In Process Citation

Weak bases can be titrated potentiometrically or conductimetrically in phenol-water mixture (90/10 w/w). A spectrophotometric study in presence of 2,4-dinitrophenol is used to establish a classification of organic bases that is superposable on that found for other solvents; measurement of the dielectric constant confirms that the solvent is a hemihydrate. The methods of titration and range of application to many organic bases of pharmaceutical interest are described.     

Laser ablation in a running hall effect thruster for space propulsion

Hall Effect Thrusters (HETs) are promising electric propulsion devices for the station-keeping of geostationary satellites (more than 120 in orbit to date). Moreover, they can offer a cost-effective solution for interplanetary journey, as proved by the recent ESA SMART-1 mission to the Moon. The main limiting factor of the HETs lifetime is the erosion of the annular channel ceramics walls. In order to provide a better understanding of the energy deposition on the insulated walls, a laser irradiation study has been carried out on a PPS100-ML thruster during its run in the PIVOINE-2G ground test facility (CNRS Orléans, France). Two distinct approaches have been followed: continuous wave fiber laser irradiation (generation of thermal defects) and nanosecond pulsed laser ablation (generation of topological defects). The irradiated zones have been monitored in situ by IR thermography and optical emission spectroscopy and further investigated ex situ by scanning electron microscopy and profilometry.     

Polyphenolics with Strong Antioxidant Activity from Acacia nilotica Ameliorate Some Biochemical Signs of Arsenic-Induced Neurotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Neurotoxicity is a serious health problem of patients chronically exposed to arsenic. There is no specific treatment of this problem. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathological process of neurotoxicity. Polyphenolics have proven antioxidant activity, thereby offering protection against oxidative stress. In this study, we have isolated the polyphenolics from Acacia nilotica and investigated its effect against arsenic-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in mice. Acacia nilotica polyphenolics prepared from column chromatography of the crude methanol extract using diaion resin contained a phenolic content of 452.185 ± 7.879 mg gallic acid equivalent/gm of sample and flavonoid content of 200.075 ± 0.755 mg catechin equivalent/gm of sample. The polyphenolics exhibited potent antioxidant activity with respect to free radical scavenging ability, total antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Administration of arsenic in mice showed a reduction of acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain which was counteracted by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Similarly, elevation of lipid peroxidation and depletion of glutathione in the brain of mice was effectively restored to normal level by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Gallic acid methyl ester, catechin and catechin-7-gallate were identified in the polyphenolics as the major active compounds. These results suggest that Acacia nilotica polyphenolics due to its strong antioxidant potential might be effective in the management of arsenic induced neurotoxicity.     

An approach to control the spurious currents in a multiphase lattice Boltzmann method and to improve the implementation of initial condition

Multiphase lattice Boltzmann methods are known to generate spurious or parasitic currents at the fluid–fluid interfaces. This nonphysical phenomenon has to be avoided, or at least controlled, in order to achieve reliable solutions. In this article, a method to control these fictitious velocities via lattice refinement is proposed, which is based on interface thickness control for which both the spurious currents and the physical fluid–fluid interface thickness vanishes as the spatial resolution increases. It has been found that a proper interface thickness adjustment is required as the lattice refinement is applied, or an increase in spurious currents, instead of a reduction, can occur. By combining the new method with an appropriate multiphase flow initialization, the overall stability for high density O(1000) and viscosity O(100) ratios is greatly improved. Although this research has been conducted with a Rothman and Keller type lattice Boltzmann model, it is believed that other types of multiphase lattice Boltzmann models could benefit from the basic ideas underlying this research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In Process Citation

The determination of weak acids in concentrated quaternary ammonium salt medium is proposed. In this type of solvent, which has few hydrogen bonds, complexation arises through homoconjugation or heteroconjugation in the presence of weak acids or bases; this enhances the acidity of the conjugate acid-base couples and makes them directly titratable. The procedure is applicable to determination of theobromine and theophylline with silver nitrate in concentrated tetrabutylammonium acetate medium. These compounds are titrated as weak acids and not as their conjugate bases.     

Metabolic compartmentalization in the human cortex and hippocampus: evidence for a cell- and region-specific localization of lactate dehydrogenase 5 and pyruvate dehydrogenase

Background  

For a long time now, glucose has been thought to be the main, if not the sole substrate for brain energy metabolism. Recent data nevertheless suggest that other molecules, such as monocarboxylates (lactate and pyruvate mainly) could be suitable substrates. Although monocarboxylates poorly cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), such substrates could replace glucose if produced locally.     

The effect of pH on the separation of manure nutrients with reverse osmosis membranes

This paper reports on the effect of pH on the retention of dry matter (DM), total ammonia-nitrogen (TAN), potassium, phosphorus and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during the filtration of pretreated swine manure by three highly selective reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. The manure was pretreated using various combinations of biological and physical technologies, namely anaerobic digestion (AD), vacuum filtration through diatomaceous earth (DE), nanofiltration (NF), and a first stage RO filtration. The objective was to establish the level of acidification required to optimize permeate quality while minimizing chemical addition.     

Contrôle par rotation ou par aspiration de l'écoulement autour d'un cylindre calculé par Simulation des Grandes Échelles

Control of the flow around a circular cylinder is studied using Large Eddy Simulation. The influence of control by rotation and suction on the flow characteristics is considered for several Reynolds numbers. Comparisons with experiments were conducted at $\mathit{Re}={10}^5$ for the flow with and without control. A drag reduction up to 30% is obtained for an usual suction intensity. To cite this article: G. Fournier et al., C. R. Mecanique 333 (2005).     

In Process Citation

An HPLC method for the identification and determination of Goodrite 3114 and of the product derived from it by gamma-ray irradiation is described. The chemical structure of the by-product obtained by the gamma-irradiation has been established. A technique for research on migration phenomena is proposed.     

Cubic graphs on twelve vertices and the line graph of a finite affine plane

It is shown by Rao and Rao that certain geometric properties characterize the line graph of a BIB design with parameters b, v, r, k, 1, provided r - 2k + 1 < 0. If r = k + 1, and $\text{k \#\&62; 2}$, a characterization of the line graph of a finite affine plane is obtained. If r - 2k + 1 = 0, the only possible value for k is 2 and consequently r = k + 1 resulting in the case of the line graph of a finite affine plane. It is shown here that if r = k + 1 and k = 2, there are exactly seven other non-isomorphic graphs with those properties which are not the line graph of a finite affine plane and these are the only cubic graphs on twelve vertices with no quadrilaterals.