Sugawara and Vertex Operator Constructions for Deformed Virasoro Algebras

From the defining exchange relations of the elliptic quantum algebra, we construct subalgebras which can be characterized as q-deformed W_N algebras. The consistency conditions relating the parameters p, q, N and the central charge c are shown to be related to the singularity structure of the functional coefficients defining the exchange relations of specific vertex operators representations of available when N = 2. Communicated by Petr Kulish Submitted: January 13, 2006; Accepted: March 6, 2006 Dedicated to our friend Daniel Arnaudon     

Spaces of Tilings, Finite Telescopic Approximations and Gap-Labeling

The continuous Hull of a repetitive tiling T in ℝ^d with the Finite Pattern Condition (FPC) inherits a minimal ℝ^d-lamination structure with flat leaves and a transversal which is a Cantor set. This class of tiling includes the Penrose & the Amman Benkker ones in 2D, as well as the icosahedral tilings in 3D. We show that the continuous Hull, with its canonical ℝ^d-action, can be seen as the projective limit of a suitable sequence of branched, oriented and flat compact d-manifolds. As a consequence, the longitudinal cohomology and the K-theory of the corresponding C*-algebra are obtained as direct limits of cohomology and K-theory of ordinary manifolds. Moreover, the space of invariant finite positive measures can be identified with a cone in the d^th homology group canonically associated with the orientation of ℝ^d. At last, the gap labeling theorem holds: given an invariant ergodic probability measure μ on the Hull the corresponding Integrated Density of States (IDS) of any selfadjoint operators affiliated to takes on values on spectral gaps in the ℤ-module generated by the occurrence probabilities of finite patches in the tiling. Accepted in Revised Form: 7 May 2005     

Chlorofluoroiodomethane as a potential candidate for parity violation measurements

CHFClI is among the more favorable molecules for parity violation (PV) measurements in molecules. Despite the fact that calculated PV effects are two orders of magnitude smaller than in some organometallic compounds, CHFClI displays interesting features which could make possible a new experimental PV test on this molecule. Indeed, ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy using an ultrastable CO(2) laser is favored by several intrinsic properties of this molecule. For example, the high vapor pressure of CHFClI allows investigation by supersonic beam spectroscopy. Indeed, the spectroscopic constants have been accurately determined by microwave and millimetre wave spectroscopy. This is important for the subsequent selection of an appropriate absorption band of CHFClI that could be brought to co?ncide with the absorption of CO(2). Partially resolved (+)- and (-)-CHFClI enantiomers with respectively 63.3 and 20.5% ee's have been recently prepared and analyzed by molecular recognition using chiral hosts called cryptophanes. Finally, the S-(+)/R-(-) absolute configuration was ascertained by vibrational circular dichro?sm (VCD) in the gas phase.     

Guanine-thymine intrastrand cross-linked lesion containing oligonucleotides: from chemical synthesis to in vitro enzymatic replication

An intrastrand cross-link lesion, in which two neighboring nucleobases are covalently tethered, has been site-specifically synthesized into defined sequence oligonucleotides in order to perform in vitro replication studies using either bacterial replicative or translesional synthesis polymerases. The investigated tandem base lesion that involves a cross-link between the methylene group of thymine and the C8 of an adjacent guanine residue has been prepared by UV-photolysis under anaerobic condition of the photolabile precursor 5-(phenylthiomethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine that has been site-specifically incorporated into a 9-mer oligonucleotide. After ligation, the lesion-containing modified oligonucleotide was used as a DNA template in primer extension reactions catalyzed by several DNA polymerases including the fragment Klenow exo-(Kf-) of E. coli polymerase I, the Thermus aquaticus polymerase (Taq pol) and the E. coli translesional DNA polymerase Pol IV (dinB). It was found that the primer extension reaction was stopped after the incorporation of the correct nucleotide dAMP opposite the 3'-thymine residue of guanine(C8-CH2) thymine lesion by Kf- and Pol IV; however it was noted that the efficiency of the nucleotide incorporation was reduced. In contrast, the Taq polymerase was totally blocked at the nucleotide preceding the tandem lesion. These results are strongly suggestive that the present intrastrand cross-link lesion, if not repaired, would constitute a blocking lesion for prokaryotic DNA polymerases, being likely lethal for the cell.     

Injection molded microfluidic chips featuring integrated interconnects

An injection molding process for the fabrication of disposable plastic microfluidic chips with a cycle time of 2 min has been designed, developed, and implemented. Of the sixteen commercially available grades of cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC) that were screened for autofluorescence and transparency to ultraviolet (UV) light, Topas 8007 x 10 was identified as the most suitable for production. A robust solid metal mold insert defining the microfluidic channels was rapidly microfabricated using a process that significantly reduces the time required for electroplating. No wear of the insert was observed even after over 1000 cycles. The chips were bonded by thermal fusion using different bonding conditions. Each condition was tested and its suitability evaluated by burst pressure measurements. The COC microfluidic chips feature novel, integrated, reversible, standardized, ready-to-use interconnects that enable operation at pressures up to 15.6 MPa, the highest value reported to date. The suitability of these UV transparent, high pressure-resistant, disposable devices was demonstrated by in situ preparation of a high surface area porous polymer monolith within the channels.     

