Alpha helix-coil phase transition: analysis of ab initio theory predictions

In the present paper we present results of calculations obtained with the use of the theoretical method described in our preceding paper [1] and perform detail analysis of alpha helix-random coil transition in alanine polypeptides of different length. We have calculated the potential energy surfaces of polypeptides with respect to their twisting degrees of freedom and construct a parameter-free partition function of the polypeptide using the suggested method [1]. From the build up partition function we derive various thermodynamical characteristics for alanine polypeptides of different length as a function of temperature. Thus, we analyze the temperature dependence of the heat capacity, latent heat and helicity for alanine polypeptides consisting of 21, 30, 40, 50 and 100 amino acids. Alternatively, we have obtained same thermodynamical characteristics from the use of molecular dynamics simulations and compared them with the results of the new statistical mechanics approach. The comparison proves the validity of the statistical mechanic approach and establishes its accuracy.Comment: 34 pages, 12 figure

Accumulation of chromium metastable atoms into an Optical Trap

We report the fast accumulation of a large number of metastable 52Cr atoms in a mixed trap, formed by the superposition of a strongly confining optical trap and a quadrupolar magnetic trap. The steady state is reached after about 400 ms, providing a cloud of more than one million metastable atoms at a temperature of about 100 microK, with a peak density of 10^{18} atoms.m^{-3}. We have optimized the loading procedure, and measured the light shift of the 5D4 state by analyzing how the trapped atoms respond to a parametric excitation. We compare this result to a theoretical evaluation based on the available spectroscopic data for chromium atoms.Comment: 7 pages, 5 Figure

Realistic Neutrino Masses from Multi-brane Extensions of the Randall-Sundrum Model?

Scenarios based on the existence of large or warped (Randall-Sundrum model) extra dimensions have been proposed for addressing the long standing puzzle of gauge hierarchy problem. Within the contexts of both those scenarios, a novel and original type of mechanism generating small (Dirac) neutrino masses, which relies on the presence of additional right-handed neutrinos that propagate in the bulk, has arisen. The main objective of the present study is to determine whether this geometrical mechanism can produce reasonable neutrino masses also in the interesting multi-brane extensions of the Randall-Sundrum model. We demonstrate that, in some multi-brane extensions, neutrino masses in agreement with all relevant experimental bounds can indeed be generated but at the price of a constraint (stronger than the existing ones) on the bulk geometry, and that the other multi-brane models even conflict with those experimental bounds.Comment: 29 pages, 3 figures, Latex file. References added, study extende

Technical quality assessment of an optoelectronic system for movement analysis

The Optoelectronic Systems (OS) are largely used in gait analysis to evaluate the motor performances of healthy subjects and patients. The accuracy of marker trajectories reconstruction depends on several aspects: the number of cameras, the dimension and position of the calibration volume, and the chosen calibration procedure. In this paper we propose a methodology to evaluate the eects of the mentioned sources of error on the reconstruction of marker trajectories. The novel contribution of the present work consists in the dimension of the tested calibration volumes, which is comparable with the ones normally used in gait analysis; in addition, to simulate trajectories during clinical gait analysis, we provide non-default paths for markers as inputs. Several calibration procedures are implemented and the same trial is processed with each calibration le, also considering dierent cameras congurations. The RMSEs between the measured trajectories and the optimal ones are calculated for each comparison. To investigate the signicant dierences between the computed indices, an ANOVA analysis is implemented. The RMSE is sensible to the variations of the considered calibration volume and the camera congurations and it is always inferior to 43 mm

Quantitative relations between corruption and economic factors

We report quantitative relations between corruption level and economic factors, such as country wealth and foreign investment per capita, which are characterized by a power law spanning multiple scales of wealth and investments per capita. These relations hold for diverse countries, and also remain stable over different time periods. We also observe a negative correlation between level of corruption and long-term economic growth. We find similar results for two independent indices of corruption, suggesting that the relation between corruption and wealth does not depend on the specific measure of corruption. The functional relations we report have implications when assessing the relative level of corruption for two countries with comparable wealth, and for quantifying the impact of corruption on economic growth and foreign investments.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure

Ab initio theory of helix-coil phase transition

In this paper we suggest a theoretical method based on the statistical mechanics for treating the alpha-helix-random coil transition in alanine polypeptides. We consider this process as a first-order phase transition and develop a theory which is free of model parameters and is based solely on fundamental physical principles. It describes essential thermodynamical properties of the system such as heat capacity, the phase transition temperature and others from the analysis of the polypeptide potential energy surface calculated as a function of two dihedral angles, responsible for the polypeptide twisting. The suggested theory is general and with some modification can be applied for the description of phase transitions in other complex molecular systems (e.g. proteins, DNA, nanotubes, atomic clusters, fullerenes).Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

The running of the electromagnetic coupling alpha in small-angle Bhabha scattering

A method to determine the running of alpha from a measurement of small-angle Bhabha scattering is proposed and worked out. The method is suited to high statistics experiments at e+e- colliders, which are equipped with luminometers in the appropriate angular region. A new simulation code predicting small-angle Bhabha scattering is also presentedComment: 15 pages, 3 Postscript figure

Circular 102

In 1989, a systematic evaluation of woody and herbaceous perennial landscape plants was begun at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Georgeson Botanical Garden (64°51’N, 147°52’W). These evaluations were expanded to include annual flowers in 1992 and ferns in 1993. The purpose of this research is to identify hardy perennials capable of surviving in subarctic environments; to evaluate the ornamental potential of perennials and annuals; and to fulfill a growing demand for information on landscape plant materials by homeowners, commercial growers, and landscapers.Introduction -- Explanation of Plant Evaluation Tables -- Table 1. Weather records for the test years -- Table 2. All plant materials evaluated in 1994: Herbaceous perennials; Ferns; Ornamental grasses; Woody perennials -- Table 4. Plantings from 1994 that have not yet been evaluated for winter survival: Herbaceous perennials; Ferns; Woody perennials -- Table 5. Annual flowers evaluated in 1994 -- Appendix 1. Commercial Sources and Organizations -- Map of GB

Head of the Class: A QualityTeacher in Every Pennsylvania Classroom

"Head of the Class: A Quality Teacher in Every Pennsylvania Classroom" makes recommendations for how state policy can increase and support Pennsylvania's supply of qualified teachers. The report emphasizes that quality teaching is key to student achievement and that the state must act to ensure the presence of a qualified teacher in every Pennsylvania classroom at all times

Natural history of Arabidopsis thaliana and oomycete symbioses

Molecular ecology of plant–microbe interactions has immediate significance for filling a gap in knowledge between the laboratory discipline of molecular biology and the largely theoretical discipline of evolutionary ecology. Somewhere in between lies conservation biology, aimed at protection of habitats and the diversity of species housed within them. A seemingly insignificant wildflower called Arabidopsis thaliana has an important contribution to make in this endeavour. It has already transformed botanical research with deepening understanding of molecular processes within the species and across the Plant Kingdom; and has begun to revolutionize plant breeding by providing an invaluable catalogue of gene sequences that can be used to design the most precise molecular markers attainable for marker-assisted selection of valued traits. This review describes how A. thaliana and two of its natural biotrophic parasites could be seminal as a model for exploring the biogeography and molecular ecology of plant–microbe interactions, and specifically, for testing hypotheses proposed from the geographic mosaic theory of co-evolution