Sur l'existence de phases ternaires hydrogenees BeP2−xHy

The phosphidation of beryllium in the presence of traces of hydrogen leads to non stoichiometric ternary phases BeP_2?xH_y. The stoichiometric diphosphide BeP₂ cannot be obtained. The hydrogenated phases are black and non hygroscopic. The structural study with X rays diffraction, neutrons diffraction, electronic microdiffraction, as well as the crystallographic data from single crystal, provide evidence for a quadratic cell with $\text{a}\text{= 7,08}\text{A}\text{?}$ & $\text{c}\text{= 30,12}\text{A}\text{?}$. The stacking is diamond type when considering all the atoms : Be, P and H.     

Pod storage time and spontaneous fermentation treatments and their impact on the generation of cocoa flavour precursor compounds

Most of volatile flavour compounds occurred during the cocoa postharvest operations including pod storage and fermentation whom effects on these metabolites were aimed by the present study. Three different spontaneous fermentation treatments were performed on the farm, and the main isolated yeasts were identified using PCR-DGGE technique. Fermented cocoa beans were solar-dried, and their flavour compounds were identified using solid phase microextraction technique–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The main results showed that Pichia kudriavzevii was common yeast involved in the cocoa fermentation. Thirty flavour precursor compounds grouped into six chemical families including alcohols and pyrazines were identified in raw cocoa samples. ACP showed that short durations of pod storage and fermentation promote the formation of flavour precursors of cocoa. No spontaneous cocoa fermentation treatment influenced the occurrence of aroma compounds. The generation of flavour compounds depends only on the pod storage and the fermentative microorganisms of cocoa.     

Formal specification and state space analysis of an operational planning process

Formal models of business processes support performance and behavioural analysis of the processes for continuous improvement. Formal models are also useful in guiding the development of software tools to support the processes. This paper presents a formal model of the operational planning process used in an operational headquarters of the Australian Defence Force. The formal process model was developed using coloured petri nets (CPN or CP-nets). The constructed CPN model has allowed the planning process to be validated and analysed using simulation and state spaces. State space analysis was conducted using full state spaces and the sweep-line state space reduction method. The work of Lin Zhang was done while he was with the Command and Control Division of the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation.     

High-Performance,Wide-Bandgap Power Electronics

APEI has developed high-performance electronics to exploit the unique capabilities of wide-bandgap devices. Crucial enabling features include high current density, fast switching speed, high-voltage (>10 kV) blocking, high-temperature operation (>200°C), and inherent radiation tolerance, features which have the potential to completely revolutionize existing electronics, from milliwatt to megawatt levels, and enable operation in new environments. Full realization of these extraordinary capabilities led to significant challenges in package and system design, including high electric fields, high power density, high di/dt’s and dv/dt’s, and high temperatures. Because of the limitations of traditional design methods and traditional electronics, designers unknowingly lack understanding of packaging material thermal properties at temperature extremes, of package-fabrication techniques, and of the inability to operate continuously at elevated temperatures, and use a set of qualification standards designed for lower-temperature, previous generation technology.     

Spectrophotometric determination of small proportions of polyunsaturated constituents in fatty materials

Summary Existing ultraviolet spectrophotometric methods have been modified for application primarily to the detection and estimation of low proportions of conjugated and nonconjugated unsaturated constituents in fats, oils, and soaps. The method is applicable also to fatty materials having high proportions of these constituents. Modifications include corrections for absorption by interfering substances, use of alkaline glycerol as an isomerization medium in the analytical procedure, and correction of absorption data on the isomerized product for absorption by conjugated constituents in the material before isomerization. The presence of small proportions of highly unsaturated conjugated and nonconjugated compounds is established in lards, tallows, tallow soaps, and highly purified esters and acids. Tall oil fatty acids are shown to contain approximately 10% of conjugated diene acids and a small amount of linolenic acid. One of the laboratories of the Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, Agricultural Research Administration, United States Department of Agriculture.     

Gut Serpinome: Emerging Evidence in IBD

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are incurable disorders whose prevalence and global socioeconomic impact are increasing. While the role of host genetics and immunity is well documented, that of gut microbiota dysbiosis is increasingly being studied. However, the molecular basis of the dialogue between the gut microbiota and the host remains poorly understood. Increased activity of serine proteases is demonstrated in IBD patients and may contribute to the onset and the maintenance of the disease. The intestinal proteolytic balance is the result of an equilibrium between the proteases and their corresponding inhibitors. Interestingly, the serine protease inhibitors (serpins) encoded by the host are well reported; in contrast, those from the gut microbiota remain poorly studied. In this review, we provide a concise analysis of the roles of serine protease in IBD physiopathology and we focus on the serpins from the gut microbiota (gut serpinome) and their relevance as a promising therapeutic approach.     

Effect of the alcohol type used in the production of waste cooking oil biodiesel on diesel performance and emissions

Experimental results were obtained by testing two different alcohol-derived biodiesel fuels: methyl ester and ethyl ester, both obtained from waste cooking oil. These biodiesel fuels were tested pure and blended (30% and 70% biodiesel content, volume basis) with a diesel reference fuel, which was tested too, in a 2.2 l, common-rail injection diesel engine. The operation modes were selected to simulate the European Driving Cycle. Pure biodiesel fuels, compared to the reference fuel, resulted in a slight increase in fuel consumption, in very slight differences in NOx emissions, and in sharp reductions in total hydrocarbon emissions, smoke opacity and particle emissions (both in mass and number), despite the increasing volatile organic fraction of the particulate matter. The type of alcohol used in the production process was found to have a significant effect on the total hydrocarbon emissions and on the particulate matter composition. As the alcohol used was more volatile, both the hydrocarbon emissions and volatile organic fraction of the particulate matter were observed to increase.     

A Single Dose of Psilocybin Increases Synaptic Density and Decreases 5-HT2A Receptor Density in the Pig Brain

A single dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic and serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT_2AR) agonist, may be associated with antidepressant effects. The mechanism behind its antidepressive action is unknown but could be linked to increased synaptogenesis and down-regulation of cerebral 5-HT_2AR. Here, we investigate if a single psychedelic dose of psilocybin changes synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) and 5-HT_2AR density in the pig brain. Twenty-four awake pigs received either 0.08 mg/kg psilocybin or saline intravenously. Twelve pigs (n = 6/intervention) were euthanized one day post-injection, while the remaining twelve pigs were euthanized seven days post-injection (n = 6/intervention). We performed autoradiography on hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) sections with [³H]UCB-J (SV2A), [³H]MDL100907 (5-HT_2AR antagonist) and [³H]Cimbi-36 (5-HT_2AR agonist). One day post psilocybin injection, we observed 4.42% higher hippocampal SV2A density and lowered hippocampal and PFC 5-HT_2AR density (−15.21% to −50.19%). These differences were statistically significant in the hippocampus for all radioligands and in the PFC for [³H]Cimbi-36 only. Seven days post-intervention, there was still significantly higher SV2A density in the hippocampus (+9.24%) and the PFC (+6.10%), whereas there were no longer any differences in 5-HT_2AR density. Our findings suggest that psilocybin causes increased persistent synaptogenesis and an acute decrease in 5-HT_2AR density, which may play a role in psilocybin’s antidepressive effects.