Observation of the C2H2-N2O van der Waals complex in the overtone range using CW-CRDS

A slit nozzle supersonic expansion containing C2H2 (246 sccm) and N2O (355 sccm) seeded into Ar (1260 sccm) is investigated using CW cavity ring-down spectroscopy, in the 1.5 μm range. The C2H2-N2O van der Waals complex is observed around the 2CH acetylenic band. Despite strong perturbations, 117 b-type lines are assigned. Their combined fit with published microwave data leads to new upper state and improved lower state rotational constants. The Lorentzian width of the assigned line profiles sets the mean lifetime to 1.6 ns. The rotational temperature is estimated to be 15 K from the comparison between observed and simulated spectra. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ab initio investigation of C2H2/X Van der Waals complexes (X=Noble gas, CO2, N2O)

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E. Lesky, A. Wandruska, G. Van Swieten und seine Zeit (Wien 1973), 194 p.,

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The Fantasio set-up: High resolution overtone spectroscopy of acetylene containing van der Waals dimers

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The C2H2-Ar van der Waals complex

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Investigation of acetylene-containing van der Waals complexes by cavity ring-down spectroscopy and ab initio calculations

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Spin three gauge theory revisited

We study the problem of consistent interactions for spin-3 gauge fields in flat spacetime of arbitrary dimension 3$">n>3. Under the sole assumptions of Poincaré and parity invariance, local and perturbative deformation of the free theory, we determine all nontrivial consistent deformations of the abelian gauge algebra and classify the corresponding deformations of the quadratic action, at first order in the deformation parameter. We prove that all such vertices are cubic, contain a total of either three or five derivatives and are uniquely characterized by a rank-three constant tensor (an internal algebra structure constant). The covariant cubic vertex containing three derivatives is the vertex discovered by Berends, Burgers and van Dam, which however leads to inconsistencies at second order in the deformation parameter. In dimensions 4$">n>4 and for a completely antisymmetric structure constant tensor, another covariant cubic vertex exists, which contains five derivatives and passes the consistency test where the previous vertex failed. © SISSA 2006.

Exercise elicits phase shifts and acute alterations of melatonin that vary with circadian phase

To examine the immediate phase-shifting effects of high-intensity exercise of a practical duration (1 h) on human circadian phase, five groups of healthy men 20-30 yr of age participated in studies involving no exercise or exposure to morning, afternoon, evening, or nocturnal exercise. Except during scheduled sleep/dark and exercise periods, subjects remained under modified constant routine conditions allowing a sleep period and including constant posture, knowledge of clock time, and exposure to dim light intensities averaging (±SD) 42 ± 19 lx. The nocturnal onset of plasma melatonin secretion was used as a marker of circadian phase. A phase response curve was used to summarize the phase-shifting effects of exercise as a function of the timing of exercise. A significant effect of time of day on circadian phase shifts was observed (P < 0.004). Over the interval from the melatonin onset before exercise to the first onset after exercise, circadian phase was significantly advanced in the evening exercise group by 30 ± 15 min (SE) compared with the phase delays observed in the no-exercise group (-25 ± 14 min, P < 0.05). Phase shifts in response to evening exercise exposure were attenuated on the second day after exercise exposure and no longer significantly different from phase shifts observed in the absence of exercise. Unanticipated transient elevations of melatonin levels were observed in response to nocturnal exercise and in some evening exercise subjects. Taken together with the results from previous studies in humans and diurnal rodents, the current results suggest that 1) a longer duration of exercise exposure and/or repeated daily exposure to exercise may be necessary for reliable phase-shifting of the human circadian system and that 2) early evening exercise of high intensity may induce phase advances relevant for nonphotic entrainment of the human circadian system.

Jezelf kunnen zijn komt je levenskwaliteit ten goede: ULB peilt naar situatie van holebien transgenderwerknemers

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Differential scanning calorimetry in life science: thermodynamics, stability, molecular recognition and application in drug design

All biological phenomena depend on molecular recognition, which is either intermolecular like in ligand binding to a macromolecule or intramolecular like in protein folding. As a result, understanding the relationship between the structure of proteins and the energetics of their stability and binding with others (bio)molecules is a very interesting point in biochemistry and biotechnology. It is essential to the engineering of stable proteins and to the structure-based design of pharmaceutical ligands. The parameter generally used to characterize the stability of a system (the folded and unfolded state of the protein for example) is the equilibrium constant (K) or the free energy (deltaG(o)), which is the sum of enthalpic (deltaH(o)) and entropic (deltaS(o)) terms. These parameters are temperature dependent through the heat capacity change (deltaCp). The thermodynamic parameters deltaH(o) and deltaCp can be derived from spectroscopic experiments, using the van't Hoff method, or measured directly using calorimetry. Along with isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a powerful method, less described than ITC, for measuring directly the thermodynamic parameters which characterize biomolecules. In this article, we summarize the principal thermodynamics parameters, describe the DSC approach and review some systems to which it has been applied. DSC is much used for the study of the stability and the folding of biomolecules, but it can also be applied in order to understand biomolecular interactions and can thus be an interesting technique in the process of drug design.

