Palatini approach and large-scale magnetogenesis

Large-scale magnetogenesis is analyzed within the Palatini approach when the gravitational action is supplemented by a contribution that is nonlinear in the Einstein-Hilbert term. While the addition of the nonlinear terms does not affect the scalar modes of the geometry during the inflationary phase, the tensor-to-scalar ratio is nonetheless suppressed. In this context it is plausible to have a stiff phase following the standard inflationary stage provided the potential has a quintessential form. The large-scale magnetic fields can even be a fraction of the nG over typical length scales of the order of the Mpc prior to the gravitational collapse of the protogalaxy.

Propagation of waves in high Brillouin zones: Chaotic branched flow and stable superwires

We report unexpected classical and quantum dynamics of a wave propagating in a periodic potential in high Brillouin zones. Branched flow appears at wavelengths shorter than the typical length scale of the ordered periodic structure and for energies above the potential barrier. The strongest branches remain stable indefinitely and may create linear dynamical channels, wherein waves are not confined directly by potential walls as electrons in ordinary wires but rather, indirectly and more subtly by dynamical stability. We term these superwires since they are associated with a superlattice.

Uncovering of cytochrome P450 anatomy by SecStrAnnotator

Protein structural families are groups of homologous proteins defined by the organization of secondary structure elements (SSEs). Nowadays, many families contain vast numbers of structures, and the SSEs can help to orient within them. Communities around specific protein families have even developed specialized SSE annotations, always assigning the same name to the equivalent SSEs in homologous proteins. A detailed analysis of the groups of equivalent SSEs provides an overview of the studied family and enriches the analysis of any particular protein at hand. We developed a workflow for the analysis of the secondary structure anatomy of a protein family. We applied this analysis to the model family of cytochromes P450 (CYPs)—a family of important biotransformation enzymes with a community-wide used SSE annotation. We report the occurrence, typical length and amino acid sequence for the equivalent SSE groups, the conservation/variability of these properties and relationship to the substrate recognition sites. We also suggest a generic residue numbering scheme for the CYP family. Comparing the bacterial and eukaryotic part of the family highlights the significant differences and reveals a well-known anomalous group of bacterial CYPs with some typically eukaryotic features. Our workflow for SSE annotation for CYP and other families can be freely used at address https://sestra.ncbr.muni.cz.

Baryogenesis, magnetogenesis and the strength of anomalous interactions

The production of the hypermagnetic gyrotropy is investigated under the assumption that the gauge coupling smoothly evolves during a quasi-de Sitter phase and then flattens out in the radiation epoch by always remaining perturbative. In the plane defined by the strength of the anomalous interactions and by the rate of evolution of the gauge coupling the actual weight of the pseudoscalar interactions turns out to be always rather modest if major deviations from the homogeneity are to be avoided during the inflationary phase. Even if the gauge power spectra are related by duality only in the absence of anomalous contributions, an approximate duality symmetry constrains the late-time form of the hypermagnetic power spectra. Since the hypermagnetic gyrotropy associated with the modes reentering prior to the phase transition must be released into fermions later on, the portions of the parameter space where the obtained baryon asymmetry is close to the observed value are the most relevant for the present ends. For the same range of parameters the magnetic power spectra associated with the modes reentering after symmetry breaking may even be of the order of a few hundredths of a nG over typical length scales comparable with the Mpc prior to the collapse of the protogalaxy.

Exponential decay of transverse correlations for O(N) spin systems and related models

We prove exponential decay of transverse correlations in the Spin O(N) model for arbitrary non-zero values of the external magnetic field and arbitrary spin dimension $$N > 1$$ N > 1 . Our result is new when $$N > 3$$ N > 3 , in which case no Lee–Yang theorem is available, it is an alternative to Lee–Yang when $$N = 2, 3$$ N = 2 , 3 , and also holds for a wide class of multi-component spin systems with continuous symmetry. The key ingredients are a representation of the model as a system of coloured random paths, a ‘colour-switch’ lemma, and a sampling procedure which allows us to bound from above the ‘typical’ length of the open paths.

