Ultrasound in gas–liquid systems: Effects on solubility and mass transfer

The effect of ultrasound on the pseudo-solubility of nitrogen in water and on gas–liquid mass transfer kinetics has been investigated in an autoclave reactor equipped with a gas induced impeller. In order to use organic liquids and to investigate the effect of pressure, gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient was calculated from the evolution of autoclave pressure during gas absorption to avoid any side-effects of ultrasound on the concentrations measurements. Ultrasound effect on the apparent solubility is very low (below 12%). Conversely ultrasound greatly improves gas–liquid mass transfer, especially below gas induction speed, this improvement being boosted by pressure. In typical conditions of organic synthesis: 323 K, 1100 rpm, 10 bar, kL a is multiplied by 11 with ultrasound (20 kHz/62.6 W). The impact of sonication is much higher on gassing out than on gassing in. In the same conditions, this enhancement is at least five times higher for degassing

Mass transfer in bubble column for industrial conditions—effects of organic medium, gas and liquid flowrates and column design

Most of available gas–liquid mass transfer data in bubble column have been obtained in aqueous media and in liquid batch conditions, contrary to industrial chemical reactor conditions. This work provides new data more relevant for industrial conditions, including comparison of water and organic media, effects of large liquid and gas velocities, perforated plates and sparger hole diameter. The usual dynamic O2 methods for mass transfer investigation were not convenient in this work (cyclohexane, liquid circulation). Steadystate mass transfer of CO2 in an absorption–desorption loop has been quantified by IR spectrometry. Using a simple RTD characterization, mass transfer efficiency and kLa have been calculated in a wide range of experimental conditions. Due to large column height and gas velocity, mass transfer efficiency is high, ranging between 40% and 90%. kLa values stand between 0.015 and 0.050 s−1 and depend mainly on superficial gas velocity. No significant effects of column design and media have been shown. At last, using both global and local hydrodynamics data, mass transfer connection with hydrodynamics has been investigated through kLa/G and kLa/a

Application of the double optic probe technique to distorted tumbling bubbles in aqueous or organic liquid

The optic probe technique is widely used to investigate bubble reactors. To derive values of bubble local velocities and bubble local sizes, a specific signal treatment is usually applied under severe assumptions for bubble path and shape. However, in most industrial reactors, bubble motion is chaotic and no common shape can be assumed. In this work, the reliability of the signal treatment associated with the optic probe technique is examined for distorted and tumbling bubbles. A double-tip optic probe is settled in a glass tank and the rise of bubbles is filmed simultaneously. Several trains of bubbles are studied, interactions between bubbles being gradually increased. Referring to image analysis, several ways to derive mean bubble velocities from optic probe data have been compared. Crenels from front tipand rear tipra w signals are associated and individual bubble velocities are derived. Nevertheless, complete velocity distributions are difficult to obtain, as they depend on the choice of the time within which the bubble is searched on the second tip. Using a simpler approach it is shown that the most probable velocity, calculated through the raw signals inter-correlation, is a correct estimation of the average bubble velocity. Concerning bubble size, bubble chord distributions show too high values due to bubble distortion and deviation. A simplified estimation of bubble mean Sauter diameter, using the most reliable measurements only (i.e., local gas hold-up, local mean bubbling frequency, and most probable bubble velocity), was tested for highly distorted bubbles; this method was validated both in water and cyclohexane

On the reliability of an optical fibre probe in bubble column under industrial relevant operating conditions

When bubble columns are operated under industrial relevant conditions (high gas and liquid flow rates, large bubbles and vortices,. . .), local data, and especially bubble size values, are difficult to obtain. However, such data are essential for the comprehension of two-phase flow phenomena in order to design or to improve industrial installations. When high gas flow rates and organic liquids are used, intrusive optic probes are considered. This work investigates different ways to derive reliable local information on gas phase from double optic probe raw data. As far as possible, these results have been compared with global data, easier to measure in such conditions. Local gas hold-up, eG, and bubble frequency, fB, are easily obtained, but bubble velocity and bubble diameter determination is not obvious. For a better reliability, the final treatment that is proposed for velocity and size estimation is based on mean values only: the bubble velocity is considered as the most probable velocity ~v issued from raw signals inter-correlation function and the mean Sauter diameter is calculated through dSM ¼ 3~veG 2f B

Electroactivity of phototrophic river biofilms and constitutive cultivable bacteria

