Characterization and modeling of diffusion process for mass transport through the Tournemire argillites (Aveyron, France)

Argillites are one of the geological formations studied by IRSN for their confining properties for isolation of radioactive wastes. One of the main objectives is the study of water transport through rocks with very low water content and very low hydraulic conductivity by modeling of natural tracer profiles. This paper presents the protocol developed for and applied to the acquisition of data for chloride content in interstitial water of the Toarcian argillites at the Tournemire site (Southern France). This protocol is based on laboratory diffusion experiments and on modeling. Experimental data obtained during the transient and steady-state parts of diffusion experiments enable, respectively, the assessment of the diffusion coefficient and the determination of Cl concentration in pore water. Using this protocol, profiles with depth for both of these data sets have been acquired along the geological sequence. Taking into account the present knowledge of the geological and hydrogeological history of the Tournemire massif, a conceptual model granting the main role for mass transport to diffusion has been proposed. According to this conceptual model, a one-dimensional numerical model was built for simulating the mass transport of chloride through the sedimentary column, over 53 Ma. The good agreement between experimental data and calculated values for both diffusion coefficients and concentrations of chloride confirms that diffusion is likely the main process for mass transport in the massif. This model was also tested with the deuterium content of interstitial water, applying variable concentrations at the aquifer system boundaries for reflecting the thermal dependency of isotopic composition in precipitation. These simulations also reveal the likely important role of heterogeneities, such as fractures, in the variability of tracer concentrations with regards to a simple diffusion profile.     

The corrosion of mild steel in simulated SO2 containing atmospheres

Electrochemical tests were carried out on steel/steel multi-laminar cells under thin layers of sulphate solution simulating atmospheres with contents of 20, 50 and 75 μg m⁻³ of SO₂ and a relative humidity of 85%. Measurements of the current flowing between the two electrodes of the cell vs drying time and impedance measurements for different times were taken. Potentiodynamic cathodic polarization plots were also obtained for one concentration of contaminant at various drying times using three electrode multi-laminar cells. The results showed that the multi-laminar cells allowed the drying process of the thin electrolyte films to be followed. The use of electrochemical techniques gave information on the kinetics and mechanism of the corrosion process occurring during the drying period. Initially the process is controlled by oxygen diffusion through the liquid film, but for longer periods the control changes to the anodic reaction.     

Ozonation of Pyrolytic Aqueous Phase: Changes in the Content of Phenolic Compounds and Color

Ozonation on the phenols present in pyrolytic aqueous phases attained from biomass thermochemical conversion was evaluated. During ozonation, the dark color of original samples was found to decrease as a function of ozonation time. The oxidation kinetics of phenols was quantified by a method based on the color changes of samples. The oxidation profiles showed different behaviors and in some cases the phenols presented a positive correlation with the relative R color parameter, except eugenol, syringol, and vanillin which were markedly different. Finally, the color changes observed seem to be associated with the changes in the overall content of phenols and with the change in the molecular weight of the heavy fractions that include lignin oligomers.     

The effect of geotextile reinforcement and prefabricated vertical drains on the stability and settlement of embankments

The construction of four dikes on deep strata of very soft clay has required the application of several measures to improve the performance of the foundation, such as very wide berms, basal geotextile reinforcement and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs). In order to control the rate of construction, the foundation and the dikes have been monitored with settlement plates, topographic stakes, inclinometers and piezometers. The use of back-analysis has allowed finding the adequate material model, the smearing of drains and the coefficient of secondary compression necessary to attain a good agreement between the measurements supplied by the instrumentation and the calculated values obtained with an elastic-viscoplastic (EVP) finite element (FE) program. Both the geotextile reinforcement and the PVDs produce an important increase in the safety factor (SF). The PVDs produce a significant acceleration in settlements, but the influence of the geotextile in the settlements is negligible. The combined use of the geosynthetic reinforcement and PVDs enhances embankment performance substantially more than the use of either method of soil improvement alone. The importance of flow in the results has been established.     

Neuro-evolutionary approach applied for optimizing the PEMFC performance

A multi-objective optimization strategy, based on stacked neural network–genetic algorithm (SNN–GA) hybrid approach, was applied to study the C/PBI content on a high temperature PEMFC performance. The operating conditions of PEMFC were correlated with power density and electrochemical active surface area for electrodes. The structure of the stack was determined in an optimal form related to the contribution of individual neural networks, after applying an interpolation based procedure. Multi-objective optimization using SNN as model and GA as solving procedure provides optimal working conditions which lead to a high PEMFC performance. Simulation results were in agreement with experimental data, both for model validation and system optimization (the C/PBI content in the range of 17–21%).     

Context Dependent Sulf1/Sulf2 Functional Divergence in Endothelial Cell Activity

Signalling activities are tightly regulated to control cellular responses. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) at the cell membrane and extracellular matrix regulate ligand availability and interaction with a range of key receptors. SULF1 and SULF2 enzymes modify HSPG sulfation by removing 6-O sulfates to regulate cell signalling but are considered functionally identical. Our in vitro mRNA and protein analyses of two diverse human endothelial cell lines, however, highlight their markedly distinct regulatory roles of maintaining specific HSPG sulfation patterns through feedback regulation of HS 6-O transferase (HS6ST) activities and highly divergent roles in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) cell signalling activities. Unlike Sulf2, Sulf1 over-expression in dermal microvascular HMec1 cells promotes TGFβ and VEGF cell signalling by simultaneously upregulating HS6ST1 activity. In contrast, Sulf1 over-expression in venous ea926 cells has the opposite effect as it attenuates both TGFβ and VEGF signalling while Sulf2 over-expression maintains the control phenotype. Exposure of these cells to VEGF-A, TGFβ1, and their inhibitors further highlights their endothelial cell type-specific responses and integral growth factor interactions to regulate cell signalling and selective feedback regulation of HSPG sulfation that additionally exploits alternative Sulf2 RNA-splicing to regulate net VEGF-A and TGFβ cell signalling activities.     

