Crystallization, data collection and data processing of maltose-binding protein (MalE) from the phytopathogen Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri

Maltose-binding protein is the periplasmic component of the ABC transporter responsible for the uptake of maltose/maltodextrins. The Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri maltose-binding protein MalE has been crystallized at 293 Kusing the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystal belonged to the primitive hexagonal space group P6_122, with unit-cell parameters a = 123.59, b = 123.59, c = 304.20 Å, and contained two molecules in the asymetric unit. It diffracted to 2.24 Å resolution

A model for Hopfions on the space-time S^3 x R

We construct static and time dependent exact soliton solutions for a theory of scalar fields taking values on a wide class of two dimensional target spaces, and defined on the four dimensional space-time S^3 x R. The construction is based on an ansatz built out of special coordinates on S^3. The requirement for finite energy introduces boundary conditions that determine an infinite discrete spectrum of frequencies for the oscillating solutions. For the case where the target space is the sphere S^2, we obtain static soliton solutions with non-trivial Hopf topological charges. In addition, such hopfions can oscillate in time, preserving their topological Hopf charge, with any of the frequencies belonging to that infinite discrete spectrum.Comment: Enlarged version with the time-dependent solutions explicitly given. One reference and two eps figures added. 14 pages, late

Aggregation in a mixture of Brownian and ballistic wandering particles

In this paper, we analyze the scaling properties of a model that has as limiting cases the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) and the ballistic aggregation (BA) models. This model allows us to control the radial and angular scaling of the patterns, as well as, their gap distributions. The particles added to the cluster can follow either ballistic trajectories, with probability $P_{ba}$, or random ones, with probability $P_{rw}=1-P_{ba}$. The patterns were characterized through several quantities, including those related to the radial and angular scaling. The fractal dimension as a function of $P_{ba}$ continuously increases from $d_f\approx 1.72$ (DLA dimensionality) for $P_{ba}=0$ to $d_f\approx 2$ (BA dimensionality) for $P_{ba}=1$. However, the lacunarity and the active zone width exhibt a distinct behavior: they are convex functions of $P_{ba}$ with a maximum at $P_{ba}\approx1/2$. Through the analysis of the angular correlation function, we found that the difference between the radial and angular exponents decreases continuously with increasing $P_{ba}$ and rapidly vanishes for $P_{ba}>1/2$, in agreement with recent results concerning the asymptotic scaling of DLA clusters.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. accepted for publication on PR

Exact static soliton solutions of 3+1 dimensional integrable theory with nonzero Hopf numbers

In this paper we construct explicitly an infinite number of Hopfions (static, soliton solutions with non-zero Hopf topological charges) within the recently proposed 3+1-dimensional, integrable and relativistically invariant field theory. Two integers label the family of Hopfions we have found. Their product is equal to the Hopf charge which provides a lower bound to the soliton's finite energy. The Hopfions are constructed explicitly in terms of the toroidal coordinates and shown to have a form of linked closed vortices.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pg

On the large-scale angular distribution of short-Gamma ray bursts

We investigate the large-scale angular distribution of the short-Gamma ray bursts (SGRBs) from BATSE experiment, using a new coordinates-free method. The analyses performed take into account the angular correlations induced by the non-uniform sky exposure during the experiment, and the uncertainty in the measured angular coordinates. Comparising the large-scale angular correlations from the data with those expected from simulations using the exposure function we find similar features. Additionally, confronting the large-angle correlations computed from the data with those obtained from simulated maps produced under the assumption of statistical isotropy we found that they are incompatible at 95% confidence level. However, such differences are restricted to the angular scales 36o - 45o, which are likely to be due to the non-uniform sky exposure. This result strongly suggests that the set of SGRBs from BATSE are intrinsically isotropic. Moreover, we also investigated a possible large-angle correlation of these data with the supergalactic plane. No evidence for such large-scale anisotropy was found.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 6 pages, 3 figure

Integrable theories and loop spaces: fundamentals, applications and new developments

We review our proposal to generalize the standard two-dimensional flatness construction of Lax-Zakharov-Shabat to relativistic field theories in d+1 dimensions. The fundamentals from the theory of connections on loop spaces are presented and clarified. These ideas are exposed using mathematical tools familiar to physicists. We exhibit recent and new results that relate the locality of the loop space curvature to the diffeomorphism invariance of the loop space holonomy. These result are used to show that the holonomy is abelian if the holonomy is diffeomorphism invariant. These results justify in part and set the limitations of the local implementations of the approach which has been worked out in the last decade. We highlight very interesting applications like the construction and the solution of an integrable four dimensional field theory with Hopf solitons, and new integrability conditions which generalize BPS equations to systems such as Skyrme theories. Applications of these ideas leading to new constructions are implemented in theories that admit volume preserving diffeomorphisms of the target space as symmetries. Applications to physically relevant systems like Yang Mills theories are summarized. We also discuss other possibilities that have not yet been explored.Comment: 64 pages, 8 figure

Initial pseudo-steady state & asymptotic KPZ universality in semiconductor on polymer deposition

The Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) class is a paradigmatic example of universality in nonequilibrium phenomena, but clear experimental evidences of asymptotic 2D-KPZ statistics are still very rare, and far less understanding stems from its short-time behavior. We tackle such issues by analyzing surface fluctuations of CdTe films deposited on polymeric substrates, based on a huge spatio-temporal surface sampling acquired through atomic force microscopy. A \textit{pseudo}-steady state (where average surface roughness and spatial correlations stay constant in time) is observed at initial times, persisting up to deposition of $\sim 10^{4}$ monolayers. This state results from a fine balance between roughening and smoothening, as supported by a phenomenological growth model. KPZ statistics arises at long times, thoroughly verified by universal exponents, spatial covariance and several distributions. Recent theoretical generalizations of the Family-Vicsek scaling and the emergence of log-normal distributions during interface growth are experimentally confirmed. These results confirm that high vacuum vapor deposition of CdTe constitutes a genuine 2D-KPZ system, and expand our knowledge about possible substrate-induced short-time behaviors.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 2 table