Unconstrained Direct Optimization of Spacecraft Trajectories Using Many Embedded Lambert Problems

Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications - Direct optimization of many-revolution spacecraft trajectories is performed using an unconstrained formulation with many short-arc, embedded...     

A methodology to select suppliers to increase sustainability within supply chains

Central European Journal of Operations Research - Sustainability practice within supply chains remains in an early development phase. Enterprises still need tools that support the integration of...     

Persistent Monitoring by Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Bernstein Polynomials

Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications - A framework for monitoring a target modeled as Dubins car using multiple UAVs is proposed. The UAVs are subject to minimum and maximum speed,...     

Dynamics of Bacteriorhodopsin in the Dark-Adapted State from Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

To achieve efficient proton pumping in the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin (bR), the protein must be tightly coupled to the retinal to rapidly convert retinal isomerization into protein structural rearrangements. Methyl group dynamics of bR embedded in lipid nanodiscs were determined in the dark-adapted state, and were found to be mostly well ordered at the cytosolic side. Methyl groups in the M145A mutant of bR, which displays only 10 % residual proton pumping activity, are less well ordered, suggesting a link between side-chain dynamics on the cytosolic side of the bR cavity and proton pumping activity. In addition, slow conformational exchange, attributed to low frequency motions of aromatic rings, was indirectly observed for residues on the extracellular side of the bR cavity. This may be related to reorganization of the water network. These observations provide a detailed picture of previously undescribed equilibrium dynamics on different time scales for ground-state bR.