Valorisation of vietnamese rice straw waste:catalytic aqueous phase reforming of hydrolysate from steam explosion to platform chemicals

A family of tungstated zirconia solid acid catalysts were synthesised via wet impregnation and subsequent thermochemical processing for the transformation of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Acid strength increased with tungsten loading and calcination temperature, associated with stabilisation of tetragonal zirconia. High tungsten dispersions of between 2 and 7 W atoms·nm−2 were obtained in all cases, equating to sub-monolayer coverages. Glucose isomerisation and subsequent dehydration via fructose to HMF increased with W loading and calcination temperature up to 600 °C, indicating that glucose conversion to fructose was favoured over weak Lewis acid and/or base sites associated with the zirconia support, while fructose dehydration and HMF formation was favoured over Brönsted acidic WOx clusters. Aqueous phase reforming of steam exploded rice straw hydrolysate and condensate was explored heterogeneously for the first time over a 10 wt% WZ catalyst, resulting in excellent HMF yields as high as 15% under mild reaction conditions

Old drawback on azlactone formation revealed by a combination of theoretical and experimental studies

New insights into the formation of azlactone heterocycles bearing different substituents are hereby presented. The sum of both kinetic and thermodynamic factors contributes for the formation of 2-alkyl or 2-aryl substituted azlactones, while the cyclization of 2-alcoxy azlactones is less favored. These results are in perfect accordance with experimental observations obtained by infrared (IR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI(+)-MS) of the crude reaction mixture.

Nb2O5/SBA-15 catalyzed propanoic acid esterification

A family of niobia (Nb2O5) functionalized SBA-15 solid catalysts have been prepared via wet impregnation with NbCl5 (2–32 wt% Nb) and subsequent thermal processing, for application in the acid catalyzed esterification of propanoic acid with methanol. Bulk and surface physicochemical characterization revealed that highly dispersed niobia species present at low loadings when calcined at 500 °C exhibit strong Brönsted acid character and associated activity for esterification. Increased calcination temperatures are found to result in a decrease in Brönsted:Lewis acid ratio associated with recrystallization of the niobia phase leading to a loss of catalyst activity. Esterification activity is found to be directly proportional to Brönsted:Lewis acid ratio, with the 2 wt% Nb/SBA-15 catalyst pre-calcined at 500 °C found to exhibit highest activity and excellent reusability without deactivation

Mapeando Dificuldades e Intervenções no Cotidiano das Organizações de Cultura Popular em Caruaru-PE

Neste texto, o objetivo é refletir sobre o cotidiano de organizações de culturas populares em Caruaru-PE, a partir de duas vivências: a primeira, referente ao mapeamento das principais dificuldades vividas por mestres(as), e a segunda, referente às intervenções realizadas. Partimos da noção de cotidiano de Michel de Certeau, para compreender as práticas táticas (ou microrresistências), e a premissa filosófica das práticas para a compreensão da realidade social. Realizamos conversas informais e entrevistas semiestruturadas com doze mestres(as) de onze diferentes segmentos da cultura popular e observações não participantes. Destacamos que as dificuldades mapeadas são expressões dos conflitos existentes no cotidiano dos(as) mestres(as), levando-os a realizar práticas táticas. Ademais, ressaltamos as ações de intervenção como possíveis microrresistências às práticas acadêmicas instituídas, capazes de se relacionar com as práticas das próprias organizações de culturas populares, criando “espaços” nos “lugares” instituídos, e constituindo o cotidiano

Optimal control of the COVID-19 pandemic: controlled sanitary deconfinement in Portugal

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced policy makers to decree urgent confinements to stop a rapid and massive contagion. However, after that stage, societies are being forced to find an equilibrium between the need to reduce contagion rates and the need to reopen their economies. The experience hitherto lived has provided data on the evolution of the pandemic, in particular the population dynamics as a result of the public health measures enacted. This allows the formulation of forecasting mathematical models to anticipate the consequences of political decisions. Here we propose a model to do so and apply it to the case of Portugal. With a mathematical deterministic model, described by a system of ordinary differential equations, we fit the real evolution of COVID-19 in this country. After identification of the population readiness to follow social restrictions, by analyzing the social media, we incorporate this effect in a version of the model that allow us to check different scenarios. This is realized by considering a Monte Carlo discrete version of the previous model coupled via a complex network. Then, we apply optimal control theory to maximize the number of people returning to "normal life" and minimizing the number of active infected individuals with minimal economical costs while warranting a low level of hospitalizations. This work allows testing various scenarios of pandemic management (closure of sectors of the economy, partial/total compliance with protection measures by citizens, number of beds in intensive care units, etc.), ensuring the responsiveness of the health system, thus being a public health decision support tool.publishe

Interplay of quantum and classical fluctuations near quantum critical points

For a system near a quantum critical point (QCP), above its lower critical dimension $d_L$, there is in general a critical line of second order phase transitions that separates the broken symmetry phase at finite temperatures from the disordered phase. The phase transitions along this line are governed by thermal critical exponents that are different from those associated with the quantum critical point. We point out that, if the effective dimension of the QCP, $d_{eff}=d+z$ ($d$ is the Euclidean dimension of the system and $z$ the dynamic quantum critical exponent) is above its upper critical dimension $d_C$, there is an intermingle of classical (thermal) and quantum critical fluctuations near the QCP. This is due to the breakdown of the generalized scaling relation $\psi=\nu z$ between the shift exponent $\psi$ of the critical line and the crossover exponent $\nu z$, for $d+z>d_C$ by a \textit{dangerous irrelevant interaction}. This phenomenon has clear experimental consequences, like the suppression of the amplitude of classical critical fluctuations near the line of finite temperature phase transitions as the critical temperature is reduced approaching the QCP.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, to be published in Brazilian Journal of Physic