Shape characteristics of the aggregates formed by amphiphilic stars in water: dissipative particle dynamics study

We study the effect of the molecular architecture of amphiphilic star polymers on the shape of aggregates they form in water. Both solute and solvent are considered at a coarse-grained level by means of dissipative particle dynamics simulations. Four different molecular architectures are considered: the miktoarm star, two different diblock stars and a group of linear diblock copolymers, all of the same composition and molecular weight. Aggregation is started from a closely packed bunch of $N_{\text a}$ molecules immersed into water. In most cases, a single aggregate is observed as a result of equilibration, and its shape characteristics are studied depending on the aggregation number $N_{\text a}$. Four types of aggregate shape are observed: spherical, rod-like and disc-like micelle and a spherical vesicle. We estimate "phase boundaries" between these shapes depending on the molecular architecture. Sharp transitions between aspherical micelle and a vesicle are found in most cases. The pretransition region shows large amplitude oscillations of the shape characteristics with the oscillation frequency strongly dependent on the molecular architecture.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Public transportation in UK viewed as a complex network

In this paper we investigate the topological and spatial features of public transport networks (PTN) within the UK. Networks investigated include London, Manchester, West Midlands, Bristol, national rail and coach networks during 2011. Using methods in complex network theory and statistical physics we are able to discriminate PTNs with respect to their stability; which is the first of this kind for national networks. Moreover, taking advantage of various fractal properties we gain useful insights into the serviceable area of stations. These features can be employed as key performance indicators in aid of further developing efficient and stable PTNs.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figure

Dynamics of end-linked star polymer structures

In this work we focus on the dynamics of macromolecular networks formed by end-linking identical polymer stars. The resulting macromolecular network can then be viewed as consisting of spacers which connect branching points (the cores of the stars). We succeed in analyzing exactly, in the framework of the generalized Gaussian model, the eigenvalue spectrum of such networks. As applications we focus on several topologies, such as regular networks and dendrimers; furthermore, we compare the results to those found for regular hyperbranched structures. In so doing, we also consider situations in which the beads of the cores differ from the beads of the spacers. The analytical procedure which we use involves an exact real-space renormalization, which allows to relate the star-network to a (much simpler) network, in which each star is reduced to its core. It turns out that the eigenvalue spectrum of the star-polymer structure consists of two parts: One follows in terms of polynomial equations from the relaxation spectrum of the corresponding renormalized structure, while the second part involves the motion of the spacer chains themselves. Finally, we show exemplarily the situation for copolymeric dendrimers, calculate their spectra, and from them their storage and the loss moduli.Comment: 15 pages, 11 eps-figures include

Novel Conus peptide ligand for K+ channels

Journal ArticleVoltage-gated ion channels determine the membrane excitability of cells. Although many Conus peptides that interact with voltage-gated Na+ and Ca2+ channels have been characterized, relatively few have been identified that interact with K+ channels. We describe a novel Conus peptide that interacts with the Shaker K+ channel, қM-conotoxin RIIIK from Conus radiatus

A role for the cleaved cytoplasmic domain of E-cadherin in the nucleus

Cell-cell contacts play a vital role in intracellular signaling, although the molecular mechanisms of these signaling pathways are not fully understood. E-cadherin, an important mediator of cell-cell adhesions, has been shown to be cleaved by γ-secretase. This cleavage releases a fragment of E-cadherin, E-cadherin C-terminal fragment 2 (E-cad/CTF2), into the cytosol. Here, we study the fate and function of this fragment. First, we show that coexpression of the cadherin-binding protein, p120 catenin (p120), enhances the nuclear translocation of E-cad/CTF2. By knocking down p120 with short interfering RNA, we also demonstrate that p120 is necessary for the nuclear localization of E-cad/CTF2. Furthermore, p120 enhances and is required for the specific binding of E-cad/CTF2 to DNA. Finally, we show that E-cad/CTF2 can regulate the p120-Kaiso-mediated signaling pathway in the nucleus. These data indicate a novel role for cleaved E-cadherin in the nucleus

Dynamical Scaling Behavior of Percolation Clusters in Scale-free Networks

In this work we investigate the spectra of Laplacian matrices that determine many dynamic properties of scale-free networks below and at the percolation threshold. We use a replica formalism to develop analytically, based on an integral equation, a systematic way to determine the ensemble averaged eigenvalue spectrum for a general type of tree-like networks. Close to the percolation threshold we find characteristic scaling functions for the density of states rho(lambda) of scale-free networks. rho(lambda) shows characteristic power laws rho(lambda) ~ lambda^alpha_1 or rho(lambda) ~ lambda^alpha_2 for small lambda, where alpha_1 holds below and alpha_2 at the percolation threshold. In the range where the spectra are accessible from a numerical diagonalization procedure the two methods lead to very similar results.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure