4,036 research outputs found
Thermodynamics of nano-spheres encapsulated in virus capsids
We investigate the thermodynamics of complexation of functionalized charged
nano-spheres with viral proteins. The physics of this problem is governed by
electrostatic interaction between the proteins and the nano-sphere cores
(screened by salt ions), but also by configurational degrees of freedom of the
charged protein N-tails. We approach the problem by constructing an appropriate
complexation free energy functional. On the basis of both numerical and
analytical studies of this functional we construct the phase diagram for the
assembly which contains the information on the assembled structures that appear
in the thermodynamical equilibrium, depending on the size and surface charge
density of the nano-sphere cores. We show that both the nano-sphere core charge
as well as its radius determine the size of the capsid that forms around the
core.Comment: Submitte
Kinetics of viral self-assembly: the role of ss RNA antenna
A big class of viruses self-assemble from a large number of identical capsid
proteins with long flexible N-terminal tails and ss RNA. We study the role of
the strong Coulomb interaction of positive N-terminal tails with ss RNA in the
kinetics of the in vitro virus self-assembly. Capsid proteins stick to
unassembled chain of ss RNA (which we call "antenna") and slide on it towards
the assembly site. We show that at excess of capsid proteins such
one-dimensional diffusion accelerates self-assembly more than ten times. On the
other hand at excess of ss RNA, antenna slows self-assembly down. Several
experiments are proposed to verify the role of ss RNA antenna.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, several experiments are proposed, a new idea of
experiment is adde
Density waves theory of the capsid structure of small icosahedral viruses
We apply Landau theory of crystallization to explain and to classify the
capsid structures of small viruses with spherical topology and icosahedral
symmetry. We develop an explicit method which predicts the positions of centers
of mass for the proteins constituting viral capsid shell. Corresponding density
distribution function which generates the positions has universal form without
any fitting parameter. The theory describes in a uniform way both the
structures satisfying the well-known Caspar and Klug geometrical model for
capsid construction and those violating it. The quasiequivalence of protein
environments in viral capsid and peculiarities of the assembly thermodynamics
are also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figur
Remarkably robust and correlated coherence and antiferromagnetism in (CeLa)CuGe
We present magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, specific heat, and
thermoelectric power measurements on (CeLa)CuGe single
crystals (0 1). With La substitution, the antiferromagnetic
temperature is suppressed in an almost linear fashion and moves below
0.36 K, the base temperature of our measurements for 0.8. Surprisingly, in
addition to robust antiferromagnetism, the system also shows low temperature
coherent scattering below up to 0.9 of La, indicating a small
percolation limit 9 of Ce that separates a coherent regime from a
single-ion Kondo impurity regime. as a function of magnetic field was
found to have different behavior for 0.9. Remarkably,
at = 0 was found to be linearly proportional to . The
jump in the magnetic specific heat at as a function of
for (CeLa)CuGe follows the theoretical prediction
based on the molecular field calculation for the = 1/2 resonant level
model
Notorious places: image, reputation, stigma: the role of newspapers in area reputations for social housing estates
This paper reviews work in several disciplines to distinguish between image, reputation and stigma. It also shows that there has been little research on the process by which area reputations are established and sustained through transmission processes. This paper reports on research into the portrayal of two social housing estates in the printed media over an extended period of time (14 years). It was found that negative and mixed coverage of the estates dominated, with the amount of positive coverage being very small. By examining the way in which dominant themes were used by newspapers in respect of each estate, questions are raised about the mode of operation of the press and the communities' collective right to challenge this. By identifying the way regeneration stories are covered and the nature of the content of positive stories, lessons are drawn for programmes of area transformation. The need for social regeneration activities is identified as an important ingredient for changing deprived-area reputations
Quantum mechanics and geodesic deviation in the brane world
We investigate the induced geodesic deviation equations in the brane world
models, in which all the matter forces except gravity are confined on the
3-brane. Also, the Newtonian limit of induced geodesic deviation equation is
studied. We show that in the first Randall-Sundrum model the Bohr-Sommerfeld
quantization rule is as a result of consistency between the geodesic and
geodesic deviation equations. This indicates that the path of test particle is
made up of integral multiples of a fundamental Compton-type unit of length
.Comment: 5 pages, no figure
A study protocol for a randomised crossover study evaluating the effect of diets differing in carbohydrate quality on ileal content and appetite regulation in healthy humans
