94 research outputs found
Large- expansion of the specific heat for the two-dimensional -state Potts model
We have calculated the large- expansion for the specific heat at the phase
transition point in the two-dimensional -state Potts model to the 23rd order
in using the finite lattice method. The obtained series allows us
to give highly convergent estimates of the specific heat for on the first
order transition point. The result confirm us the correctness of the conjecture
by Bhattacharya et al. on the asymptotic behavior of the specific heat for .Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX, 2 postscript figure
High-temperature series for the bond-diluted Ising model in 3, 4 and 5 dimensions
In order to study the influence of quenched disorder on second-order phase
transitions, high-temperature series expansions of the \sus and the free energy
are obtained for the quenched bond-diluted Ising model in --5
dimensions. They are analysed using different extrapolation methods tailored to
the expected singularity behaviours. In and 5 dimensions we confirm
that the critical behaviour is governed by the pure fixed point up to dilutions
near the geometric bond percolation threshold. The existence and form of
logarithmic corrections for the pure Ising model in is confirmed and
our results for the critical behaviour of the diluted system are in agreement
with the type of singularity predicted by renormalization group considerations.
In three dimensions we find large crossover effects between the pure Ising,
percolation and random fixed point. We estimate the critical exponent of the
\sus to be at the random fixed point.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
An Analytic Variational Study of the Mass Spectrum in 2+1 Dimensional SU(3) Hamiltonian Lattice Gauge Theory
We calculate the masses of the lowest lying eigenstates of improved SU(2) and
SU(3) lattice gauge theory in 2+1 dimensions using an analytic variational
approach. The ground state is approximated by a one plaquette trial state and
mass gaps are calculated in the symmetric and antisymmetric sectors by
minimising over a suitable basis of rectangular states
Instanton size distribution in O(3)
We present calculations of the size distribution of instantons in the 2d O(3)
non-linear sigma-model, and briefly discuss the effects cooling has upon the
configurations and the topological objects. (This preprint is also available
via anonymous ftp to suna.amtp.liv.ac.uk in /pub/pss/ as instdist.uue.)Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, needs cite.sty (appended), with appended uuencoded
compressed tarfile of PostScript figures, Liverpool preprint LTH-33
Functional Schroedinger and BRST Quantization of (1+1)--Dimensional Gravity
We discuss the quantization of pure string--inspired dilaton--gravity in
--dimensions, and of the same theory coupled to scalar matter. We
perform the quantization using the functional Schroedinger and BRST formalisms.
We find, both for pure gravity and the matter--coupled theory, that the two
quantization procedures give inequivalent ``physical'' results.Comment: 40 pages, Late
Improved high-temperature expansion and critical equation of state of three-dimensional Ising-like systems
High-temperature series are computed for a generalized Ising model with
arbitrary potential. Two specific ``improved'' potentials (suppressing leading
scaling corrections) are selected by Monte Carlo computation. Critical
exponents are extracted from high-temperature series specialized to improved
potentials, achieving high accuracy; our best estimates are:
, , , ,
. By the same technique, the coefficients of the small-field
expansion for the effective potential (Helmholtz free energy) are computed.
These results are applied to the construction of parametric representations of
the critical equation of state. A systematic approximation scheme, based on a
global stationarity condition, is introduced (the lowest-order approximation
reproduces the linear parametric model). This scheme is used for an accurate
determination of universal ratios of amplitudes. A comparison with other
theoretical and experimental determinations of universal quantities is
presented.Comment: 65 pages, 1 figure, revtex. New Monte Carlo data by Hasenbusch
enabled us to improve the determination of the critical exponents and of the
equation of state. The discussion of several topics was improved and the
bibliography was update
Extension to order of the high-temperature expansions for the spin-1/2 Ising model on the simple-cubic and the body-centered-cubic lattices
Using a renormalized linked-cluster-expansion method, we have extended to
order the high-temperature series for the susceptibility
and the second-moment correlation length of the spin-1/2 Ising models on
the sc and the bcc lattices. A study of these expansions yields updated direct
estimates of universal parameters, such as exponents and amplitude ratios,
which characterize the critical behavior of and . Our best
estimates for the inverse critical temperatures are
and . For the
susceptibility exponent we get and for the correlation
length exponent we get .