Somatostatin Receptor Splicing Variant sst5TMD4 Overexpression in Glioblastoma Is Associated with Poor Survival,Increased Aggressiveness Features,and Somatostatin Analogs Resistance

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant and lethal brain tumor. Current standard treatment consists of surgery followed by radiotherapy/chemotherapy; however, this is only a palliative approach with a mean post-operative survival of scarcely ~12–15 months. Thus, the identification of novel therapeutic targets to treat this devastating pathology is urgently needed. In this context, the truncated splicing variant of the somatostatin receptor subtype 5 (sst5TMD4), which is produced by aberrant alternative splicing, has been demonstrated to be overexpressed and associated with increased aggressiveness features in several tumors. However, the presence, functional role, and associated molecular mechanisms of sst5TMD4 in GBM have not been yet explored. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive analysis to characterize the expression and pathophysiological role of sst5TMD4 in human GBM. sst5TMD4 was significantly overexpressed (at mRNA and protein levels) in human GBM tissue compared to non-tumor (control) brain tissue. Remarkably, sst5TMD4 expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival and recurrent tumors in GBM patients. Moreover, in vitro sst5TMD4 overexpression (by specific plasmid) increased, whereas sst5TMD4 silencing (by specific siRNA) decreased, key malignant features (i.e., proliferation and migration capacity) of GBM cells (U-87 MG/U-118 MG models). Furthermore, sst5TMD4 overexpression in GBM cells altered the activity of multiple key signaling pathways associated with tumor aggressiveness/progression (AKT/JAK-STAT/NF-κB/TGF-β), and its silencing sensitized GBM cells to the antitumor effect of pasireotide (a somatostatin analog). Altogether, these results demonstrate that sst5TMD4 is overexpressed and associated with enhanced malignancy features in human GBMs and reveal its potential utility as a novel diagnostic/prognostic biomarker and putative therapeutic target in GBMs.     

Optimized hydrogen generation in a semicontinuous sodium borohydride hydrolysis reactor for a 60 W-scale fuel cell stack

Catalyzed hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (SBH) is a promising method for the hydrogen supply of fuel cells. In this study a system for controlled production of hydrogen from aqueous sodium borohydride (SBH) solutions has been designed and built. This simple and low cost system operates under controlled addition of stabilized SBH solutions (fuel solutions) to a supported CoB catalyst. The system works at constant temperature delivering hydrogen at 1 L min⁻¹ constant rate to match a 60-W polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). For optimization of the system, several experimental conditions were changed and their effect was investigated. A simple model based only on thermodynamic considerations was proposed to optimize system parameters at constant temperature and hydrogen evolution rate. It was found that, for a given SBH concentration, the use of the adequate fuel addition rate can maximize the total conversion and therefore the gravimetric storage capacity. The hydrogen storage capacity was as high as 3.5 wt% for 19 wt% SBH solution at 90% fuel conversion and an operation temperature of 60 °C. It has been demonstrated that these optimized values can also be achieved for a wide range of hydrogen generation rates. Studies on the durability of the catalyst showed that a regeneration step is needed to restore the catalytic activity before reusing.     

Improving the functional properties of soy glycinin by enzymatic treatment. Adsorption and foaming characteristics

In this contribution we have determined the effect of limited enzymatic hydrolysis on the interfacial (dynamics of adsorption and surface dilatational properties) and foaming (foam formation and stabilization) characteristics of a soy globulin (glycinin, fraction 11S). The degree of hydrolysis (DH=0%, 2%, and 6%), the pH of the aqueous solution (pH=5 and 7), and the protein concentration in solution (at 0.1, 0.5 and 1 wt%) were the variables studied. The temperature and the ionic strength were maintained constant at 20 °C and 0.05 M, respectively. The rate of adsorption and surface dilatational properties (surface dilatational modulus, E, and loss angle) of glycinin at the air–water interface depend on the pH and DH. The adsorption decreased drastically at pH 5.0, close to the isoelectric point of glycinin, because of the existence of a lag period and a low rate of diffusion. The interfacial characteristics of glycinin are much improved by enzymatic treatment, especially in the case of acidic aqueous solutions. Hydrolysates with a low DH have improved functional properties (mainly foaming capacity and foam stability), especially at pH close to the isoelectric point (pI), because the native protein is more difficult to convert into a film at fluid interfaces at pH≈pI. The foam capacity depends on the rate of diffusion of protein to the interface and is much improved by the enzymatic treatment. Foam stability correlates with surface pressure and, to a minor extent, with surface dilatational modulus at long-term adsorption with few exceptions.     

Utilisation of chickpea protein isolates for production of peptides with angiotensin I‐converting enzyme (ACE)‐inhibitory activity

Chickpea protein isolates and the protease alcalase were used for the production of protein hydrolysates that inhibit angiotensin I‐converting enzyme (ACE). The highest degree of inhibition was found in a hydrolysate obtained by 30 min of treatment with alcalase. This hydrolysate was used as starting material for the purification of ACE‐inhibitory peptides. After Biogel P2 gel filtration chromatography and HPLC C₁₈ reverse phase chromatography, four peptides with ACE‐inhibitory activity were purified. Two of them were competitive inhibitors of ACE, while the other two were uncompetitive inhibitors. These results show that chickpea proteins are a good source of ACE‐inhibitory peptides when hydrolysed with the protease alcalase. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry