Magnetic monopoles with Zn charges

Under some circumstances magnetic monopoles can be formed with charges which are additive modulo n. We speak of these as monopoles with Z_n charges. The conditions under which such monopoles arise are examined, and illustrated with some specific examples. These monopoles can be produced at intermediate stages of symmetry breakdown and converted at subsequent stages to ones with ordinary additive charges, specified by the group Z ≡ Z_∞. Simultaneously, new light monopoles with n times the Dirac charge can be produced. It is argued that such monopoles may be exempt from the most stringent cosmological bounds, and hence may be easiest to observe.     

Theoretical analysis of the inter-ligand overhauser effect: a new approach for mapping structural relationships of macromolecular ligands

A theoretical framework has been developed for the evaluation of inter-ligand Overhauser effects (ILOE), predicted when pairs of ligands are observed in the presence of a macromolecular receptor which can form a ternary complex such that some of the protons on the two ligands are in close proximity with each other (generally less than approximately 5 A). Simulations for a pair of ligands with three spins each have been performed for a variety of geometric and rate parameters. Analogous to previously described calculations of TRNOE behavior, theoretical behavior of each of the nine cross peaks, A(ij), in a NOESY experiment involving ligands which can exist in the free, binary, or ternary complex states can be calculated. However, for exchange which is sufficiently rapid on the relaxation and chemical shift time scales, use of a collapsed matrix, C, corresponding to sums of sets of nine elements, will often be appropriate and generally simplifies the analysis. In order to generate inter-ligand Overhauser effects, it is optimal for the fraction of receptor involved in the ternary complex to be reasonably large; i.e., concentrations of both ligands should be near saturation. Based on a model assuming random binding order of the ligands, the dependence of ILOE resonance intensities on kinetic rate constants roughly parallels the dependence of transferred NOE (TRNOE) intensities. For diffusion controlled binding, i.e., k(on) approximately 10(8) M(-1) s(-1), the method is best suited for equilibrium dissociation constants in the micromolar-millimolar range (k(off) approximately 10(2)-10(5) s(-1)). Toward the slower dissociation rate constant end of this range, TRNOE and ILOE effects are still predicted, but the initial build-up curves become markedly nonlinear. For a kinetic binding scheme which assumes ordered binding of the ligands, the inherent asymmetry of the ligand binding process leads to more complex kinetics and alters the dependence of the ILOE on the kinetic parameters. In this case, the binding of the second ligand effectively reduces the exchange rate of the first ligand, reducing the transfer of NOE and ILOE information. The reduction in TRNOE and ILOE information which is prediced for the ordered ligand binding model is overcome at larger dissociation rate constants for either ligand 1 or ligand 2. In addition to the structural information available from ILOE data, the strong dependence of TRNOE and ILOE curves on ordered ligand binding suggests that such measurements could be useful for the characterization of ligand binding kinetics.     

On the van der Waerden conjecture and zeros of polynomials

Let

$\text{F(x) =}\text{∑}\text{k=o}\text{n}\text{n}\text{k}\text{A}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{x}{}^{\mathrm{k}}$

$\text{A}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{≠ 0,}$

and

$\text{G(x) =}\text{∑}\text{k=o}\text{n}\text{n}\text{k}\text{B}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{x}{}^{\mathrm{k}}$

$\text{B}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{≠ 0,}$

be polynomials with real zeros satisfying A_n?1 = B_n?1 = 0, and let

$\text{H(x) =}\text{∑}\text{k=o}\text{n-2}\text{n}\text{k}\text{A}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{B}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{x}{}^{\mathrm{k}}\text{.}$

Using the recently proved validity of the van der Waerden conjecture on permanents, some results on the real zeros of H(x) are obtained. These results are related to classical results on composite polynomials.     

Derivatives of the maximum modulus of a starlike function

. - , n=1,2, ...

High-performance capillary electrophoresis of proteins from the fluid lining of the lungs of rats exposed to perfluoroisobutylene.

Measurements of the biochemical constituents in the fluid lining of the lung can be used for diagnosing and assessing lung disorders. To facilitate such measurements, a high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method has been developed by which the proteins in lung fluid can be analyzed. The lung fluid was obtained by a bronchoalveolar lavage procedure using 48 ml of physiological saline to wash out the lung fluid of rats. The proteins were precipitated from the fluid with 10 volumes of acetone and concentrated by dissolution in 2 ml of water containing 0.2% of trifluoroacetic acid. Aliquots of these samples (5 microliters) were then injected into a Bio-Rad HPE-100 capillary electrophoresis instrument fitted with a 50 cm x 50 microns I.D. coated capillary filled with 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 2.5). With phosphate buffer in the outlet electrode chamber (cathode) and water in the inlet electrode chamber (anode), the proteins were loaded into the capillary electrophoretically for 10 s at 10 kV constant voltage. The inlet electrode chamber was then filled with phosphate buffer and HPCE was performed at 8 kV constant voltage. Six major protein fractions were resolved in 35 min, and were detected by UV absorption at 200 nm. The procedure was used to compare the lung fluid proteins of normal untreated rats with those of rats exposed by inhalation to perfluoroisobutylene (PFIB) at a concentration of 100 mg/m3. It was found that PFIB induced pulmonary edema involving a translocation of blood compartment proteins into the lung's alveolar compartment. Comparison of the HPCE fractions with similar fractions obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography confirmed albumin, transferrin and IgG as three major proteins translocated into the alveolar space after PFIB exposure.     

Implications of the top quark mass measurement for the CKM parameters,x s and CP asymmetries

Motivated by the recent determination of the top quark mass by the CDF collaboration,m _t =174±10 _?12 ⁺¹³ GeV, we review and update the constraints on the parameters of the quark flavour mixing matrixV _CKM in the standard model. In performing our fits, we use inputs from the measurements of the following quantities: (i) |∈|, the CP-violating parameter inK decays, (ii) ΔM _d , the mass difference due to the $B_d^0 - \overline {B_d^0 }$ mixing, (iii) the matrix elements |V _cb | and |V _ub |, and (iv)B-hadron lifetimes. We find that the allowed region of the unitarity triangle is very large, mostly due to theoretical uncertainties. (This emphasizes the importance of measurements of CP-violating rate asymmetries in theB system.) Nevertheless, the present data do some-what restrict the allowed values of the coupling constant product $f_{B_d } \sqrt {\hat B_{B_d } }$ and the renormalization-scale-invariant bag constant $\hat B_K$ . With the updated CKM matrix we present the currently-allowed range of the ratio |V _td /V _ts |, as well as the standard model predictions for the $B_s^0 - \overline {B_s^0 }$ mixing parameterx _s and the quantities sin 2α, sin 2β and sin² γ, which characterize the CP-asymmetries inB-decays. The ALEPH collaboration has recently reported a significant improvement on the lower limit on the $B_s^0 - \overline {B_s^0 }$ mass difference, ΔM _s /Δx _d >11.3 (95% C.L.). This has interesting consequences for the CKM parameters which are also worked out.