Morphological variation of the spermatheca in the garden snail Cantareus aspersus - article in French with an abridged English version

articleSpermathecal morphology is known to play an important role in postcopulatory sexual selection of many invertebrates. In helicid land snails, the spermatheca is subdivided into tubules, whose number is sometimes subject to a strong inter-individual variation. Significance of this variation for postcopulatory sexual selection is unknown, but it might be related to cryptic female choice. In the present work, we have investigated the fine multi-tubular structure of the sperm storage organ in Cantareus aspersus. We found between 3 and 13 tubules per individual in a single population, which represents a degree of variation rarely observed in helicid land snails

Wind Forced Variability in Eddy Formation, Eddy Shedding, and the Separation of the East Australian Current

The East Australian Current (EAC), like many other subtropical western boundary currents, is believed to be penetrating further poleward in recent decades. Previous observational and model studies have used steady state dynamics to relate changes in the westerly winds to changes in the separation behavior of the EAC. As yet, little work has been undertaken on the impact of forcing variability on the EAC and Tasman Sea circulation. Here using an eddy‐permitting regional ocean model, we present a suite of simulations forced by the same time‐mean fields, but with different atmospheric and remote ocean variability. These eddy‐permitting results demonstrate the nonlinear response of the EAC to variable, nonstationary inhomogeneous forcing. These simulations show an EAC with high intrinsic variability and stochastic eddy shedding. We show that wind stress variability on time scales shorter than 56 days leads to increases in eddy shedding rates and southward eddy propagation, producing an increased transport and southward reach of the mean EAC extension. We adopt an energetics framework that shows the EAC extension changes to be coincident with an increase in offshore, upstream eddy variance (via increased barotropic instability) and increase in subsurface mean kinetic energy along the length of the EAC. The response of EAC separation to regional variable wind stress has important implications for both past and future climate change studies

Détermination en milieu naturel du dioxide de chlore, des ions chlorite et chlorate basée sur l'utilisation du carmin indigo: étude des interférences

Différentes méthodes fondées sur l'exploitation d'un même réactif à savoir le carmin indigo ont été mises en œuvre pour réaliser le suivi du dioxyde de chlore et des sous-produits de dégradation que sont les ions chlorite et chlorate.L'étude de la stabilité du carmin indigo a permis de montrer que la détermination du dioxyde de chlore doit être effectuée dans les premières heures qui suivent l'ajout de carmin indigo, une légère diminution de l'absorbance étant observée au delà de vingt heures. L'absorbance du carmin indigo en présence d'ions chlorite et chlorate reste en revanche stable plusieurs jours.La recherche d'éventuelles interférences (substances humiques, ozone, hypochlorite) a également été effectuée. Les ions chlorite et chlorate réagissent avec les substances humiques en milieu acide selon une cinétique réactionnelle beaucoup plus lente que celle des ions chlorite et chlorate sur le carmin indigo. De ce fait, les pourcentages d'erreur sur les concentrations restent faibles. L'hypochlorite ou plus précisément l'acide hypochloreux réagit avec le carmin indigo ce qui conduit à des erreurs dans la détermination du dioxyde de chlore, des ions chlorite et chlorate. Dans le cas du dosage du dioxyde de chlore, les sources d'erreur peuvent être éliminées en ajoutant de l'ammoniaque avant l'introduction du carmin indigo dans l'échantillon.Après avoir été validés dans des milieux synthétiques, les protocoles ont été appliqués à un milieu naturel : l'eau de distribution de la ville de Brest. Une analyse statistique a été effectuée dans le but de comparer les résultats avec ceux déduits d'autres méthodes basées sur des principes différents.Over the last decade, chlorine dioxide has been increasingly used for disinfecting drinking water in many countries. A guarantee for the protection of the consumer is the presence of a sufficient residual concentration of the bactericidal reagent in drinking water. Thus it is important to determine exactly and accurately the levels of chlorine dioxide at the tap. During water treatment and subsequent distribution, chlorine dioxide can undergo a variety of reduction and disproportionation reactions producing primarily chloride but also chlorite and chlorate, which have been shown to cause haemolytic anemia. Reliable analytical methods are needed to identify and determine levels of chlorine dioxide, chlorite and chlorate in drinking water. A procedure based on the use of indigo carmine for the determination of each species in natural waters is suggested in this paper.In phosphate buffer (pH 6.8), two moles of chlorine dioxide oxidize one mole of indigo carmine. The concentration of the bactericidal reagent can be determined by measuring the difference in absorbance of the dye at 610 nm before and after reaction with chlorine dioxide. This method is selective as chlorite and chlorate do not react with indigo carmine in phosphate buffer at pH 6.8. Although the spectrophotometric method can be used successfully used at levels of chlorine dioxide down to 30 µg/l, the determination of lower levels in tap water requires a more sensitive method such as an electrochemical stripping procedure. This analysis is based on the measurement of the decrease in the indigo carmine signal after addition of chlorine dioxide. The detection limit is around 1 µg/l.At pH=2, one mole of indigo carmine reduces one mole of chlorite. Thus the chlorite concentration can be determined by measuring the indigo carmine absorbance at pH=2. At pH=0, indigo carmine reacts with both chlorite and chlorate. A measurement at pH=0 allows chlorate concentrations to be determined since the decrease in absorbance due to the presence of chlorite can be calculated.The stability of indigo carmine absorbance has been studied. An indigo carmine solution prepared in phosphate buffer is stable over several days if kept in light-proof bottles. It is not surprising that the presence of chlorite and chlorate does not lead to a change in absorbance as they do not react with the dye at pH=6.8. A slight decrease in absorbance of an indigo carmine solution containing chlorine dioxide is observed after about twenty hours. This means that the chlorine dioxide concentration has to be determined in the first hours, which follow the addition of the dye to the sample in order to avoid errors.Interferences can arise from other residual oxidants, which may also be used in water treatment, or from substances present in the sample, which may react with indigo carmine, chlorite and chlorate. Accordingly, we have considered the influence of humic substances, ozone and hypochlorite. The absorbance of indigo carmine at pH=2 and at pH=0 does not change in presence of natural organic matter (1 mg/l). Chlorite and chlorate react with humic substances but the kinetics are much slower than those of the reactions with indigo carmine. Errors arising from humic substances in chlorite and chlorate measurements are thus very weak. Ozone may interfere in analyses as it reacts with indigo carmine. However its existence in the distribution network is unlikely as it also reacts with chlorine dioxide, which is in excess, and chlorite to give chlorate. Hypochlorite causes errors in chlorine dioxide, chlorite and chlorate determinations as a result of a reaction with indigo carmine. In the case of chlorine dioxide determinations, errors can be eliminated by adding ammonia to the sample before indigo carmine.Once the validity of the procedures had been proven in synthetic media, the methods were applied to a natural water, that of the water distribution network of the city of Brest, France. The results have been compared with those of other analytical techniques

