ALBERT

Description: Microscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) were used for in situ investigations of the CO2-hydrocarbon exchange process in gas hydrates and its driving forces. The study comprises the exposure of simple structure I CH4 hydrate and mixed structure II CH4–C2H6 and CH4–C3H8 hydrates to gaseous CO2 as well as the reverse reaction, i.e., the conversion of CO2-rich structure I hydrate into structure II mixed hydrate. In the case of CH4–C3H8 hydrates, a conversion in the presence of gaseous CO2 from a supposedly more stable structure II hydrate to a less stable structure I CO2-rich hydrate was observed. PXRD data show that the reverse process requires longer initiation times, and structural changes seem to be less complete. Generally, the exchange process can be described as a decomposition and reformation process, in terms of a rearrangement of molecules, and is primarily induced by the chemical potential gradient between hydrate phase and the provided gas phase. The results show furthermore the dependency of the conversion rate on the surface area of the hydrate phase, the thermodynamic stability of the original and resulting hydrate phase, as well as the mobility of guest molecules and formation kinetics of the resulting hydrate phase.

Description: Numerical tools are essential for the prediction and evaluation of conventional hydrocarbon reservoir performance. Gas hydrates represent a vast natural resource with a significant energy potential. The numerical codes/tools describing processes involved during the dissociation (induced by several methods) for gas production from hydrates are powerful, but they need validation by comparison to empirical data to instill con fidence in their predictions. In this study, we successfully reproduce experimental data of hydrate dissociation using the TOUGH+HYDRATE (T+H) code. Methane(CH4)hydrate growth and dissociation in partially water- and gas-saturated Bentheim sandstone were spatially resolved using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which allows the in situ monitoring of saturation and phase transitions. All the CH4 that had been initially converted to gas hydrate was recovered during depressurization. The physical system was reproduced numerically, usingboth a simplified 2D model and a 3D grid involving complex Voronoi elements. We modeled dissociation using both the equilibrium and the kinetic reaction options in T+H, and we used a range of kinetic parameters for sensitivity analysis and curve fitting. We successfully reproduced the experimental results, which confirmed the empirical data that demonstrated that heattransport was the limiting factor during dissociation. Dissociation was more sensitive to kinetic parameters than anticipated, which indicates that kinetic limitations may be important in short-term core studies and a necessity in such simulations. This is the first time T+H has been used to predict empirical nonmonotonic dissociation behavior, where hydrate dissociation and reformation occurred as parallel events.

Description: Chemicals targeting the liver stage (LS) of the malaria parasite are useful for causal prophylaxis of malaria. In this study, four lichen metabolites, evernic acid (1); vulpic acid (2), psoromic acid (3), and, (+)-usnic acid (4), were evaluated against LS parasites of Plasmodium berghei. Inhibition Of P. falciparum blood Stage (BS) parasites was also assessed to determine stage specificity. Compound 4 displayed the highest LS activity and stage specificity (LS IC50 value 2.3 mu M, BS IC50 value 47.3 mu M). The compounds 1 - 3 inhibited one Or more enzymes (Pf FabI, PfFabG, and pfFabZ), from the Plasmodial fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS-II) pathway, a potential drug. target for LS activity. To determine species specificity and to clarify the mechanism of reported antibacterial effects, 1-4 were also evaluated against FabI homologues and Whole cells of various pathogens -(S. aureus, E. coli M. tuberculosis). Molecular modeling studies suggest that lichen acids act indirectly via binding to allosteric sites on the protein surface of the FAS-II enzymes. Potential. toxicity, of compounds was assessed in human hepatocyte and cancer cells (in vitro) as well as in a zebrafish model (in vivo):. This study indicates the therapeutic and prophylactic potential of lichen metabolites as antibacterial and antiplasmodial agents.