Quantitative measurement of the Brönsted acid sites in solid acids: toward a single-site design of Mo-modified ZSM-5 zeolite

On the basis of our previous H/D exchange studies devoted to the quantification of the number of Br?nsted acid sites in solid acids, we report here an innovative approach to determine both the amount and the localization of Mo atoms inside the Mo/ZSM-5 catalyst, commonly used for the methane dehydroaromatization reaction. The influence of Mo introduction in the MFI framework was studied by means of BET, X-ray diffraction, 27Al magic angle spinning NMR, NH3 temperature-programmed desorption, and H/D isotopic exchange techniques. A dependence was found between the decrease of acidic OH groups and the Mo content. Depending on the Si/Al ratio of the zeolite, i.e., the proximity of two Br?nsted acid sites, the Mo atoms substitute a different number of OH groups. Consequently, a chemical structure was proposed to describe the geometry of the Mo complex in the channels of the ZSM-5 zeolite.     

Experimental/theoretical electrostatic properties of a styrylquinoline-type HIV-1 integrase inhibitor and its progenitors

We have established that polyhydroxylated styrylquinolines are potent inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase (IN). Among them, we have identified (E)-8-hydroxy-2-[2-(4,5-dihydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-ethenyl]-7-quinolinecarboxylic acid (1) as a promising lead. Previous molecular dynamics simulations and docking procedures have shown that the inhibitory activity involves one or two metal cations (Mg2+), which are present in the vicinity of the active center of the enzyme. However, such methods are generally based on a force-field approach and still remain not as reliable as ab initio calculations with extended basis sets on the whole system. To go further in this area, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive ability of the electron density and electrostatic properties in the structure-activity relationships of this class of HIV-1 antiviral drugs. The electron properties of the two chemical progenitors of 1 were derived from both high-resolution X-ray diffraction experiments and ab initio calculations. The twinning phenomenon and solvent disorder were observed during the crystal structure determination of 1. Molecule 1 exhibits a planar s-trans conformation, and a zwitterionic form in the crystalline state is obtained. This geometry was used for ab initio calculations, which were performed to characterize the electronic properties of 1. The electron densities, electrostatic potentials, and atomic charges of 1 and its progenitors are here compared and analyzed. The experimental and theoretical deformation density bond peaks are very comparable for the two progenitors. However, the experimental electrostatic potential is strongly affected by the crystal field and cannot straightforwardly be used as a predictive index. The weak difference in the theoretical electron densities between 1 and its progenitors reveals that each component of 1 conserves its intrinsic properties, an assumption reinforced by a 13C NMR study. This is also shown through an excellent correlation of the atomic charges for the common fragments. The electrostatic potential minima in zwitterionic and nonzwitterionic forms of 1 are discussed in relation with the localization of possible metal chelation sites.     

Spectroscopic and structural impact of a stem base-pair change in DNA hairpins: GTTC-ACA-GAAC versus GTAC-ACA-GTAC

Successive investigations over the last decade have revealed and confirmed a stable loop closure in a family of d-[GTAC-5Pur6N7N-GTAC] hairpins, where 5Pur6N7N is a AAA, GAG and AXC loop (X being any nucleotide). The trinucleotide loop is characterized by a well defined 5Pur-7N mispairing mode, and by upfield chemical shifts for three sugar protons of the apical nucleotide 6N. The GTTC-ACA-GAAC DNA hairpin, of interest for its likely involvement in Vibrio cholerae genome mutations, has now been investigated. The GTAC-ACA-GTAC DNA hairpin has also been studied because it is intermediate between the other structures, as it contains the loop of the hairpin under consideration and the stem of the above family. The two hairpins with the ACA loop are stable. They show the same mispairing mode and similar upfield shifts as the previous family, but GTTC-ACA-GAAC seems to be slightly less compact than any other. GTTC-ACA-GAAC is remarkable in that it exhibits a B(II) character for the phosphate-ester conformation at 8Gp9A, together with a swing of the upper hairpin into the major groove that, in particular, brings 6CH1' roughly as close to 7AH2 as to 6CH6. These unexpected structural features are qualitatively deduced from (1)H and (31)P NMR spectra, and confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. This comparative study shows that not only the loop sequence but also the stem sequence may control hairpin structures.     

A star-shaped triphenylamine pi-conjugated system with internal charge-transfer as donor material for hetero-junction solar cells

Introduction of dicyanovinyl groups on a triphenylamine-based conjugated system leads to an intramolecular charge transfer which extends the spectral response and raises the open-circuit voltage of the resulting hetero-junction solar cells.     

Synthesis and excited state properties of a [60]fullerene derivative bearing a star-shaped multi-photon absorption chromophore

The synthesis and excited state properties of a compound assembling C60 with a new multi-photon absorption chromophore are reported.