Isolation and some characterisation of antifreeze protein from the European eelpout Zoarces viviparus

The European eelpout Zoarces viviparus is a common inhabitant in the coastal areas of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic region. At least 3 different antifreeze proteins were purified from Z. viviparus serum but more isoforms are most likely present. Two antifreeze proteins with molecular weights of approx. 6.5-7 kDa were characterised and found to share high similarity to the type III antifreeze proteins found in other members of the family Zoarcidae. The antifreeze activity of Z. viviparus antifreeze proteins is concentration dependent and showed a saturation effect when the protein concentration reached 30 mg.ml-1 (crude serum) and 8 mg.ml-1 (partly purified serum) respectively. Further the antifreeze activity was found to be dependent of the buffer osmolality resulting in increasing thermal hysteresis when buffer osmolality was raised from 0 to 1M.     

Purification and structural analysis of a type III antifreeze protein from the european eelpout Zoarces viviparus

It has recently been reported that the eelpout Zoarces viviparus synthesizes a family of antifreeze proteins (AFP) similar in sequence to type III AFPs. A method has been set up to separate these antifreeze proteins from blood serum of this teleost species. A total of nine proteins with antifreeze activity have been isolated, several to a purity suited for NMR experiments. One of the proteins, Zvafp13, has been subject to partial structure determination by NMR. 1D- and 2D-H NMR analyses were carried out. In the 1D-experiments it was observed that the protein contained 28 slow-exchanging amides, suggesting a compact structure. The 2D-experiments were utilized to assign observed signals to specific amino acids. From TOCSY- and NOESY-experiments 35 out of a total of 66 amino acids were assigned. The amide exchange pattern, protein primary sequence, chemical shifts and NOE-cross-peaks between amides and -protons in the -sheets suggest that Zvafp13 structurally resembles the recombinant type III AFP rQAE m1.1.     

Structure function relations at large transverse momenta in Lepton-pair production processes

Features of the lepton angular distributions due to hard parton sub-processes in lepton-pair production at relatively large q_⊥ are studied. Structure function relations which characterize these mechanisms are derived. Comparisons of these features with those derived from the Drell-Yan mechanism are made.     

Fixed angle dispersion relations and t-channel contribution in photo-pion production

We propose a method of evaluation of the contribution of t-channel singularities for the photon-pion production process on the basis of dispersion relations for invariant amplitudes in the s-plane at fixed angle (cos ? = ± 1). These dispersion relations are studied in the approximation scheme of retaining only the contributions from exchanges at low energy, viz., N, N^∗ (1237) in the s- and u-channels and π, ?, ω and A₁ in the t-channel. It is shown that the dispersion relations require more accurate evaluation in general than what the above approximation scheme can provide in order that the information obtained about the t-channel be reliable.     

Symmetry relations in the sixteen-vertex model

We explore the consequences of the existence of a group of linear symmetry transformations for the sixteen-vertex model. An arbitrary sixteen-vertex model is shown tobe equivalent to a standard model, described in terms of ten parameters having an invariant significance. The general eight-vertex model is obtained when four of the invariant parameters vanish. Two further subciasses of the sixteen-vertex model are found to be equivalent to the eight-vertex model. The invariant conditions leading to the solved cases (i.e the general six-vertex, the free-fermion and the symmetric eight-vertex models) are given.     

Uncertainty relations in the product form

We study the uncertainty relation in the product form of variances and obtain some new uncertainty relations with weight, which are shown to be tighter than those derived from the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality.     

Exchange forces in dispersion relations investigated using circuit relations

We propose a novel method to compute in an exact manner the left-hand cut discontinuity of the electron-atom partial wave scattering amplitude in the complex energy plane within the static exchange approximation. Zero energy dispersion relations for electron-hydrogen scattering are computed numerically for illustration.     

Beyond the x-K relations

Explicit formulae are given for all off-diagonal 1–1 and 2–2 resonance terms in the vibrational hamiltonian following the first contact transformation. Such formulae are needed to test the quantitative accuracy of the generalized x-K relation recently published by Della Valle. These formulae are used in a test calculation for linear HCN and DCN and are found only modestly to improve the predicted energy levels for the former, but dramatically improve those of the latter.     

On pressure-frequency relations in the excised larynx

The purpose of this study was to find relationships between subglottal pressure (P(s)) and fundamental frequency (F(0)) of phonation in excised larynx models. This included also the relation between F(0) and its rate of change with pressure (dFdP). Canine larynges were prepared and mounted over a tapered tube that supplied pressurized, heated, and humidified air. Glottal adduction was accomplished either by using two-pronged probes to press the arytenoids together or by passing a suture to simulate lateral cricoarytenoid muscle activation. The pressure-frequency relation was obtained through a series of pressure-flow sweep experiments that were conducted for eight excised canine larynges. It was found that, at set adduction and elongation levels, the pressure-frequency relation is nonlinear, and is highly influenced by the adduction and elongation. The results indicated that for the lower phonation mode, the average rate of change of frequency with pressure was 2.9+/-0.7 Hzcm H(2)O, and for the higher mode was 5.3+/-0.5 Hzcm H(2)O for adduction changes and 8.2+/-4.4 Hzcm H(2)O for elongation changes. The results suggest that during speech and singing, the dFdP relationships are taken into account.     

