scholarly journals 3-Dimensional QCD Phase Diagrams for Strange Matter

2020 ◽  
Vol 1602 ◽  
pp. 012013
Author(s):  
V. Dexheimer ◽  
K. Aryal ◽  
C. Constantinou ◽  
J. Peterson ◽  
R. L. S. Farias
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong-Mo Choi ◽  
Furqan Dar ◽  
Rohit V. Pappu

AbstractBiomolecular condensates form via phase transitions that combine phase separation or demixing and networking of key protein and RNA molecules. Proteins that drive condensate formation are either linear or branched multivalent proteins where multivalence refers to the presence of multiple protein-protein or protein-nucleic acid interaction domains or motifs within a protein. Recent work has shown that multivalent protein drivers of phase transitions are in fact biological instantiations of associative polymers. Such systems can be characterized by stickers-and-spacers architectures where stickers contribute to system-specific spatial hierarchies of directional interactions and spacers control the concentration-dependent inhomogeneities in densities of stickers around one another. The collective effects of interactions among stickers and spacers lead to the emergence of dense droplet phases wherein the stickers form percolated networks of polymers. To enable the calculation of system-specific phase diagrams of multivalent proteins, we have developed LASSI (LAttice simulations of Sticker and Spacer Interactions), which is an efficient open source computational engine for lattice-based polymer simulations built on the stickers and spacers framework. In LASSI, a specific multivalent protein architecture is mapped into a set of beads on the 3-dimensional lattice space with proper coarse-graining, and specific sticker-sticker interactions are modeled as pairwise anisotropic interactions. For efficient and broad search of the conformational ensemble, LASSI uses Monte Carlo methods, and we optimized the move set so that LASSI can handle both dilute and dense systems. Also, we developed quantitative measures to extract phase boundaries from LASSI simulations, using known and hidden collective parameters. We demonstrate the application of LASSI to two known archetypes of linear and branched multivalent proteins. The simulations recapitulate observations from experiments and importantly, they generate novel quantitative insights that augment what can be gleaned from experiments alone. We conclude with a discussion of the advantages of lattice-based approaches such as LASSI and highlight the types of systems across which this engine can be deployed, either to make predictions or to enable the design of novel condensates.Author SummarySpatial and temporal organization of molecular matter is a defining hallmark of cellular ultrastructure and recent attention has focused intensely on organization afforded by membraneless organelles, which are referred to as biomolecular condensates. These condensates form via phase transitions that combine phase separation and networking of condensate-specific protein and nucleic acid molecules. Several questions remain unanswered regarding the driving forces for condensate formation encoded in the architectures of multivalent proteins, the molecular determinants of material properties of condensates, and the determinants of compositional specificity of condensates. Building on recently recognized analogies between associative polymers and multivalent proteins, we have developed and deployed LASSI, an open source computational engine that enables the calculation of system-specific phase diagrams for multivalent proteins. LASSI relies on a priori identification of stickers and spacers within a multivalent protein and mapping the stickers onto a 3-dimensional lattice. A Monte Carlo engine that incorporates a suite of novel and established move sets enables simulations that track density inhomogeneities and changes to the extent of networking among stickers as a function of protein concentration and interaction strengths. Calculation of distribution functions and other nonconserved order parameters allow us to compute full phase diagrams for multivalent proteins modeled using a stickers-and-spacers representation on simple cubic lattices. These predictions are shown to be system-specific and allow us to rationalize experimental observations while also enabling the design of systems with bespoke phase behavior. LASSI can be deployed to study the phase behavior of multicomponent systems, which allows us to make direct contact with cellular biomolecular condensates that are in fact multicomponent systems.


Author(s):  
Robert Glaeser ◽  
Thomas Bauer ◽  
David Grano

In transmission electron microscopy, the 3-dimensional structure of an object is usually obtained in one of two ways. For objects which can be included in one specimen, as for example with elements included in freeze- dried whole mounts and examined with a high voltage microscope, stereo pairs can be obtained which exhibit the 3-D structure of the element. For objects which can not be included in one specimen, the 3-D shape is obtained by reconstruction from serial sections. However, without stereo imagery, only detail which remains constant within the thickness of the section can be used in the reconstruction; consequently, the choice is between a low resolution reconstruction using a few thick sections and a better resolution reconstruction using many thin sections, generally a tedious chore. This paper describes an approach to 3-D reconstruction which uses stereo images of serial thick sections to reconstruct an object including detail which changes within the depth of an individual thick section.


Author(s):  
C.W. Akey ◽  
M. Szalay ◽  
S.J. Edelstein

Three methods of obtaining 20 Å resolution in sectioned protein crystals have recently been described. They include tannic acid fixation, low temperature embedding and grid sectioning. To be useful for 3-dimensional reconstruction thin sections must possess suitable resolution, structural fidelity and a known contrast. Tannic acid fixation appears to satisfy the above criteria based on studies of crystals of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase, orthorhombic beef liver catalase and beef heart F1-ATPase. In order to develop methods with general applicability, we have concentrated our efforts on a trigonal modification of catalase which routinely demonstrated a resolution of 40 Å. The catalase system is particularly useful since a comparison with the structure recently solved with x-rays will permit evaluation of the accuracy of 3-D reconstructions of sectioned crystals.Initially, we re-evaluated the packing of trigonal catalase crystals studied by Longley. Images of the (001) plane are of particular interest since they give a projection down the 31-screw axis in space group P3121. Images obtained by the method of Longley or by tannic acid fixation are negatively contrasted since control experiments with orthorhombic catalase plates yield negatively stained specimens with conditions used for the larger trigonal crystals.