The ratio of the critical amplitudes of above and below the critical
temperature is estimated to be . The analogous ratio for
is estimated to be . For the correction-to-scaling
amplitude ratio we obtain .Comment: Misprints corrected, 8 pages, latex, no figure
Clues to Evolution of the SERA Multigene Family in 18 Plasmodium Species
SERA gene sequences were newly determined from 11 primate
Plasmodium species including two human parasites,
P. ovale and P. malariae, and the
evolutionary history of SERA genes was analyzed together with 7 known species.
All have one each of Group I to III cysteine-type SERA genes and varying number
of Group IV serine-type SERA genes in tandem cluster. Notably, Group IV SERA
genes were ascertained in all mammalian parasite lineages; and in two primate
parasite lineages gene events such as duplication, truncation, fragmentation and
gene loss occurred at high frequency in a manner that mimics the birth-and-death
evolution model. Transcription profile of individual SERA genes varied greatly
among rodent and monkey parasites. Results support the lineage-specific
evolution of the Plasmodium SERA gene family. These findings
provide further impetus for studies that could clarify/provide proof-of-concept
that duplications of SERA genes were associated with the parasites'
expansion of host range and the evolutionary conundrums of multigene families in
Plasmodium
Bax Function in the Absence of Mitochondria in the Primitive Protozoan Giardia lamblia
Bax-induced permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane and release of cytochrome c are key events in apoptosis. Although Bax can compromise mitochondria in primitive unicellular organisms that lack a classical apoptotic machinery, it is still unclear if Bax alone is sufficient for this, or whether additional mitochondrial components are required. The protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia is one of the earliest branching eukaryotes and harbors highly degenerated mitochondrial remnant organelles (mitosomes) that lack a genome. Here we tested whether human Bax expressed in Giardia can be used to ablate mitosomes. We demonstrate that these organelles are neither targeted, nor compromised, by Bax. However, specialized compartments of the regulated secretory pathway are completely ablated by Bax. As a consequence, maturing cyst wall proteins that are sorted into these organelles are released into the cytoplasm, causing a developmental arrest and cell death. Interestingly, this ectopic cargo release is dependent on the carboxy-terminal 22 amino acids of Bax, and can be prevented by the Bax-inhibiting peptide Ku70. A C-terminally truncated Bax variant still localizes to secretory organelles, but is unable to permeabilize these membranes, uncoupling membrane targeting and cargo release. Even though mitosomes are too diverged to be recognized by Bax, off-target membrane permeabilization appears to be conserved and leads to cell death completely independently of mitochondria
Inhibitory Potential of Prodomain of Plasmodium falciparum Protease Serine Repeat Antigen 5 for Asexual Blood Stages of Parasite
Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen 5 (SERA5) is a target for both drug and vaccine intervention against malaria. SERA5 is secreted in the parasitophorous vacuole where it is proteolytically processed before schizont rupture. Among the processed products is a 50.8-kDa central domain of the protease, which possesses chymotrypsin-like activity and consists of a 28.9-kDa catalytic domain with a 21.9-kDa N-terminal prodomain, which remain attached together. Because SERA5 has been implicated in merozoite egress from host erythrocytes, the effect of the prodomain and a heptapeptide derived from its C-terminus spanning from D560 to F566 (DNSDNMF) on parasite growth was studied. When E. coli-expressed prodomain was incubated with parasite culture, a significant delay in transition from schizont to ring stages was observed up to nanomolar concentrations. The peptide, DNSDNMF also showed similar effects but at nearly 1000-fold higher concentrations. The peptide was also found to interact with the catalytic domain. These data demonstrate the crucial role of SERA5 prodomain for the egress process. Given the inhibitory potential of the prodomain for the parasite, we suggest that peptidomimetic inhibitors based on SERA5 prodomain sequences can be developed as future therapeutics against malaria
- …