approximately 60 years hypothesized for equatorial Great White Spots.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project AYA2015-65041-P)Gobierno Vasco (project IT-366-19

On the Geroch-Traschen class of metrics

We compare two approaches to semi-Riemannian metrics of low regularity. The maximally 'reasonable' distributional setting of Geroch and Traschen is shown to be consistently contained in the more general setting of nonlinear distributional geometry in the sense of Colombea

Isomorphisms of algebras of Colombeau generalized functions

We show that for smooth manifolds X and Y, any isomorphism between the special algebra of Colombeau generalized functions on X, resp. Y is given by composition with a unique Colombeau generalized function from Y to X. We also identify the multiplicative linear functionals from the special algebra of Colombeau generalized functions on X to the ring of Colombeau generalized numbers. Up to multiplication with an idempotent generalized number, they are given by an evaluation map at a compactly supported generalized point on X.Comment: 10 page

Proceedings of US - PRC international TOGA symposium

A series of 12 meridional transect along longitude 165°E in the Western Equatorial Pacific ocean were made between mid-1986 and mi-1988 : a time interval spanning an El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. Data collected on these cruises provide a detailed (albeit temporally sparse) view of the oceanic changes which occur in the Western Pacific during an ENSO event. The present work focuses on the evolution of the upper ocean thermohaline and zona velocity fields as revealed by high resolution hydrographic casts and direct near surface velocity measurements. (D'après résumé d'auteur

One at a time, live tracking of NGF axonal transport using quantum dots

Retrograde axonal transport of nerve growth factor (NGF) signals is critical for the survival, differentiation, and maintenance of peripheral sympathetic and sensory neurons and basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. However, the mechanisms by which the NGF signal is propagated from the axon terminal to the cell body are yet to be fully elucidated. To gain insight into the mechanisms, we used quantum dot-labeled NGF (QD-NGF) to track the movement of NGF in real time in compartmentalized culture of rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Our studies showed that active transport of NGF within the axons was characterized by rapid, unidirectional movements interrupted by frequent pauses. Almost all movements were retrograde, but short-distance anterograde movements were occasionally observed. Surprisingly, quantitative analysis at the single molecule level demonstrated that the majority of NGF-containing endosomes contained only a single NGF dimer. Electron microscopic analysis of axonal vesicles carrying QD-NGF confirmed this finding. The majority of QD-NGF was found to localize in vesicles 50–150 nm in diameter with a single lumen and no visible intralumenal membranous components. Our findings point to the possibility that a single NGF dimer is sufficient to sustain signaling during retrograde axonal transport to the cell body