Expression of the Ets transcription factor Erm is regulated through a conventional PKC signaling pathway in the Molt4 lymphoblastic cell line.

Erm, a member of the PEA3 group within the Ets family of transcription factors, is expressed in murine and human lymphocytes. Here, we show that in the human Molt4 lymphoblastic cell line, the erm gene expression is regulated by the conventional PKC (cPKC) pathway. To better characterize the molecular mechanism by which cPKC regulates Erm transcription in Molt4 cells, we tested proximal promoter deletions of the human gene, and identified a specific cPKC-regulated region between positions -420 and -115 upstream of the first exon.

1960-1980. Het gouden tijdperk van de openbare werken. 1960-1980. L'âge d'or des travaux public

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12C2H2-Ar van der Waals complex

New theoretical and experimental results on the acetylene-Ar van der Waals complex are presented and the literature is reviewed. New ab initio calculations at the MP2 level were performed using large basis sets with diffuse functions and taking into account the basis set superposition error. It was found that the structure of acetylene is not significantly altered by the complexation and that its vibrational frequencies are only slightly lowered. Finally, it was observed that the calculated properties of the complex (structure, vibrational spectrum, bond dissociation energy) are not sensitive to the structure imposed on acetylene. Experimentally, acetylene-Ar was produced in a supersonic expansion under experimental conditions corresponding to 9 K rotational temperature. Thanks to the performances of CW-CRDS detection, the Ka = 0 ← 1, 1 ← 0, and 2 ← 1 sub- bands of the v1 + v3 band could be recorded and resolved and most of their lines assigned. Upper-state rotational constants were fitted, however not including the upper Ka = 2 state, which shows K-doubling the opposite of the expected. The Lorentzian width of most line profiles sets the mean lifetime to some 7.5 ns. Local perturbations affecting line positions and/or line widths are demonstrated. Additional series of lines tentatively attributed to acetylene-Ar are discussed.© 2009 American Chemical Society.

Accurate ground-state potential energy surfaces of the C2H2–Kr and C2H2–Xe van der Waals complexes

Accurate ab initio intermolecular potential energy surfaces (IPES) have been obtained for the first time for the ground electronic state of the C 2H2-Kr and C2H2-Xe van der Waals complexes. Extensive tests, including complete basis set and all-electron scalar relativistic results, support their calculation at the CCSD(T) level of theory, using small-core relativistic pseudopotentials for the rare-gas atoms and aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets extended with a set of 3s3p2d1f1g mid-bond functions. All results are corrected for the basis set superposition error. The importance of the scalar relativistic and rare-gas outer-core (n.1)d correlation effects is investigated. The calculated IPES, adjusted to analytical functions, are characterized by global minima corresponding to skew T-shaped geometries, in which the Jacobi vector positioning the rare-gas atom with respect to the center of mass of the C2H2 moiety corresponds to distances of 4.064 and 4.229Å, and angles of 65.22° and 68.67° for C 2H2-Kr and C2H2-Xe, respectively. The interaction energy of both complexes is estimated to be -151.88 (1.817 kJ mol-1) and -182.76 cm-1 (2.186 kJ mol-1), respectively. The evolution of the topology of the IPES as a function of the rare-gas atom, from He to Xe, is also discussed. © 2012 Taylor and Francis.

Patent litigation in Europe

We compare patent litigation cases across four European jurisdictions – Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the UK – covering cases filed during the period 2000-2008. For our analysis, we assemble a new dataset that contains detailed information at the case, litigant, and patent level for patent cases filed at the major courts in the four jurisdictions. We find substantial differences across jurisdictions in terms of case loads. Courts in Germany hear by far the largest number of cases in absolute terms, but also when taking country size into account. We also find important between-country differences in terms of outcomes, the share of cases that is appealed, as well as the characteristics of litigants and litigated patents. A considerable number of patents are litigated in multiple jurisdictions, but the majority of patents are subject to litigation only in one of the four jurisdictions.