Volumetric determination of amino acid and peptide hydrazides

Résumé Nous avons déterminé par titrage volumétrique une série d'hydrazides peptidiques et testé les titrages acides, basiques et oxidants. Un tableau condense les résultats obtenus avec les trois meilleurs réactifs de titrage (acide perchlorique dans l'acide acétique glacial, l'hypobromite de sodium et le permanganate de potassium) qui sont tous utilisables à cet effet.

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Acknowledgment. H. J.Goren is grateful for the Post-doctoral Fellowship awarded him by the National Research Council of Canada, which enabled him to carry out this research.     

Champsodontidae (Pisces: Trachinoidei) in the Eastern Mediterranean: how many species are there?

ABSTRACT

Three marine fish species of the Indo-Pacific genus Champsodon were reported as invasive species in the Eastern Mediterranean between 2009 and 2012; Champsodon nudivittis, C. vorax, and C. capensis. These are presumed to invade through the Suez Canal, but only C. nudivittis is known from the Red Sea, so the presence of C. vorax and C. capensis is surprising. To test the validity of the taxonomic identification of these two species, this study combined traditional morphology, genetic barcoding, and photography investigation. Our results demonstrate that only one species, C. nudivittis, has migrated into the Eastern Mediterranean.     

Thermodynamic control by frequent quantum measurements

Heat flow between a large thermal 'bath' and a smaller system brings them progressively closer to thermal equilibrium while increasing their entropy. Fluctuations involving a small fraction of a statistical ensemble of systems interacting with the bath result in deviations from this trend. In this respect, quantum and classical thermodynamics are in agreement. Here we predict a different trend in a purely quantum mechanical setting: disturbances of thermal equilibrium between two-level systems (TLSs) and a bath, caused by frequent, brief quantum non-demolition measurements of the TLS energy states. By making the measurements increasingly frequent, we encounter first the anti-Zeno regime and then the Zeno regime (namely where the TLSs' relaxation respectively speeds up and slows down). The corresponding entropy and temperature of both the system and the bath are then found to either decrease or increase depending only on the rate of observation, contrary to the standard thermodynamical rules that hold for memory-less (Markov) baths. From a practical viewpoint, these anomalies may offer the possibility of very fast control of heat and entropy in quantum systems, allowing cooling and state purification over an interval much shorter than the time needed for thermal equilibration or for a feedback control loop.     

Membrane-based processes for sustainable power generation using water

Water has always been crucial to combustion and hydroelectric processes, but it could become the source of power in membrane-based systems that capture energy from natural and waste waters. Two processes are emerging as sustainable methods for capturing energy from sea water: pressure-retarded osmosis and reverse electrodialysis. These processes can also capture energy from waste heat by generating artificial salinity gradients using synthetic solutions, such as thermolytic salts. A further source of energy comes from organic matter in waste waters, which can be harnessed using microbial fuel-cell technology, allowing both wastewater treatment and power production.     

Science and technology for water purification in the coming decades

One of the most pervasive problems afflicting people throughout the world is inadequate access to clean water and sanitation. Problems with water are expected to grow worse in the coming decades, with water scarcity occurring globally, even in regions currently considered water-rich. Addressing these problems calls out for a tremendous amount of research to be conducted to identify robust new methods of purifying water at lower cost and with less energy, while at the same time minimizing the use of chemicals and impact on the environment. Here we highlight some of the science and technology being developed to improve the disinfection and decontamination of water, as well as efforts to increase water supplies through the safe re-use of wastewater and efficient desalination of sea and brackish water.