Electroactivity is a property of microorganisms assembled in biofilms that has been highlighted in a variety of environments. This characteristic was assessed for phototrophic river biofilms at the community scale and at the bacterial population scale. At the community scale, electroactivity was evaluated on stainless steel and copper alloy coupons used both as biofilm colonization supports and as working electrodes. At the population scale, the ability of environmental bacterial strains to catalyze oxygen reduction was assessed by cyclic voltammetry. Our data demonstrate that phototrophic river biofilm development on the electrodes, measured by dry mass and chlorophyll a content, resulted in significant increases of the recorded potentials, with potentials of up to +120 mV/saturated calomel electrode (SCE) on stainless steel electrodes and +60 mV/SCE on copper electrodes. Thirty-two bacterial strains isolated from natural phototrophic river biofilms were tested by cyclic voltammetry. Twenty-five were able to catalyze oxygen reduction, with shifts of potential ranging from 0.06 to 0.23 V, cathodic peak potentials ranging from −0.36 to −0.76 V/SCE, and peak amplitudes ranging from −9.5 to −19.4 μA. These isolates were diversified phylogenetically (Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria) and exhibited various phenotypic properties (Gram stain, oxidase, and catalase characteristics). These data suggest that phototrophic river biofilm communities and/or most of their constitutive bacterial populations present the ability to promote electronic exchange with a metallic electrode, supporting the following possibilities: (i) development of electrochemistry-based sensors allowing in situ phototrophic river biofilm detection and (ii) production of microbial fuel cell inocula under oligotrophic conditions

Multimodal Dispersion of Nanoparticles: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Size Distribution with 9 Size Measurement Methods

Purpose : Evaluation of particle size distribution (PSD) of multimodal dispersion of nanoparticles is a difficult task due to inherent limitations of size measurement methods. The present work reports the evaluation of PSD of a dispersion of poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles decorated with dextran known as multimodal and developed as nanomedecine. Methods : The nine methods used were classified as batch particle i.e. Static Light Scattering (SLS) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), single particle i.e. Electron Microscopy (EM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) and separative particle i.e. Asymmetrical Flow Field- Flow Fractionation coupled with DLS (AsFlFFF) size measurement methods. Results : The multimodal dispersion was identified using AFM, TRPS and NTA and results were consistent with those provided with the method based on a separation step prior to on-line size measurements. None of the light scattering batch methods could reveal the complexity of the PSD of the dispersion. Conclusions : Difference between PSD obtained from all size measurement methods tested suggested that study of the PSD of multimodal dispersion required to analyze samples by at least one of the single size particle measurement method or a method that uses a separation step prior PSD measurement

Herbicide accumulation and evolution in reservoir sediments

The aim of the present study was to understand the effect of reservoir configurations on sediment pesticide fate. Two dams were selected on the River Garonne, in southwest France: Carbonne and Golfech, both with reservoirs subject to accumulation of herbicide-contaminated sediment. They are situated upstream and downstream respectively of an agricultural and urban area: the Mid-Garonne. The results presented include pesticide concentrations and C/N ratios in the smaller sediment particles (b2 mm) and values of oxygenation and herbicide concentrations in the water. The dynamic behaviour of sediment in the reservoirs is discussed. The present study shows that the theoretical lifespan (weak remanence in vitro) and the results actually observed in the sediment are conflicting. Pesticide contamination in Carbonne indicates conservation, even accumulation, of herbicide molecules while in Golfech transformation processes clearly dominate. The hydromorphological position of Golfech reservoir, i.e. located at the junction of two rivers with contrasting hydrological regimes and very different oxygenation conditions, leads to accelerated pesticide desorption or degradation. Unfortunately, this configuration is rare

Effets des polyphénols de vin rouge sur la prolifération cellulaire et sur le métabolisme du resvératrol