Recursive relations in the core Hopf algebra

We study co-ideals in the core Hopf algebra underlying a quantum field theory.     

Frobenius objects in the category of relations

Letters in Mathematical Physics - We give a characterization, in terms of simplicial sets, of Frobenius objects in the category of relations. This result generalizes a result of Heunen, Contreras,...     

Low-temperature relations in QCD

The low-temperature relations for the trace of the energy-momentum tensor in QCD with two and three quarks are obtained. It is shown that the temperature derivatives of the anomalous and normal (quark massive term) contributions to the trace of the energy-momentum tensor in QCD are equal to each other in the low-temperature region. Leading corrections connected with ππ interaction and thermal excitations of K and η mesons are calculated.     

A novel, intracellular antifreeze protein in an antarctic bacterium, Flavobacterium xanthum

One strain of Antarctic bacteria, Flavobacterium xanthum IAM12026, has a highly active antifreeze protein (AFP) in the intracellular space. The cell-free extract from strain IAM12026 after culturing at 4 degree C for 7 days in TSB medium, had activity of 0.04 degree C at a concentration of 0.7 mg/ml. The ice crystals formed do not have distinct facets without typically rounded shape and the changes of their morphology during the course of the thermal hysteresis (TH) measurement. The ice crystal 'burst' occurring at the end-point of the TH is dendritic with hexagonal symmetry. Also, this activity was not affected by the treatment of dialysis and the addition of EDTA. Furthermore, this cell-free extract had high levels of ice recrystallization-inhibiting (RI) activity like those of Fish AFPs. The AFP (FlAFP) was homogeneity purified using chromatography. A relative molecular mass of approximately 59,000 was calculated from gel filtration and SDS-PAGE data. The thermal stability of FlAFP was below 50 degree C, and TH value was absent above 60 degree C. The TH value of FlAFP was activated at 5.2 degree C by the addition of 0.5 M malate. This activation was decreased with increasing protein concentration. To our knowledge this is the first report on the high level of TH and RI activities of bacterial intracellular AFP.     

Determining the full transformation relations in the transformation method

The transformation method provides an efficient way to control wave propagation by materials. However, the degree to which this transformation concept can be applied to other physical phenomena remains an open question. Recently, Hu et al. presented a general framework for determining the transformation relations of the physical quantities in an arbitrary partial differential equation (PDE) in its application scope according to the idea of the transformation method. In this paper, we will review the main concepts of this general theory, particularly the difference between this idea and usual methods. The flexibility of this method is shown using an example.     

On some relations in the generalized Boltzmann-Enskog model

The generalized Boltzmann-Enskog equation with long-range potential which was considered to be approximate is proved to possess exact microscopic solutions. Solutions corresponding to a small periodical disturbance of the distribution function are studied. Corrections to the sound velocity are determined.     

Phase relations and transformations in the system PbTe-GeTe

Results of a study of the pseudobinary system PbTe-GeTe are reported and discussed. A new phase diagram, the dependence of the lattice constants on alloy composition, and measurements of a phase transformation in Pb_1−xGe_xTe are presented. Complete solid solubility is found above 570°C. An exsolution dome extends from a maximum at 570°C (near 60 mole % GeTe) to about 5 and 96 mole % GeTe at 300°C. For alloys with compositions near GeTe the unit cell parameters depend markedly on the concentration of cation vacancies. The temperature for the cubic to trigonal phase transformation depends on alloy composition, decreasing from about 670°K for x = 1 to 0°K for x ≈ 0·01. The variation of lattice parameters at the transition temperature is continuous within experimental precision.     

Star-triangle relations in the exactly solvable statistical models

A regular method for analysis of lattice spin models with a nearest neighbour interaction is proposed. Star-triangle relations in the form of functional equations are used. Parametric families of transfer matrices commuting due to star-triangle relations are constructed. The eigenvalues of transfer matrices as functions of the spectral parameter are shown to obey two functional equations. The solution of these equations for the maximal eigenvalue yields the partition function of the model. The method is applied for evaluation of the partition function of the critical Potts models, the Ising model, the Ashkin-Teller model equivalent to the eight-vertex model.     

Analogs of q-Serre relations in the Yang-Baxter algebras

Yang-Baxter bialgebras, as previously introduced by the authors, are shown to arise from a double crossproduct construction applied to the bialgebra R ₁₂ T ₁ T ₂ = T ₂ T ₁ R ₁₂, E ₁ T ₂ = T ₂ E ₁ R ₁₂, (T)=TT, (E)=ET + 1E and its skew dual, with R being a numerical matrix solution of the Yang-Baxter equation. It is further shown that a set of relations generalizing q-Serre ones in the Drinfeld-Jimbo algebras U _q(g) can be naturally imposed on Yang-Baxter algebras from the requirement of non-degeneracy of the pairing.