Research on durable junction of multimaterials

This collective project aimed to assess the potential of adhesive bonding in various applications in the field of building construction. This evaluation takes into account technical, economical and ecological aspects and provides a methodology that can be easily transferred to other applications.RONDUJU

Finding Nemo’s clock reveals switch from nocturnal to diurnal activity

Timing mechanisms play a key role in the biology of coral reef fish. Typically, fish larvae leave their reef after hatching, stay for a period in the open ocean before returning to the reef for settlement. During this dispersal, larvae use a time-compensated sun compass for orientation. However, the timing of settlement and how coral reef fish keep track of time via endogenous timing mechanisms is poorly understood. Here, we have studied the behavioural and genetic basis of diel rhythms in the clown anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris. We document a behavioural shift from nocturnal larvae to diurnal adults, while juveniles show an intermediate pattern of activity which potentially indicates flexibility in the timing of settlement on a host anemone. qRTPCR analysis of six core circadian clock genes (bmal1, clocka, cry1b, per1b, per2, per3) reveals rhythmic gene expression patterns that are comparable in larvae and juveniles, and so do not reflect the corresponding activity changes. By establishing an embryonic cell line, we demonstrate that clown anemonefish possess an endogenous clock with similar properties to that of the zebrafish circadian clock. Furthermore, our study provides a first basis to study the multi-layered interaction of clocks from fish, anemones and their zooxanthellae endosymbionts

On matching conditions for cosmological perturbations

We derive the matching conditions for cosmological perturbations in a Friedmann Universe where the equation of state undergoes a sharp jump, for instance as a result of a phase transition. The physics of the transition which is needed to follow the fate of the perturbations is clarified. We dissipate misleading statements made recently in the literature concerning the predictions of the primordial fluctuations from inflation and confirm standard results. Applications to string cosmology are considered.Comment: 20 pages, latex (revtex), no figure

Nature, origin, transport and deposition of andosol parent material in south-central Chile (36-42°S)

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in CATENA 73 (2008): 10-22, doi:10.1016/j.catena.2007.08.003.The andosols of south-central Chile (36-42°S) are developed on yellow-brown loams that cover the region with a thickness of several meters. In the literature, several hypotheses concerning the nature, origin, mode of transport and deposition of the andosol parent material have been advanced but no general agreement has been found. In this paper, we test these hypotheses by analyzing new representative outcrops located around Icalma (38°50’S) and Puyehue (40°40’S) lakes by a plurimethodological approach. Our data demonstrate that the andosol parent material has the typical mineralogical and geochemical signature of the regional volcanism and that these deposits are postglacial in age. The grain size of the deposits and the morphology of the coarse grains evidence that most of these particles haven’t been re-transported by wind but are direct volcanic ash falls deposited throughout the Late Glacial and Holocene. Because of the prevailing westerly winds, most of them have been transported to the East. Following the deposition of the volcanic particles, weathering and pedogenetic processes have transformed part of the volcanic glasses and plagioclases into allophane and have wiped out the original layering. This work demonstrates that most of the andosols that occur in the Andes and in the eastern part of the Intermediate Depression of south-central Chile are developed on volcanic ashes directly deposited by successive volcanic eruptions throughout the Late Glacial and Holocene.This research is supported by the Belgian OSTC project EV/12/10B "A continuous Holocene record of ENSO variability in southern Chile"

Climate variability of southern Chile since the Last Glacial Maximum : a continuous sedimentological record from Lago Puyehue (40°S)

Author Posting. © Springer, 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Paleolimnology 39 (2008): 179-195, doi:10.1007/s10933-007-9117-y.This paper presents a multi-proxy climate record of an 11 m long core collected in Lago Puyehue (southern Chile, 40°S) and extending back to 18,000 cal yr BP. The multi-proxy analyses include sedimentology, mineralogy, grain size, geochemistry, loss-on-ignition, magnetic susceptibility and radiocarbon datings. Results demonstrate that sediment grain size is positively correlated with the biogenic sediment content and can be used as a proxy for lake paleoproductivity. On the other hand, the magnetic susceptibility signal is correlated with the aluminium and titanium concentrations and can be used as a proxy for the terrigenous supply. Temporal variations of sediment composition evidence that, since the last glacial maximum, the Chilean Lake District was characterized by 3 abrupt climate changes superimposed on a long-term climate evolution. These rapid climate changes are: (1) an abrupt warming at the end of the last glacial maximum at 17,300 cal yr BP; (2) a 13,100-12,300 cal yr BP cold event, ending rapidly and interpreted as the local counter part of the Younger Dryas cold period, and (3) a 3400-2900 cal yr BP climatic instability synchronous with a period of low solar activity. The timing of the 13,100-12,300 cold event is compared with similar records in both hemispheres and demonstrates that this southern hemisphere climate change lags behind the northern hemisphere Younger Dryas cold period by 500 to 1000 years.This research is supported by the Belgian OSTC project EV/12/10B "A continuous Holocene record of ENSO variability in southern Chile"

