Kinetic behaviour of commercial catalysts for methane reforming in ethanol steam reforming process

Ethanol steam reforming has been studied in a fluidized bed （in order to ensure bed isothermicity） on commercial catalysts for methane reforming. The results allow analyzing the effect of temperature （in 300-700℃ range）, and both metal and support nature on the reaction indices （ethanol conversion, yields and selectivities to H2 and byproducts （CO2, CO, CH4 and C2H4O））. Special attention has been paid to catalysts＇ stability by comparing the evolution of the reaction indices with time on stream at 500°C （minimum CO formation） and 700℃ （minimum deactivation by coke deposition）. Although they provide a slightly lower H2 yield, the results evidence a good behaviour of Ni based catalysts, indicating that they are an interesting alternative of more expensive Rh based ones.

Role of 9-Lipoxygenase and α-Dioxygenase Oxylipin Pathways as Modulators of Local and Systemic Defense

Plant 9-1ipoxygenases （9-LOX） and α-dioxygenases （α-DOX） initiate the synthesis of oxylipins after bacterial infection. Here, the role of these enzymes in plants＇ defense was investigated using individual Arabidopsis thaliana Ioxl and doxl mutants and a double Ioxl doxl mutant. Studies with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato （Pst） revealed the enhanced susceptibility of Ioxl to the virulent strain Pst DC3000 and the partial impairment of Ioxl and doxl mutants to activate systemic acquired resistance. Notably, both defects were enhanced in the Ioxl doxl plants as compared with individual mutants. We found that pre-treatment with 9-LOX- and α-DOX-generated oxylipins protected plant tissues against bacterial infection. The strongest effect in this respect was exerted by 9-ketooctadecatrienoic acid （9-KOT）, which is produced from linolenic acid by 9-LOX. Quantification of 9-KOT revealed its accumulation after bacterial infection. The levels were reduced in Ioxl and Ioxl doxl plants but strongly increased in the doxl mutant due to metabolic interaction of the two pathways. Transcriptional analyses indicated that 9-KOT pre-treatment modifies hormone homeostasis during bacterial infection. The nature of the changes detected suggested that 9-KOT interferes with the hormonal changes caused by bacterial effectors. This notion was substantiated by the finding that 9-KOT failed to reduce the growth of PstDC3OOOhrpA, a mutant compromised in effector secretion, and of the avirulent strain Pst DC3000 avrRpml. Further support for the action of the 9-LOX- and α-DOX-oxylipin pathways as modulators of hormone homeostasis was the ob- servation that Ioxl doxl seedlings are hypersensitive to the growth-inhibitory effect of ABA and showed enhanced ac- tivation of ABA-inducible marker genes as compared with wild-type plants.

The plant N-degron pathways of ubiquitinmediated proteolysis

The amino-terminal residue of a protein(or amino-terminus of a peptide following protease cleavage)can be an important determinant of its stability,through the Ubiquitin Proteasome System associated N-degron pathways.Plants contain a unique combination of N-degron pathways(previously called the N-end rule pathways)E3 ligases,PROTEOLYSIS(PRT)6 and PRT1,recognizing non-overlapping sets of amino-terminal residues,and others remain to be identified.Although only very few substrates of PRT1 or PRT6 have been identified,substrates of the oxygen and nitric oxide sensing branch of the PRT6 N-degron pathway include key nuclear-located transcription factors(ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR VIIs and LITTLE ZIPPER 2)and the histone-modifying Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 component VERNALIZATION 2.In response to reduced oxygen or nitric oxide levels(and other mechanisms that reduce pathway activity)these stabilized substrates regulate diverse aspects of growth and development,including response to flooding,salinity,vernalization(cold-induced flowering)and shoot apical meristem function.The N-degron pathways show great promise for use in the improvement of crop performance and for biotechnological applications.Upstream proteases,components of the different pathways and associated substrates still remain to be identified and characterized to fully appreciate how regulation of protein stability through the amino-terminal residue impacts plant biology.

Elutriation, attrition and segregation in a conical spouted bed with a fountain confiner

This study examined elutriation,attrition,and segregation in a conical spouted bed with a fountain confiner and incorporating an open sided draft tube.Fine silica sand with a wide particle size distribution was employed as a model material,operating in both the batch and continuous modes.The use of a fountain confiner is crucial when operating with fine particles,because otherwise the bed rapidly exhibits significant entrainment.The extent of attrition was quantified using a tracing technique based on differently-coloured sand fractions as well as monitoring size distributions by sieving.Particle breakage was found to be the primary attrition mechanism,and the fountain confiner was determined to limit the elutriation of fine particles resulting from breakage.Consequently,only a small fraction of the finest particles were entrained from the bed.The incorporation of a confiner increased operational stability while reducing segregation,especially in the upper half of the bed where the majority of segregation typically occurs.Thus,the bed was perfectly mixed apart from very minimal segregation close to the wall and at the bottom of the contactor.These results provide a basis for the design and operation of larger scale equipment for the continuous drying of materials.