Il est connu qu une consommation modérée de vin rouge protégerait contre de nombreuses pathologies, du fait notamment de ses polyphénols. Nous avons étudié en particulier l effet de ces polyphénols sur le cancer colorectal, l un des cancers les plus fréquents dans les pays industrialisés. Certains polyphénols purifiés de vin rouge, comme le resvératrol et la quercétine, montrent des effets antiprolifératifs contre les cellules de cancer colorectal.Notre première approche a consisté à utiliser des extraits polyphénoliques de vins rouges de Bourgogne. Nous avons alors étudié d une part, leurs effets in vitro sur la prolifération cellulaire de lignées tumorales colorectales humaines SW480 et les interactions entre ces polyphénols et le transport et le métabolisme du resvératrol ; et d autre part, les effets in vivo chez la souris CF-1 d une consommation régulière de ces polyphénols dans l alimentation sur la survenue de lésions pré-néoplasiques chimio-induites par l azoxyméthane au niveau du colon.Notre deuxième approche s est orientée vers les modifications de la structure chimique du resvératrol. Par l ajout de groupements méthoxyles et hydroxyles, et par l isomérisation de sa structure (cis ou trans), nous avons cherché à dégager des relations structures-fonctions du resvératrol et à créer des dérivés plus bioactifs.Nous montrons que les polyphénols du vin rouge inhibent la prolifération de cellules cancéreuses coliques, en bloquant le cycle cellulaire. Certains polyphénols du vin tel que la quercétine sont capables d augmenter la capacité des cellules SW480 à accumuler le resvératrol. [Nous montrons que] chez les souris, la prise régulière de polyphénols de vin rouge dans l alimentation diminue le nombre global de lésions pré-néoplasiques, et surtout les lésions de grande taille dont dérivent les polypes intestinaux. Les modifications chimiques de la structure du resvératrol montrent que les analogues méthoxylés du cis-resvératrol sont de puissants antiprolifératifs par blocage de la mitose, alors que le mécanisme d action des dérivés du trans-resvératrol bloque le cycle cellulaire au niveau de la phase S.Ce travail supporte l idée que le recours aux polyphénols du vin dans la prévention des adénocarcinomes coliques est possible et que ce champs de recherche est une voie prometteuse. Concernant des visées thérapeutiques, la recherche d analogues du resvératrol présentant une biodisponibilité accrue est une piste à poursuivreIt is known that moderate consumption of red wine may protect against many diseases, in particular because of its polyphenols. We studied in particular the effect of these polyphenols on colorectal cancer, one of the most common cancers in industrialized countries. Some purified polyphenols from red wine, like resveratrol and quercetin, showed antiproliferative effects against colorectal cancer cells.Our first approach was to use polyphenolic extracts from Burgundy red wine. We then studied their in vitro effects on human colorectal tumor cell lines SW480 s proliferation and the interactions between the polyphenols and the transport and metabolism of resveratrol; and secondly, the effects on CF-1 mice of regular consumption of these polyphenols in the diet on the occurrence of chemically induced pre-neoplastic lesions by azoxymethane in the colon.Our second approach was directed towards changes in the chemical structure of resveratrol. By the addition of hydroxyl and methoxyl groups, and the isomerization of its structure (cis or trans), we wanted to identify structure-function relationships of resveratrol and create more bioactive derivatives.We show that the red wine polyphenols inhibit proliferation of colon cancer cells by blocking the cell cycle. Some wine polyphenols such as quercetin are able to increase the ability of SW480 cells to accumulate resveratrol. [We show that] in mice, the regular intake of red wine polyphenols in the diet reduces the overall number of pre-neoplastic lesions, especially large lesions which may become intestinal polyps. The chemical changes in the structure of resveratrol show that the methoxylated analogues of cis-resveratrol are potent antiproliferatives by blocking mitosis, while the mechanism of action of derivatives of trans-resveratrol blocks the cell cycle at the S phase.This work supports the idea that the use of wine polyphenols in the prevention of colon adenocarcinomas is possible and that this field of research is a promising way. Concerning therapeutic purposes, the search for analogues of resveratrol with improved bioavailability is a way to pursueDIJON-BU Doc.électronique (212319901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Fréchet mean and pp-mean on the unit circle: decidability, algorithm, and applications to clustering on the flat torus

International audienceThe center of mass of a point set lying on a manifold generalizes the celebrated Euclidean centroid, and is ubiquitous in statistical analysis in non Euclidean spaces. In this work, we give a complete characterization of the weighted $p$-mean of a finite set of angular values on $S^1$ , based on a decomposition of $S^1$ such that the functional of interest has at most one local minimum per cell. This characterization is used to show that the problem is decidable for rational angular values-a consequence of Lindemann's theorem on the transcendence of π, and to develop an effective algorithm parameterized by exact predicates. A robust implementation of this algorithm based on multi-precision interval arithmetic is also presented, and is shown to be effective for large values of n and $p$. We use it as building block to implement the $k$-means and $k$-means++ clustering algorithms on the flat torus, with applications to clustering protein molecular conformations. These algorithms are available in the Structural Bioinformatics Library (http://sbl.inria.fr). Our derivations are of interest in two respects. First, efficient p-mean calculations are relevant to develop principal components analysis on the flat torus encoding angular spaces-a particularly important case to describe molecular conformations. Second, our two-stage strategy stresses the interest of combinatorial methods for $p$-means, also emphasizing the role of numerical issues

Boosting the analysis of protein interfaces with Multiple Interface String Alignments: illustration on the spikes of coronaviruses

International audienceWe introduce multiple interface string alignment (MISA), a visualization tool to display coherently various sequence and structure based statistics at protein–protein interfaces (SSE elements, buried surface area, ΔASA, B factor values, etc). The amino acids supporting these annotations are obtained from Voronoi interface models. The benefit of MISA is to collate annotated sequences of (homologous) chains found in different biological contexts, that is, bound with different partners or unbound. The aggregated views MISA/SSE, MISA/BSA, MISA/ΔASA, and so forth, make it trivial to identify commonalities and differences between chains, to infer key interface residues, and to understand where conformational changes occur upon binding. As such, they should prove of key relevance for knowledge-based annotations of protein databases such as the Protein Data Bank. Illustrations are provided on the receptor binding domain of coronaviruses, in complex with their cognate partner or (neutralizing) antibodies. MISA computed with a minimal number of structures complement and enrich findings previously reported. The corresponding package is available from the Structural Bioinformatics Library (http://sbl.inria.frand https://sbl.inria.fr/doc/Multiple_interface_string_alignment-user-manual.html)