A major component of the digesta reaching the colon from the distal ileum is carbohydrate. This carbohydrate is subject to microbial fermentation and can radically change bacterial populations in the colon and the metabolites they produce, particularly short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). However, very little is currently known about the forms and levels of carbohydrate in the ileum and the composition of the ileal microbiota in humans. Most of our current understanding of carbohydrate that is not absorbed by the small intestine comes from ileostomy models, which may not reflect the physiology of an intact gastrointestinal tract. We will investigate how ileal content changes depending on diet using a randomised crossover study in healthy humans. Participants will be inpatients at the research facility for three separate 4-day visits. During each visit, participants will consume one of three diets, which differ in carbohydrate quality: 1) low-fibre refined diet; 2) high-fibre diet with intact cellular structures; 3) high-fibre diet where the cellular structures have been disrupted (e.g. milling, blending). On day 1, a nasoenteric tube will be placed into the distal ileum and its position confirmed under fluoroscopy. Ileal samples will be collected via the nasoenteric tube and metabolically profiled, which will determine the amount and type of carbohydrate present, and the composition of the ileal microbiota will be measured. Blood samples will be collected to assess circulating hormones and metabolites. Stool samples will be collected to assess faecal microbiota composition. Subjective appetite measures will be collected using visual analogue scales. Breath hydrogen will be measured in real-time as a marker of intestinal fermentation. Finally, an continuous fermentation model will be inoculated with ileal fluid in order to understand the shift in microbial composition and SCFA produced in the colon following the different diets. ISRCTN11327221. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2019 Byrne CS et al.
Risk-neutral densities and their application in the Piterbarg Framework
Abstract: In this paper we consider two well-known interpolation schemes for the construction of the JSE Shareholder Weighted Top 40 implied volatility surface. We extend the Breeden and Litzenberger formula to the derivative pricing framework developed by Piterbarg post the 2007 financial crisis. Our results show that the statistical moments of the constructed risk-neutral densities are highly dependent on the choice of interpolation scheme. We show how the risk-neutral denity surface can be used to price options and briefly describe how the statistical moments can be used to inform trading strategies
A Study of Lyman-Alpha Quasar Absorbers in the Nearby Universe
Spectroscopy of ten quasars obtained with the Goddard High Resolution
Spectrograph (GHRS) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is presented. A
clustering analysis reveals an excess of nearest neighbor line pairs on
velocity scales of 250-750 km/s at a 95-98% confidence level. The hypothesis
that the absorbers are randomly distributed in velocity space can be ruled out
at the 99.8% confidence level. No two-point correlation power is detected (xi <
1 with 95% confidence). Lyman-alpha absorbers have correlation amplitudes on
scales of 250-500 km/s at least 4-5 times smaller than the correlation
amplitude of bright galaxies. A detailed comparison between absorbers in nearby
galaxies is carried out on a limited subset of 11 Lyman- alpha absorbers where
the galaxy sample in a large contiguous volume is complete to M_B = -16.
Absorbers lie preferentially in regions of intermediate galaxy density but it
is often not possible to uniquely assign a galaxy counterpart to an absorber.
This sample provides no explicit support for the hypothesis that absorbers are
preferentially associated with the halos of luminous galaxies. We have made a
preliminary comparison of the absorption line properties and environments with
the results of hydrodynamic simulations. The results suggest that the
Lyman-alpha absorbers represent diffuse or shocked gas in the IGM that traces
the cosmic web of large scale structure. (abridged)Comment: 36 pages of text, 15 figures, 4 tables, 36 file
Damned if they do, damned if they don't: negotiating the tricky context of anti-social behaviour and keeping safe in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods
Young people's relationship with anti-social behaviour (ASB) is complicated. While their behaviours are often stereotyped as anti-social (e.g. ‘hanging about’), they also experience ASB in their neighbourhood. In this study, we explore young people's own perspectives on ASB, comparing results from ‘go-along’ interviews and focus groups conducted in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Glasgow, Scotland. This article discusses how young people's everyday experience of ASB was contextualised by social factors such as cultural stereotyping of marginalised groups, poor social connectivity and spatial marginalisation within their neighbourhood. Furthermore, we found that these social factors were mutually reinforcing and interacted in a way that appeared to leave young people in a ‘no-win’ situation regarding their association with ASB. Participation in ASB and attempts to avoid such involvement were seen to involve negative consequences: participation could entail violence and spatial restrictions linked to territoriality, but avoidance could lead to being ostracised from their peer group. Regardless of involvement, young people felt that adults stereotyped them as anti-social. Our findings therefore provide support for policies and interventions aimed at reducing ASB (perpetrated by residents of all ages); in part by better ensuring that young people have a clear incentive for avoiding such behaviours
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