Covalent vs. non-covalent redox functionalization of C-LiFePO4 based electrodes

During high rate utilization of porous Li battery, Li+ refuelling from the electrolyte limits the discharge kinetics of positive electrodes. In the case of thick electrodes a strategy to buffer the resulting sharp drop of Li+ concentration gradient would be to functionalize the electrode with anionic based redox molecules (RMR) that would be therefore able to relay intercalation process. The occurrence of these RMR in the electrode should not however, induce adverse effect on Li intercalation processes. In this respect, this work studies the effect of functionalizing LFPC based electrodes by either covalent or non-covalent chemistry, on Li intercalation kinetics. To do so, model molecules containing a nitro group were introduced at the surface of both carbon conducting additives and active material (C-LiFePO4). It is shown that presumably due to formation of sp(3) defects, covalent anchoring using diazonium chemistry inhibits the intercalation kinetics in C-FePO4. On the contrary, if molecules such as pyrene derivatives are immobilized by pi-staking interactions, Li intercalation is not impeded. Therefore non-covalent functionalization of pyrene based RMR appears as a promising route to relay Li intercalation reaction during high power demand. The framework for future development of this strategy is discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

In situ redox functionalization of composite electrodes for high power-high energy electrochemical storage systems via a non-covalent approach

The growing demand for new global resources of clean and sustainable energy emerges as the greatest challenge in today\u27s society. For numerous applications such as hybrid vehicles, electrochemical storage systems simultaneously require high energy and high power. For this reason, intensive researches focus on proposing alternative devices to conventional Li battery and supercapacitors. Here, we report a proof of concept based on non-covalent redox functionalization of composite electrodes that may occur either during the calendar life or during the device functioning. The active material, a multi-redox pyrene derivative, is initially contained in the electrolyte. No additional benchmarking step is therefore required, and it can, in principle, be readily applied to any type of composite electrode (supercapacitors, battery, semi-solid flow cell etc.). Accordingly, a practical carbon fiber electrode that is 10 mg cm(-2) loaded can deliver up to 130 kW kg(electrode)(-1) and 130 Wh kg(electrode)(-1) with negligible capacity loss over the first 60 000 charge/discharge cycles

New Concept to Boost Energy and Power Peformance of Practical Electrochemical Devices

International audienc

New concept and electrochemistry of in situ non-covalent immobilization of redox molecules for energy storage applications

International audienc