Activation of G-protein coupled receptors by agonists is thought to involve the stabilisation of a ternary complex of agonist/receptor/G-protein, leading to effector activation, but this mechanism may be an oversimplification, as follows: (a) Agonist binding to the free receptor (uncoupled from G-proteins) is not a neutral event, but includes a component of the activation process and may be des...

We examine the conformations of a model for short closed DNA. The molecule is represented as a cylindrically symmetric elastic string with a constraint corresponding to a specification of the linking number. We obtain analytic expressions for configuration, elastic energy, twist and linking number for a family of solutions spanning from a circle to a ’figure eight’. We suggest ways to use our c...

ABSTRACT: Breeding strategies aim to reduce lameness in dairies by using predictor traits increase the selection of dairy cows. This study enhanced present knowledge about association between claw conformations (CC), hindlimb conformation (HiLC), gait, and body condition score (BCS) A total 166 lactating Holstein cows were enrolled scored for BCS, CC, HiLC, gait. The abnormal HiLC group was sta...

The conformations of a series of organophosphine oxides, OP(CH3)2R, where R = methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, tert-butyl, vinyl, and phenyl, are predicted using the MP2/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Comparison of potential energy surfaces for rotation about P-C bonds with crystal structure data reveals a strong correlation between predicted location and energetics of minima and histograms of dihedral angl...

Nanoscale and microscale confinement of biopolymers naturally occurs in cells and has been recently achieved in artificial structures designed for nanotechnological applications. Here, we present an extensive theoretical investigation of the conformations and shape of a biopolymer with varying stiffness confined to a narrow channel. Combining scaling arguments, analytical calculations, and Mont...