The end of old Europe : the causes of the First World War, 1914-1918.

Dividido en tres partes, se repasan en ellas las características de las cinco grandes potencias europeas del momento: los imperios británico, alemán, ruso, austro-húngaro y la república de Francia, así como las figuras de sus gobernantes; en segundo lugar, trata de la expansión por el continente de un frágil sistema de alianzas, y por último, del polvorín político de los Balcanes. Incluye fragmentos de fuentes históricas originales, así como material de aprendizaje activo: ejercicios, preguntas y pruebas.

The world re-made : the results of the First World War.

En 1918 finalizó la Primera Guerra Mundial y a partir de este momento, se inician las negociaciones para elaborar unos tratados de paz, que preparen la reorganización de Europa. El autor muestra cómo los años 1919-1925 son de una frágil paz e invita a los lectores a un juego de simulación en el que, representando a los estadistas de la época establezcan sus propios acuerdos de paz. Incluye fragmentos de fuentes históricas originales, así como, material de aprendizaje activo: ejercicios, preguntas, y pruebas.

Function of the hydration layer around an antifreeze protein revealed by atomistic molecular dynamics simulations

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the mechanism by which the antifreeze protein from the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, binds to ice. Comparison of structural and dynamic properties of the water around the three faces of the triangular prism-shaped protein in aqueous solution reveals that at low temperature the water structure is ordered and the dynamics slowed down around the ice-binding face of the protein, with a disordering effect observed around the other two faces. These results suggest a dual role for the solvation water around the protein. The preconfigured solvation shell around the ice-binding face is involved in the initial recognition and binding of the antifreeze protein to ice by lowering the barrier for binding and consolidation of the protein:ice interaction surface. Thus, the antifreeze protein can bind to the molecularly rough ice surface by becoming actively involved in the formation of its own binding site. Also, the disruption of water structure around the rest of the protein helps prevent the adsorbed protein becoming covered by further ice growth.

The synthesis of dicobalt and dinickel complexes of trimethylsilylethynyl-1, 2-dihydrofullerene; characterisation by n.m.r. and structure of the first acyclic metal fullerene derivative: molecular structure of [η2-{2-H-1-(Me3SiC ≡ C)-C60}Ni2(η-C5H5)2]

The synthesis and characterisation of the complexes [η2-{2-H-1-(Me3SiC ≡ C)-C60}Co2(CO)6] (2)} and [η-2-{2-H-1-(Me3SiC ≡ C)-C60}Ni2η-C5H5)2] (3)} is reported, together with a single-crystal molecular structure for (3). This provides the first structural data for an acyclic metal derivative of [60]-fullerene.