Author(s):  
Atul S. Ramani ◽  
Earle R. Ryba ◽  
Paul R. Howell

The “decagonal” phase in the Al-Co-Cu system of nominal composition Al65CO15Cu20 first discovered by He et al. is especially suitable as a topic of investigation since it has been claimed that it is thermodynamically stable and is reported to be periodic in the dimension perpendicular to the plane of quasiperiodic 10-fold symmetry. It can thus be expected that it is an important link between fully periodic and fully quasiperiodic phases. In the present paper, we report important findings of our transmission electron microscope (TEM) study that concern deviations from ideal decagonal symmetry of selected area diffraction patterns (SADPs) obtained from several “decagonal” phase crystals and also observation of a lattice of main reflections on the 10-fold and 2-fold SADPs that implies complete 3-dimensional lattice periodicity and the fundamentally incommensurate nature of the “decagonal” phase. We also present diffraction evidence for a new transition phase that can be classified as being one-dimensionally quasiperiodic if the lattice of main reflections is ignored.


Author(s):  
A. Zangvil ◽  
L.J. Gauckler ◽  
G. Schneider ◽  
M. Rühle

The use of high temperature special ceramics which are usually complex materials based on oxides, nitrides, carbides and borides of silicon and aluminum, is critically dependent on their thermomechanical and other physical properties. The investigations of the phase diagrams, crystal structures and microstructural features are essential for better understanding of the macro-properties. Phase diagrams and crystal structures have been studied mainly by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has contributed to this field to a very limited extent; it has been used more extensively in the study of microstructure, phase transformations and lattice defects. Often only TEM can give solutions to numerous problems in the above fields, since the various phases exist in extremely fine grains and subgrain structures; single crystals of appreciable size are often not available. Examples with some of our experimental results from two multicomponent systems are presented here. The standard ion thinning technique was used for the preparation of thin foil samples, which were then investigated with JEOL 200A and Siemens ELMISKOP 102 (for the lattice resolution work) electron microscopes.


Author(s):  
A. Engel ◽  
A. Holzenburg ◽  
K. Stauffer ◽  
J. Rosenbusch ◽  
U. Aebi

Reconstitution of solubilized and purified membrane proteins in the presence of phospholipids into vesicles allows their functions to be studied by simple bulk measurements (e.g. diffusion of differently sized solutes) or by conductance measurements after transformation into planar membranes. On the other hand, reconstitution into regular protein-lipid arrays, usually forming at a specific lipid-to-protein ratio, provides the basis for determining the 3-dimensional structure of membrane proteins employing the tools of electron crystallography.To refine reconstitution conditions for reproducibly inducing formation of large and highly ordered protein-lipid membranes that are suitable for both electron crystallography and patch clamping experiments aimed at their functional characterization, we built a flow-dialysis device that allows precise control of temperature and flow-rate (Fig. 1). The flow rate is generated by a peristaltic pump and can be adjusted from 1 to 500 ml/h. The dialysis buffer is brought to a preselected temperature during its travel through a meandering path before it enters the dialysis reservoir. A Z-80 based computer controls a Peltier element allowing the temperature profile to be programmed as function of time.


Author(s):  
D.P. Bazett-Jones ◽  
F.P. Ottensmeyer

It has been shown for some time that it is possible to obtain images of small unstained proteins, with a resolution of approximately 5Å using dark field electron microscopy (1,2). Applying this technique, we have observed a uniformity in size and shape of the 2-dimensional images of pure specimens of fish protamines (salmon, herring (clupeine, Y-l) and rainbow trout (Salmo irideus)). On the basis of these images, a model for the 3-dimensional structure of the fish protamines has been proposed (2).The known amino acid sequences of fish protamines show stretches of positively charged arginines, separated by regions of neutral amino acids (3). The proposed model for protamine structure (2) consists of an irregular, right-handed helix with the segments of adjacent arginines forming the loops of the coil.


Author(s):  
Neil Rowlands ◽  
Jeff Price ◽  
Michael Kersker ◽  
Seichi Suzuki ◽  
Steve Young ◽  
...  

Three-dimensional (3D) microstructure visualization on the electron microscope requires that the sample be tilted to different positions to collect a series of projections. This tilting should be performed rapidly for on-line stereo viewing and precisely for off-line tomographic reconstruction. Usually a projection series is collected using mechanical stage tilt alone. The stereo pairs must be viewed off-line and the 60 to 120 tomographic projections must be aligned with fiduciary markers or digital correlation methods. The delay in viewing stereo pairs and the alignment problems in tomographic reconstruction could be eliminated or improved by tilting the beam if such tilt could be accomplished without image translation.A microscope capable of beam tilt with simultaneous image shift to eliminate tilt-induced translation has been investigated for 3D imaging of thick (1 μm) biologic specimens. By tilting the beam above and through the specimen and bringing it back below the specimen, a brightfield image with a projection angle corresponding to the beam tilt angle can be recorded (Fig. 1a).


Author(s):  
Shinya Inoué

This paper reports progress of our effort to rapidly capture, and display in time-lapsed mode, the 3-dimensional dynamic architecture of active living cells and developing embryos at the highest resolution of the light microscope. Our approach entails: (A) real-time video tape recording of through-focal, ultrathin optical sections of live cells at the highest resolution of the light microscope; (B) repeat of A at time-lapsed intervals; (C) once each time-lapsed interval, an image at home focus is recorded onto Optical Disk Memory Recorder (OMDR); (D) periods of interest are selected using the OMDR and video tape records; (E) selected stacks of optical sections are converted into plane projections representing different view angles (±4 degrees for stereo view, additional angles when revolving stereos are desired); (F) analysis using A - D.


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