Thiamin-Diphosphate Enzymes Are an Ancient Family of Repeat Proteins

ABSTRACTA repeating sequence and structure pattern that is highly similar to the canonical cofactor binding motif has been identified in the thiamin-diphosphate dependent (ThDP) enzyme family. We have identified more than a thousand of these repeats in a non-redundant set (N = 58) of ThDP enzyme structures. The repeating element has a helix-turn-strand secondary structure which typically begins with an [G/A]{X(1,2)}[G/A] sequence motif with a typical length of 29 residues. The catalytically important diphosphate and aminopyrimidine interacting domains are comprised of a set of six of these repeats in a conserved architecture with a flavodoxin-like 213465 strand order. The canonical ThDP binding motif is the fourth repeat in the ThDP binding domain, while the conserved aminopyrimidine interacting glutamate is part of the second repeat in its domain. The third and fourth repeats form a contact between the functional domains, while the fifth repeat in the N-terminal domain forms an inter-chain contact. The conservation of these functional properties highlights the role of these repeats in the function and structure of this well-studied enzyme family and agrees with the principle of modular assembly in protein ancestry.

Uncovering of Cytochrome P450 Anatomy by SecStrAnnotator

MotivationProtein structural families are groups of homologous proteins defined by the organization of secondary structure elements (SSEs). Nowadays, many families contain vast numbers of homologous structures and the SSEs can help to orient within them. Communities around specific protein families have even developed specialized SSE annotations, assigning always the same name to the equivalent SSEs in homologous proteins. A detailed analysis of the groups of equivalent SSEs and their variability provides an overview of the studied protein family and can be used to enrich the analysis of a particular protein at hand.ResultsWe developed a workflow for analysis of the secondary structure anatomy of a protein family, based on SSE annotation tool SecStrAnnotator. We applied this analysis to the model family of cytochromes P450 (CYPs) – a family of important biotransformation enzymes with a community-wide used SSE annotation. We report the occurrence, typical length and amino acid sequence for the equivalent SSE groups, as well as the conservation/variability of these properties. We also suggest a generic residue numbering scheme for the CYP family. The comparison between the bacterial and eukaryotic part of the family highlights the major differences and reveals an anomalous group of bacterial CYPs with some typically eukaryotic features. This hints at possible evolutionary and functional relationships.AvailabilityThe software and data are available at https://webchem.ncbr.muni.cz/Wiki/[email protected], [email protected]

Synthesis of Multiwall Boron Nitride (BN) Nanotubes by a PVD Method Based on Vapor–Liquid–Solid Growth

Multiwall boron nitride (BN) nanotubes were synthesized by a novel physical vapor deposition (PVD) method, in which the BN nanotubes grow on a compact substrate composed of AlN, γ-Al2O3, Y2O3, and carbon powders. The obtained BN nanotubes assemble in an orderly manner with a typical length of over one millimeter and a diameter of one-hundred nanometers. The hollow multiwall tubes have a spherical tip, which is presumed to be a liquid drop at the synthesis temperature, indicating the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth mechanism.

Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of fish community size structure across the northern Mediterranean Sea: an analysis combining MEDITS survey data with environmental and anthropogenic drivers

The state of marine systems subject to natural or anthropogenic impacts can be generally summarized by suites of ecological indicators carefully selected to avoid redundancy. Length-based indicators capture the status of fish community structure, fulfilling the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requirement for Descriptor 3 (status of commercial fish species). Although the MSFD recommends the development of regional indicators, a comparison among alternative length-based indicators is so far missing for the Mediterranean Sea. Using principal component analysis and dynamic factor analysis, we identified the most effective subset of length-based indicators, whether or not based on maximum length. Indicator trends and time series of fishing effort and environmental variables are also compared in order to highlight the individual and combined capability of indicators to track system changes across geographical sub-areas. Two indicators, typical length and mean maximum length, constitute the smallest set of non-redundant indicators, capturing together 87.45% of variability. Only in combination can these indicators disentangle changes in the fish community composition from modifications of size structure. Our study supports the inclusion of typical length among the regional MSFD Descriptor 3 indicators for the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, we show dissimilarity between the western and eastern-central Mediterranean, suggesting that there are sub-regional differences in stressors and community responses.