Potential Achilles heels of SARS-CoV-2 are best displayed by the base order-dependent component of RNA folding energy

The base order-dependent component of folding energy has revealed a highly conserved region in HIV-1 genomes that associates with RNA structure. This corresponds to a packaging signal that is recognized by the nucleocapsid domain of the Gag polyprotein. Long viewed as a potential HIV-1 "Achilles heel," the signal can be targeted by a new antiviral compound. Although SARS-CoV-2 differs in many respects from HIV-1, the same technology displays regions with a high base order-dependent folding energy component, which are also highly conserved. This indicates structural invariance (SI) sustained by natural selection. While the regions are often also protein-encoding (e. g. NSP3, ORF3a), we suggest that their nucleic acid level functions can be considered potential "Achilles heels" for SARS-CoV-2, perhaps susceptible to therapies like those envisaged for AIDS. The ribosomal frameshifting element scored well, but higher SI scores were obtained in other regions, including those encoding NSP13 and the nucleocapsid (N) protein.     

Influence of Urbach Energy,Temperature, and Longitudinal Position in the Active Layer on Carrier Diffusion Length in Perovskite Solar Cells

The diffusion length of charge carriers in the active layer of a perovskite solar cell (PSC) of the structure Glass/PEDOT: PSS/CH₃NH₃PbI₃/PC60BM/Al is modelled. It is found that the diffusion length depends on the position x in the active layer measured from the PEDOT: PSS interface, Urbach energy and temperature. By varying the voltage in the range from zero to , it is shown that the dependence of diffusion length on the position x in the active layer reduces at higher voltage. The combined influence of applied voltage and temperature on the diffusion length of charge carriers is investigated and it is found that in the low voltage range the diffusion length is temperature independent, but it becomes significantly temperature dependent at higher voltages. Also, it is found that the diffusion length decreases as the applied voltage increases and this reduction becomes much more significant at higher voltage and temperatures. The combined influence of applied voltage and Urbach energy on diffusion length of charge carriers reveals that the diffusion length decreases when both the applied voltage and Urbach energy increase. However, the reduction in the diffusion length due to the increase in Urbach energy becomes less significant at higher voltage.     

Performance of hollow-fiber flow field-flow fractionation in protein separation

Since hollow-fiber flow field-flow fractionation (HF FIFFF) utilizes a cylindrical channel made of a hollow-fiber membrane, which is inexpensive and simple in channel assembly and thus disposable, interests are increasing as a potential separation device in cells, proteins, and macromolecules. In this study, performance of HF FIFFF of proteins is described by examining the influence of flow rate conditions and length of fiber (polyacrylonitrile or PAN in this work) on sample recovery as well as experimental plate heights. The interfiber reproducibility in terms of separation time and recovery was also studied. Experiments showed that sample recovery was consistent regardless of the length of fiber when the effective field strength (equivalent to the mean flow velocity at the fiber wall) and the channel void time were adjusted to be equivalent for channels of various fiber lengths. This supported that the majority of sample loss in HF FIFFF separation of apoferritin and their aggregates may occur before the migration process. It is finally demonstrated that HF FIFFF can be applied for characterizing the reduction in Stokes' size of low density lipoproteins from blood plasma samples obtained from patients having coronary artery disease and from healthy donors.     

Yet another way of calculating moments of the Kesten's distribution and its consequences for Catalan numbers and Catalan triangles

We calculate moments of the so-called Kesten distribution by means of the expansion of the denominator of the density of this distribution and then integrate all summands with respect to the semicircle distribution. By comparing this expression with the formulae for the moments of Kesten's distribution obtained by other means, we find identities involving polynomials whose power coefficients are closely related to Catalan numbers, Catalan triangles, binomial coefficients. Finally, as applications of these identities we obtain various interesting relations between the aforementioned numbers, also concerning Lucas, Fibonacci and Fine numbers.     

Large deviation analysis of the single server queue

We establish the large deviation principle (LDP) for the virtual waiting time and queue length processes in the GI/GI/1 queue. The rate functions are found explicitly. As an application, we obtain the logarithmic asymptotics of the probabilities that the virtual waiting time and queue length exceed high levels at large times. Additional new results deal with the LDP for renewal processes and with the derivation of unconditional LDPs for conditional ones. Our approach applies in large deviations ideas and methods of weak convergence theory.This work was supported in part by AT&T Bell Labs.     