Rapport Final, Projet Région wallonne R.RWAL.2626-J-F-D, RONDUJUM : Research ON DUrable JUnction of Multimaterials

Le présent projet s’inscrit dans le cadre du développement de matériaux avancés, toujours plus performants, et de leur utilisation dans tous les secteurs industriels, et plus particulièrement dans le domaine du bâtiment. L’intégration de ces matériaux fait appel à des techniques d’assemblage dont il est essentiel de maîtriser la fiabilité et la durabilité. Le projet vise à fournir aux industriels du secteur des outils pour l’évaluation et la comparaison technique, économique et environnementale de systèmes d’assemblage par collage de matériaux différents dans le domaine du bâtiment. Ce projet est financé par la Région wallonne, soucieuse de soutenir ses industries dans le cadre du redéploiement économique de la Région. L’objectif poursuivi par les centres participants est d’acquérir et de synthétiser des connaissances suffisantes dans le domaine de l’assemblage par collage, de manière à aider les industriels du secteur à effectuer des choix technologiques pertinents et durables, mais aussi à évaluer le coût de mise en oeuvre de ces choix et leur impact économique. Le projet s’appuie sur des exemples d’application pertinents fournis par les industriels du secteur, représentatifs des matériaux et des applications.Projet Région wallonne R.RWAL.2626-J-F-D, RONDUJUM : Research ON DUrable JUnction of Multimaterial

Physical activity of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease during COVID-19 and its impact on quality of life

peer reviewe

PEGylation and folic-acid functionalization of cationic lipoplexes—Improved nucleic acid transfer into cancer cells

Efficient and reliable transfer of nucleic acids for therapy applications is a major challenge. Stabilization of lipo- and polyplexes has already been successfully achieved by PEGylation. This modification reduces the interaction with serum proteins and thus prevents the lipoplexes from being cleared by the reticuloendothelial system. Problematically, this stabilization of lipoplexes simultaneously leads to reduced transfer efficiencies compared to non-PEGylated complexes. However, this reduction in transfer efficiency can be used to advantage since additional modification of PEGylated lipoplexes with functional groups enables improved selective transfer into target cells. Cancer cells overexpress folate receptors because of a significantly increased need of folate due to high cell proliferation rates. Thus, additional folate functionalization of PEGylated lipoplexes improves uptake into cancer cells. We demonstrate herein that NHS coupling chemistries can be used to modify two commercially available transfection reagents (Fuse-It-DNA and Lipofectamine(®) 3000) with NHS-PEG-folate for increased uptake of nucleic acids into cancer cells. Lipoplex characterization and functional analysis in cultures of cancer- and healthy cells clearly demonstrate that functionalization of PEGylated lipoplexes offers a promising method to generate efficient, stable and selective nucleic acid transfer systems

Comparison between optical pulsed thermography and vibrothermography for the assessment of carbon fibers composite materials

peer reviewedPulsed thermography and vibrothermography are two active thermography techniques characterized by different heating methods of the specimen. In pulsed phase thermography, a sample is heated by two flash lamps for a short period to inject a Dirac impulse heat in the material. The cooling of the part is monitored with an infrared camera to detect thermal contrast in the image, characteristic of the presence of a defect. In vibrothermography, high frequency vibrations are injected into the sample causing an internal heating observed on surface right above the defect due to diverse phenomena as friction or viscoelastic hysteresis. If pulsed thermography is a well-known technique that has been integrated into the arsenal of industrial NDT methods, vibrothermography is a less common experimental method still subject to theoretical and practical investigations. This article aims to compare the effectiveness of the two methods in the case of different types of composites based on carbon fibers: carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) plates as well as a completely new material: carbon magnesium composite

Structural and functional dissection reveals distinct roles of Ca2+-binding sites in the giant adhesin SiiE of Salmonella enterica

The giant non-fimbrial adhesin SiiE of Salmonella enterica mediates the first contact to the apical site of epithelial cells and enables subsequent invasion. SiiE is a 595 kDa protein composed of 53 repetitive bacterial immunoglobulin (BIg) domains and the only known substrate of the SPI4-encoded type 1 secretion system (T1SS). The crystal structure of BIg50- 52 of SiiE revealed two distinct Ca2+-binding sites per BIg domain formed by conserved aspartate or glutamate residues. In a mutational analysis Ca2+-binding sites were disrupted by aspartate to serine exchange at various positions in the BIg domains of SiiE. Amounts of secreted SiiE diminish with a decreasing number of intact Ca2+-binding sites. BIg domains of SiiE contain distinct Ca2+-binding sites, with type I sites being similar to other T1SSsecreted proteins and type II sites newly identified in SiiE. We functionally and structurally dissected the roles of type I and type II Ca2+-binding sites in SiiE, as well as the importance of Ca2+-binding sites in various positions of SiiE. Type I Ca2+-binding sites were critical for efficient secretion of SiiE and a decreasing number of type I sites correlated with reduced secretion. Type II sites were less important for secretion, stability and surface expression of SiiE, however integrity of type II sites in the C-terminal portion was required for the function of SiiE in mediating adhesion and invasion