The covariance matrix of the Potts model: A random cluster analysis

We consider the covariance matrix,G ^mm =q ²<(_x,m);(_y,m)>, of thed-dimensionalq-states Potts model, rewriting it in the random cluster representation of Fortuin and Kasteleyn. In any of theq ordered phases, we identify the eigenvalues of this matrix both in terms of representations of the unbroken symmetry group of the model and in terms of random cluster connectivities and covariances, thereby attributing algebraic significance to these stochastic geometric quantities. We also show that the correlation length corresponding to the decay rate of one of the eigenvalues is the same as the inverse decay rate of the diameter of finite clusers. For dimensiond=2, we show that this correlation length and the correlation length of the two-point function with free boundary conditions at the corresponding dual temperature are equal up to a factor of two. For systems with first-order transitions, this relation helps to resolve certain inconsistencies between recent exact and numerical work on correlation lengths at the self-dual point _o. For systems with second order transitions, this relation implies the equality of the correlation length exponents from above and below threshold, as well as an amplitude ratio of two. In the course of proving the above results, we establish several properties of independent interest, including left continuity of the inverse correlation length with free boundary conditions and upper semicontinuity of the decay rate for finite clusters in all dimensions, and left continuity of the two-dimensional free boundary condition percolation probability at _o. We also introduce DLR equations for the random cluster model and use them to establish ergodicity of the free measure. In order to prove these results, we introduce a new class of events which we call decoupling events and two inequalities for these events. The first is similar to the FKG inequality, but holds for events which are neither increasing nor decreasing; the second is similar to the van den Berg-Kesten inequality in standard percolation. Both inequalities hold for an arbitrary FKG measure.     

芳香─脂肪族共聚酰胺的序列结构和溶致液晶性能

本文利用对苯二甲酰氯（ＴＰＣ），对苯二胺（ＰＰＤ）和亚甲基数为２和６的两种脂肪族二元胺（ＡＤＡ）合成了具有不同序列结构的芳香一脂肪族共聚酰胺．研究了共聚酰胺的序列结构参数──无规度Ｂ和数均序列长度Ｌｎ与液晶临界浓度Ｃ＊和中介相的类型之间的关系．     

A new approach to the determination of the statistical segment length of wormlike polymers

The Stockmayer-Fixman-Burchard (SFB) and the Dondos-Benoit (DB) equations have been applied to determine the unperturbed dimensions parameterK of wormlike polymers. An empirical relation between the Flory's constant and the Mark-Houwink-Sakurada (MHS) exponenta has been proposed. The values found by this equation are lower than the value 2.5×10²³ used in the case of flexible polymers and this deviation is attributed to the influence of the draining effect. From theK value and the so calculated value of , we calculate the Kuhn statistical segment length of wormlike polymers. The obtained — for a great number of wormlike polymers — statistical segment lengths are almost the same as these calculated by the Yamakawa-Fujii and the Bohdanecky methods. The molecular mass regions in which the SFB, the DB, and the MHS equations are valid are explored. A criterion for the distinction between flexible and wormlike polymers is proposed based on the way of approach to the power law.     

阴离子嵌段共聚的交联聚苯乙烯的网络链长多分散性与网络结构非均一性

用链长分布不同的活性聚苯乙烯子聚物与二乙烯基苯进行阴离子嵌段共聚,合成了一系列两相模型交联网络。以作者等提出的方法测定了所合成网络的结构非均一因子Z。实验测定的网络结构非均一因子Z与交联前聚苯乙烯活性链的分子量分布宽度指数d之间有平行的相应变化规律,表明所给予的非均一因子Z的物理意义是合理的。同时说明,子聚物链长分布较宽时,在网络的高交联区中除了二乙烯基苯外,还有一些对溶胀无贡献的子聚物以悬挂链的形式存在。     

Small angle X-ray scattering investigations of thermodynamic properties of fluid mixtures

Absolute small angle X-ray studies of concentration fluctuations were performed in order to determine thermodynamic properties of a model blend, consisting ofn-hexane and perfluoro-n-hexane. The quantities which we determined were the second derivate of the Gibbs free energy of mixing with respect to the concentration of the components, the location of the spinodal, interaction and solubility parameters, the energy gradient density coefficient as well as the correlation length of the fluctuations at various compositions and temperatures, particularly in the neighbourhood of the spinodal and the critical point. The data obtained were compared with those obtainable from the well known location of the binodal, to test the reliability of the scattering method.